AI Search & Performance Max: How Google’s AI Campaigns Are Changing PPC

AI Search & Performance Max: How Google’s AI Campaigns Are Changing PPC

The world of Google Ads is evolving fast. For years, advertisers managed every keyword, every bid, and every audience manually. But today, Google is pushing AI-powered campaigns like AI Search (Search Max) and Performance Max (P-Max).

These campaigns promise automation, but they also require a new way of thinking. Let’s break down what’s happening and what you need to know.

 What Is AI Search (Search Max)?

AI Search (sometimes called Search Max) is Google’s latest evolution of search campaigns. Instead of manually adding thousands of keywords, advertisers can feed Google:

  • Website content

  • Business categories

  • Landing pages

  • Custom assets

Google’s AI then generates ads and matches them to the right search queries automatically.

 The goal: less manual setup, more automation powered by Google’s machine learning.

Example:

What Is Performance Max?

Performance Max (P-Max) takes automation even further. With one campaign, Google places your ads across all its channels:

  • Search

  • Display

  • YouTube

  • Gmail

  • Shopping

Instead of managing separate campaigns, you feed P-Max creative assets (headlines, images, videos, logos), set your goals, and Google’s AI decides where and when to show ads.

It’s powerful — but it also means you have less control.

 Customer Match Lists: First-Party Data Is King

One way to give Google’s AI better signals is by using Customer Match Lists.

This means uploading your own customer data (like email addresses or phone numbers) so Google can:

  • Find your past customers

  • Build lookalike audiences

  • Improve targeting accuracy

 With privacy changes and less tracking available, first-party data is becoming more valuable than ever. If you have customer lists, use them.

Bidding Strategies: Why You Must “Leave Them Alone”

A common mistake advertisers make with AI campaigns is changing bidding strategies too often.

Google offers automated strategies like:

  • Maximize Conversions

  • Maximize Conversion Value

  • Target CPA (tCPA)

  • Target ROAS (tROAS)

These strategies rely on machine learning. But here’s the key:

  • They need time to learn (usually 2–4 weeks).

  • If you keep switching strategies or tweaking bids daily, you reset the learning process.

  • The result: wasted money and unstable performance.

The lesson: Choose your bidding strategy carefully, set it up with accurate conversion tracking, and then give it enough time to optimize.

Final Thoughts

Google’s shift toward AI Search and Performance Max means advertisers must balance automation with signal quality.

  • Provide strong inputs: good creative, customer match lists, clean conversion data.

  • Choose a bidding strategy and stick with it long enough for Google’s AI to learn.

  • Accept that while you lose some control, you gain scale and efficiency if you set things up properly.

AI is not replacing advertisers — but it is changing our role. Instead of micromanaging keywords and bids, the new challenge is feeding the machine the right signals so it can do the heavy lifting for you.