Choose the optimal structure for your Performance Max campaigns and select the right search themes so they don't compete with each other.
One of the most common mistakes in Google Ads when building Performance Max (PMax) campaigns is lumping everything together or repeating search themes across different asset groups.
If you run multiple Asset Groups, the secret is splitting them by product type or funnel stage, aligning each group with its own creatives and landing pages.
Here is a practical guide (using a real-world example for a ticket-selling business) ready to apply.
1. Splitting by Product Type (Horizontal)
If you sell different products or events, don't mix them. Each audience searches differently and needs a tailored message.
Asset Group 1: Family Musical
- Search themes: musicals for kids barcelona, weekend family theater, family musical tickets.
- Focus: Photos of kids having fun, copy centered on family entertainment, and a direct URL to that specific show.
- Audience: choose parents with kids between 5-10 years, past buyers, etc. You might exclude people older than 50 years old and younger than 30.
Asset Group 2: Soundtrack Concert
- Search themes: movie soundtrack concert, live film music, symphony orchestra tickets.
- Focus: Epic videos of the orchestra, messaging aimed at movie lovers, and a direct URL to the concert.
- Audience: focus on past buyers, Musical lovers, music event fans, etc.
2. Splitting by Funnel Stage (Vertical)
You can separate users looking for inspiration from those ready to buy, but watch out for budget allocation:
Bottom of Funnel (Direct intent):
- Themes: buy musical tickets barcelona, theater tickets today, discount tickets [Show Name].
- Goal: Close the sale immediately.
Top of Funnel (Discovery):
- Themes: things to do in barcelona this weekend, activities with kids barcelona, experience gift ideas.
- Goal: Capture users who don't know your show yet.
The key trick: If you put Top-of-Funnel and Bottom-of-Funnel groups in the same campaign, Google will give 90% of the budget to the Bottom-of-Funnel group because it converts faster. If you want to capture discovery traffic ("things to do in barcelona"), give it its own separate campaign with an independent budget.
3. Golden rules before launching
- Zero overlap: Never repeat the same search theme across two different Asset Groups.
- Ditch the synonyms: You get up to 50 themes per group, but Google already understands semantic variations. Use each slot for a distinct search intent.
- Target "blind spots": Use search themes to give the AI context that isn't obvious on your landing page (seasonality, gifting, new launches).
- Protect your brand: Don't put your own brand or competitor names in search themes; manage that with brand exclusions at the campaign level.
- Include your competitors in your audiences: If you want to capture users who attend competing events, include profiles of people who visit those websites in your audience.
- Leverage first-party data: Use lists of past buyers so Google prioritizes finding users similar to those who have already purchased from you.
- Use the search terms from your Dolnai report to identify the most searched categories.
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