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Performance Max Audit

Performance Max is the biggest black box in Google Ads, and where budget quietly leaks. Score your PMax setup across the levers that actually give you control, and get a prioritized plan to rein it in.

By the Digital Success paid-media team · Updated September 2026 · Free, results in seconds

The short version: Performance Max works best when you fence it in, brand exclusions so it stops eating your Search, placement and content exclusions so it stops spending on junk, segmented asset groups so you can read it, audience signals so it is not blind, and value-based goals so it optimizes to profit. This audit scores those levers and tells you which to fix first.
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Score your Performance Max setup

Answer honestly across the four areas that decide whether PMax is under control. Partly counts as half. Scored in your browser.

What you get

A control score for the most opaque campaign type in Google Ads, and a plan to fix it. Performance Max spends across every Google surface from one campaign and shows you very little of where, so the only real control comes from the levers around it: exclusions, segmentation, signals and value-based goals. This audit scores all four and hands you a fix list ordered by impact, starting with the one that saves the most, brand exclusions, so PMax stops claiming cheap brand conversions and inflating its own numbers.

How it works

  1. Answer the questions across control, brand safety, structure and measurement.
  2. Be honest, Partly is worth half.
  3. See your PMax control score and weakest areas.
  4. Open the prioritized fix list and start reining it in.

Why control, not bidding, is the game

With most campaign types you steer with bids and keywords. Performance Max takes those away, so trying to manage it the old way fails and people conclude it is uncontrollable. It is not, you just steer it differently. Brand exclusions stop it eating conversions you would have won cheaply anyway. Segmented asset groups turn one blind blob into something you can read. Audience signals point it at the right people instead of letting it wander. Placement and content exclusions keep it off junk. And value-based goals make it chase profit instead of easy, low-value conversions. Get those right and PMax becomes a genuine growth engine; leave them at default and it becomes an expensive black box. This audit shows you exactly which levers you have not pulled yet.

Frequently asked questions

Why is Performance Max so hard to control?
Google designed it to be hands-off, spending across all its surfaces from one campaign and hiding much of where. You regain control through exclusions, segmentation, signals and value-based goals, the levers this audit checks.
How do I stop it cannibalizing my brand?
Add account-level brand exclusions so PMax stops serving on your brand terms and claiming cheap conversions. It is the most important fix and the first thing checked here.
Should I segment asset groups?
Yes. One catch-all group is unreadable. Segmenting by theme, product or audience lets you see what works and shift budget, which is weighted heavily here.
What are the most common mistakes?
No brand exclusions, a single asset group, no audience signals, weak assets, no placement exclusions, and optimizing to conversion counts instead of value. The audit flags whichever apply.
Does PMax replace Search?
Usually it should complement it. Keep strong branded and high-intent Search alongside PMax, with exclusions so they do not fight. Handing everything to PMax removes protective control.
Is it free?
Yes, free with no login, scored in your browser. Share your details once to open the fix list.

Further reading from Digital Success

Performance Max spending with nothing to show?

Taming PMax takes constant exclusion, feed and signal work most teams do not have time for. Digital Success runs PMax to profit, not on autopilot. Talk to a specialist for a free review.

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