Performance Max (PMax) campaigns in Google Ads utilise a fully automated bidding strategy that distributes your budget across all of Google’s advertising channels – Search, Display, YouTube, Discover, Gmail, and Maps – to find converting customers, currently available to all Australian advertisers.

Unlike traditional bidding strategies where you set bids per channel, PMax relies on Google’s AI. You provide a conversion goal (e.g., sales, leads) and a target return on ad spend (ROAS) or cost per acquisition (CPA). The system then predicts which combinations of audiences, creatives, and channels are most likely to achieve that goal. As of December 2025, asset groups – collections of headlines, descriptions, images, and videos – are crucial; the more high-quality assets you provide, the better PMax can perform. Google’s algorithms are continually learning and optimising bids in real-time. In 2026, Google plans to integrate more first-party data signals to further refine PMax’s targeting capabilities.

While automated, PMax isn’t a ‘set and forget’ solution. Regularly reviewing performance insights and providing fresh creative assets is vital to maintain campaign effectiveness and achieve optimal results in the Australian market.