Google Ads has come a long way since the early days of basic keyword targeting. Traditional Search and Display campaigns are still widely used and still effective when managed well, but Google’s newer option, Performance Max (PMAX), offers a tempting alternative.
What’s the Difference?
Traditional Search and Display Ads work by focusing on two specific strategies. First, it focuses on keywords for search and visual placements across websites, also called display ads. These work wonders when you prefer a hands-on approach. You choose the audience, set the placements, write the copy, and select the creatives.
On the other hand, PMAX campaigns are more automated. Instead of manually managing all the factors, you simply provide Google with text, images, and videos, and the platform automatically distributes your ads across its full network. This includes Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail, Google Maps, Discovery, and more. The system uses machine learning to continuously test and optimise where and how your ads are shown, based on what’s performing best.
So, traditional campaigns give you manual control and narrower targeting, while PMAX offers broader reach driven by AI automation.
Which One Is Best For Your Business?
The answer depends entirely on your business goals and how much control you, or your agency, wants.
Traditional campaigns are a good fit if you’re testing a new product or offer (as you can run detailed A/B comparisons), if your business is operating in a very specific niche, or if you already understand your audience’s online behaviour extremely well.
I’d recommend you choose PMAX campaigns if you don’t mind AI doing the heavy lifting. They work best when you’re focused on conversions and return on ad spend (ROAS), and are looking to scale your campaigns quickly. PMAX is also especially useful if your business has a bank of good creative assets that Google can use and remix across various placements, which is usually only typical of businesses that have been doing ads for a while.
You can also use a combined approach. You can use PMAX to expand your reach across platforms while using traditional Search and Display campaigns to dig deeper into performance data and target specific audience segments.
What About Budget?
Budget is one of the most important considerations when choosing your ad strategy. PMAX campaigns, especially, need plenty of data to learn and perform effectively, which means you’ll need a reasonable budget from the outset because the campaign will need to run for longer.
From my experience, I’d recommend starting with a monthly budget of between R5,000 and R15,000 for traditional campaigns, depending on your market size and the competitiveness of your industry. For PMAX, it’s best to allocate at least R15,000 or more per month. This gives Google’s algorithm enough room to test different combinations of assets and placements and to optimise based on performance.
If you spend too little on PMAX, you’ll probably get poor results because the system doesn’t gather enough data to make smart decisions.
If you’re still not sure what mix of ads is right for your business or how much you should be spending, I can work closely with you to craft Google Ad strategies that match your business goals, your budget, and your stage of growth.
Let’s chat about what would work best for you.