Google Shopping Feed Optimisation: The Complete Guide
Titles, images, GTINs, categories and custom labels that help products show and sell.
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Key takeaways
- Performance Max uses your feed and assets to advertise across all Google channels.
- Your product feed and conversion tracking matter more than ever.
- Segment products by margin or performance to control spend.
- Use brand exclusions, negatives and reporting to see and steer what's happening.
What Performance Max is
Performance Max (PMax) is a Google Ads campaign type that uses one budget to advertise across Search, Shopping, YouTube, Display, Discover, Gmail and Maps. For online stores, it's built around your product feed: Google decides where to show your products and other assets based on your conversion goals.
That automation can work very well, but it can also hide where money goes. Running Performance Max for ecommerce well is about giving Google the right inputs and keeping control of the levers that matter.
Get the foundations right
- Accurate conversion tracking with real order values, so Google optimises for revenue, not just clicks.
- A clean, complete product feed. Our guide to Shopping feed optimisation covers this in detail.
- Enough budget for the campaign to learn; very small budgets spread across many products struggle.
- Strong assets: product and lifestyle images, short videos, headlines and descriptions.
Feed quality is your targeting. PMax has no traditional Shopping keywords. Product titles, categories and attributes largely decide which searches your products match.
Structure campaigns for control
Instead of one campaign for every product, group products so each group gets the right budget and target:
| Segment by | Why |
|---|---|
| Margin | High-margin products can afford a higher cost per sale. |
| Performance | Best-sellers get budget; poor performers don't drag down the rest. |
| Category or brand | Different product lines often behave very differently. |
| Season | Push seasonal ranges at the right time. |
Custom labels in your feed make this segmentation easy to manage.
Use the controls you have
- Brand exclusions stop PMax taking credit for searches for your own brand that you'd win anyway.
- Negative keywords keep irrelevant searches out where your account supports them.
- Targets such as target ROAS steer how aggressively Google bids.
- Audience signals (customer lists, website visitors, search themes) help the campaign start in the right place.
- Final URL settings control whether Google can send traffic to pages other than the ones you choose.
Google has added more controls and reporting to Performance Max over time, so check what's available in your account rather than relying on old advice.
Don't judge PMax on its own numbers alone. It can claim sales from returning customers or brand searches. Compare total store revenue and new-customer numbers, not just the campaign's reported results.
Read the right reports
- Search terms insights: what people searched before clicking.
- Product performance: which products get spend and sales, and which get neither.
- Channel reporting: where ads are shown and how each channel performs.
- Asset performance: which images, videos and headlines work.
Get a second opinion on PMaxWe'll audit your campaigns, feed and tracking.
Get a free proposal Management and budgets
PMax still needs regular attention: feed fixes, new assets, segmentation changes and budget moves. Our Growth PPC plan, which includes Search, Performance Max and Shopping, is £900 a month for ad spend of £5,000 to £15,000 a month, with ad spend paid directly to Google. For broader budgeting, see our guide to Google Ads costs in the UK.
Common mistakes
- Launching with poor conversion tracking or no order values.
- One campaign for every product, regardless of margin.
- Changing targets and budgets every few days.
- Weak or missing image and video assets.
- Letting PMax spend on brand searches you'd win anyway.
Performance Max FAQs
Should I still run Standard Shopping campaigns?
Some stores do, for extra control over specific products or for testing. Many use Performance Max as the main campaign and Standard Shopping where they need tighter control.
How long does Performance Max take to learn?
Usually a few weeks. Avoid big changes during that time and judge results over a longer period.
Do I need video for Performance Max?
It's strongly recommended. If you don't add video, Google may create basic videos from your images, which rarely represent your brand well.
Is Performance Max good for small stores?
It can be, with good tracking, a solid feed and enough budget to learn. Very small budgets may get better control from a simpler setup.
The bottom line
Performance Max for ecommerce works best when you feed it well and stay in charge: accurate tracking, a strong product feed, sensible segmentation, brand exclusions and regular reporting. Let automation do the bidding, but keep the strategy in your hands.