Google’s Performance Max gets a boost with new “Search Themes” feature

Google has unveiled a fresh Performance Max campaign feature named “Search Themes”. This new update aims to give advertisers more control, enabling them to direct the AI-powered system more effectively.

What makes “Search Themes” stand out?

Until now, Performance Max has been using your budget, assets, landing pages, and feeds to pinpoint the best places for your ads. The introduction of Search Themes allows you to add specific categories or topics important to your business. This extra input layer serves as additional guidance for the AI, supplementing the data it gathers from your assets and feeds.

The advantages and practical applications

Google claims this new feature will help Performance Max seize search traffic it might otherwise miss. It’s particularly useful when the existing AI system struggles to make sense of complicated or new data from current campaigns. Google has cited several ideal situations for deploying Search Themes:

• For landing pages that have incomplete or outdated information about products or services.
• When entering new markets that lack historical performance data for campaigns.
• For promoting new holiday specials that have no past data.
• To achieve thorough coverage of vital business themes.

Crucial information to know

You can add as many as 25 search themes per ad group within a Performance Max campaign. These themes will function similarly to phrases and broad match keywords in standard Search campaigns. Existing rules for brand exclusions and account-level negative keywords will continue to apply.

You can enter Search Themes at the ad group level in a campaign, and the AI will match them with relevant search queries and placements. This broadens the scope of Performance Max, allowing it to tap into inventory that Google might not have otherwise considered relevant.

Final thoughts

Search Themes is currently in beta and is accessible for all Performance Max campaigns. Google has introduced this feature in response to advertisers seeking more control over the automated system. Early reviews from those who have tested it are promising. Looking ahead, Google intends to offer more comprehensive search term insights and tips on how to make the most of Search Themes by 2024.