CMOs: Performance Max Is Exposing Who Actually Knows What They're Doing

Why Your Google Ads Person Needs to Stop Acting Like It's 2015

Here's something I keep seeing with mid-market companies: you're paying someone to manage your Google Ads, but they're still using tactics from a decade ago. And when they try to run Performance Max campaigns? It's a disaster.

Not because Performance Max doesn't work. It does, when handled correctly. But because they're bringing the wrong mindset to the table.

Let me be clear upfront: Performance Max isn't always the right move. For most of my clients at WSI Utopiads, we start with Search and Shopping campaigns first. You need those fundamentals in place before you even think about layering on something more complex. But when it's time to scale, and you've got the budget and data to support it, Performance Max can be powerful.

And yes, I'm going to talk about my team in this piece. Why? Because when it comes to Performance Max, you deserve the best, and I know we're among the few who genuinely know how to make it work for mid-market businesses.

The problem is that most marketers don't know how to let go. My team does, because we've learned that fighting the algorithm is expensive and pointless. We know when to guide and when to step back.

The Control Freaks Are Killing Your Budget

Traditional Google Ads gave marketers a lot of control. You could pick exactly which keywords to bid on, write specific ads for specific searches, and see exactly what was working. That era is mostly over, and a lot of marketing people haven't adjusted.

Performance Max is algorithm-driven. You're not the one making micro-decisions about where your ads show up or which headline gets paired with which image.

Google's system does that based on massive amounts of data about user behavior.

Here's something important that gets lost in most discussions:

Performance Max isn't just for ecommerce or Shopping campaigns. It works for B2B service businesses, B2C companies without online stores, lead generation, and more. I've used it successfully for manufacturers, professional services firms, and contractors. The principles are the same whether you're selling products or generating leads.

And yes, I know that sounds terrifying if you're writing the checks.

But here's the reality:

The marketers who insist on controlling every little detail with Performance Max end up wasting your money. They're fighting the system instead of guiding it. They make constant tweaks that reset the learning period, which means Google never gets smart about what actually converts for your business.

I've seen this burn through tens of thousands of dollars in the first few weeks because someone couldn't resist meddling.

What You Actually Control (And Why It Matters More)

Here's what I tell clients when they're nervous about handing control over to an algorithm: you're not giving up control of what matters. You're giving up control of tactical execution so you can focus on strategy.

You still control:

• Your offer and why customers should choose you

• Your product data and how it's presented

• Who you're targeting (as guidance, not as a hard rule)

• Your ad creative, copy, and landing pages

• What counts as a successful conversion

• Your budget and bidding strategy

That last point is critical, and it's where my team at WSI Utopiads spends most of our time with new Performance Max clients. If your marketing person isn't having deep conversations with you about what constitutes a valuable lead or sale, they're going to optimize for garbage. Google will happily bring you tons of conversions that don't make you money.

I see this constantly with lead-gen businesses. Someone fills out a form asking for more information, and that counts as a conversion. But if 90% of those form fills are tire-kickers with no budget, you haven't gotten anything valuable. You need to tell the system what quality looks like, and that requires your input about the business side. We push hard on this because we've seen too many campaigns "succeed" at driving worthless leads.

The Red Flags to Watch For

If your Google Ads person exhibits any of these behaviors, you're probably not getting optimal results:

• They promise immediate results. 

Performance Max needs three to six weeks to get out of learning mode. Anyone promising instant wins is either lying or about to waste your money with constant changes that prevent the system from learning.

• They can't explain the strategy in plain English. 

If they're hiding behind jargon and complexity, they probably don't understand what they're doing. Good marketers can translate technical concepts into business impact.

• They resist transparency about data and results. 

Yes, Performance Max has less visibility than traditional campaigns. But that's not an excuse to avoid showing you what's working and what isn't. You should still see clear reporting on cost per acquisition, return on ad spend, and how campaigns are contributing to revenue.

• They never talk to you about your customers or business goals. 

This is the biggest red flag. Performance Max requires context about what success looks like for your specific business. If they're just pushing buttons without understanding your market, your customers, or your margins, you're in trouble.

• They blame the algorithm for everything. 

Yes, Google's system makes decisions. But skilled marketers know how to guide those decisions through proper setup, data inputs, and strategic adjustments. Constant finger-pointing at the algorithm usually means they don't know what they're doing.

What Good Performance Max Management Looks Like

When my team at WSI Utopiads takes on a client for Performance Max, here's our approach:

• First, we make sure the foundation is solid. That means conversion tracking is set up correctly, we understand what a quality lead or sale looks like for their business, and we have enough historical data for Google to learn from. We've been doing this long enough to know that skipping this step costs you money later.

• Second, we set realistic expectations. I tell clients upfront that the first few weeks might look rough while the system learns. We agree on a budget for that learning period and commit to staying the course unless something is genuinely broken. This is where a lot of agencies fail - they panic at the first sign of trouble and reset everything, which just extends the pain.

• Third, we focus energy on the things that actually matter. That's creating compelling ad creative, writing copy that speaks to customer pain points, optimizing landing pages for conversion, and making sure the product feed (for e-commerce) is comprehensive and accurate. My team knows that Google's algorithm can only work with what we give it. Garbage in, garbage out.

• Fourth, we watch the data closely without overreacting. Just because video ads have a higher cost per conversion doesn't mean we kill them immediately. They might be playing a role in the customer journey that isn't obvious in last-click attribution. We've run enough campaigns to recognize patterns that less experienced marketers miss.

• Finally, we communicate constantly about results and strategy. You should always know what's happening with your budget and why decisions are being made. No jargon, no hiding behind complexity - just straight talk about what's working and what needs to change.

When Performance Max Doesn't Make Sense

Let's talk about when you shouldn't use Performance Max, because nobody else seems willing to say this out loud.

• If you're in a highly regulated industry like pharmaceuticals or legal services, you might need more control than Performance Max allows. The algorithm might take your ads places you legally can't go.

• If you're in a tiny niche with limited search volume, there's not enough data for the system to learn from. You're better off with targeted Search campaigns.

• If you don't have budget to ride out the learning period or stomach some initial inefficiency, stick with what's proven. Performance Max is for scaling, not testing on a shoestring.

• If your business can't or won't provide the data Google needs to understand what good conversions look like, you're flying blind. Traditional campaigns give you more manual control in those situations.

The Bigger Picture

Here's what this is really about: marketing is changing fast, and a lot of marketers aren't keeping up. The ones who succeed with Performance Max understand that they're not button-pushers anymore. They're strategists who know how to guide machine learning toward business outcomes.

That's exactly why we've invested in building a team at WSI Utopiads that can handle this evolution. WSI has been in digital marketing for 30 years, and we've been operating paid search for 15 of those years - which means we've seen every trend, platform change, and algorithm update that's come down the pike. We know the difference between a fundamental shift and temporary noise.

Performance Max is a fundamental shift.

For mid-market companies, this shift is actually good news. You don't need to pay someone to manually adjust bids all day. You need someone who understands your business, knows how to position your offer, creates compelling marketing assets, and can interpret data to make strategic decisions.

That's a different skill set than what worked five years ago. My team has it because we've stayed current while others got comfortable. Make sure whoever's managing your Google Ads has done the same.

And if they're still operating like it's 2015? It's time for a conversation about what modern digital marketing actually looks like.

Want to talk about whether Performance Max makes sense for your business? My team at WSI Utopiads gives straight answers based on your specific situation, not generic vendor pitches. WSI has been doing this across thousands of clients worldwide, and we've been serving mid-market businesses as long as Google has been around - we know what works and what's just expensive noise. Let's talk.