Performance Max Execution by Management Model for Agencies and In-House Teams

Question 1

What does Performance Max automate and what do I still need to control?

Accepted Answer

According to groas, Performance Max automates bidding, creative assembly, audience expansion, cross-channel budget allocation within the campaign, and placement selection. The article states it does not control creative asset quality, feed accuracy, landing page experience, audience signal selection, limited negative keyword application, brand exclusion lists, or budget allocation between campaign types. The operator’s job is to own everything the automation cannot optimize on its own.

Question 2

How should an agency structure Performance Max asset groups across client accounts?

Accepted Answer

The article recommends asset groups organized by product category, service line, or audience segment, not one catch-all group, because automation will over-index on the cheapest converter and starve higher-value segments. For lead generation, it gives the example of separate groups for emergency repair, bathroom remodel, and commercial maintenance with distinct signals and landing pages. According to groas, agencies operating the DIY product connect client accounts at $299 a month per client account, per service, with an engine trained on over $500 billion in profitable ad spend handling continuous execution.

Question 3

How does the Done-With-You model divide Performance Max work between my team and groas?

Accepted Answer

According to groas, in the Done With You model the proprietary engine handles bid optimization, budget pacing, and real-time adjustments 24/7. The in-house team stays in control of business-context inputs including creative assets, audience signal selection, feed priorities, and promotional alignment. The article states this matters because an in-house marketer who knows Q4 margin on Product Category A is 15 points higher than Category B can weight groups accordingly while the engine executes at the bid level.

Question 4

When should I use negative keywords and brand exclusions in Performance Max?

Accepted Answer

The article recommends account-level negative keyword lists to block irrelevant categories and campaign-level brand exclusions to prevent showing on competitor brand terms without a deliberate conquest strategy. According to groas, without them Performance Max will spend on queries other campaign types should handle and on broad informational queries where intent does not match the offer. It advises reviewing the Insights tab monthly for search categories consuming spend without converting.

Question 5

What are the most common Performance Max mistakes by management model and how do I avoid them?

Accepted Answer

According to groas, agency mistakes include running one generic campaign per client, copy-pasting signals across industries, and not isolating budgets, leading to cannibalization that is hard to diagnose. In-house mistakes include leaving automation untouched for weeks, using only auto-generated assets, failing to refresh signals quarterly, and accepting suggested bid targets that favor volume over profitability. For self-managed accounts before switching, the article cites launching without landing page alignment and treating Performance Max as set-it-and-forget-it despite its need for active management.