Google Ads Is Pushing "Performance Max Campaigns"

Marketing

Mar 21

Why Are the Leads So Bad?

Google really wants you to use Performance Max campaigns. And if you’ve tried them, you’ve probably noticed something:

The leads suck.

Google promises that Performance Max (PMax) will use AI to optimize across all ad placements—Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail, and Discovery. In theory, it sounds great. In practice? It’s a black box that eats your budget and floods you with garbage leads.

Here’s why.

1. You Have Zero Control Over Where Your Ads Show

Unlike traditional Search or Display campaigns, PMax decides where your ads go. And that means:

Your high-intent search keywords are lumped in with low-quality placements.
Google prioritizes cheap inventory, even if it converts terribly.
You can’t exclude specific networks—so your B2B ad might end up on some random YouTube kids’ video.

Good marketing is about control and optimization. PMax takes that away.

2. Google’s AI Is Optimizing for Clicks, Not Quality

PMax is built to spend your budget, not necessarily to get you the best leads.

It optimizes for conversions, but not all conversions are valuable (hello, spam leads).
It chases the easiest, cheapest clicks, which often means low-intent audiences.
You can’t see exactly what’s driving performance, so fixing it is nearly impossible.

3. You Can’t See What’s Actually Working

In standard campaigns, you can analyze performance and adjust targeting, keywords, and bidding strategies. In PMax?

Google hides most of the data.
You don’t get full insights into which placements or audiences are driving conversions.
You’re left trusting the algorithm—which is great for Google’s revenue, not necessarily for yours.

4. Lead Quality is a Nightmare

Because PMax doesn’t prioritize high-intent users, most advertisers report:

Lots of junk form submissions.
Unqualified leads that go nowhere.
Wasted ad spend chasing volume instead of value.

If your sales team is complaining about lead quality, PMax is probably the problem.

What to Do Instead

If you’re running Google Ads and getting bad leads from PMax, consider:

Testing Standard Search & Display Campaigns. Regain control over keywords and placements.
Using Manual Bidding Strategies. Stop letting Google decide where your budget goes.
Running a Separate Retargeting Strategy. PMax claims to handle everything, but dedicated retargeting works better.

PMax Works for Google, Not You

If you’re looking for quick, cheap traffic, PMax will deliver. But if you actually care about quality leads and ROI, don’t let Google run the show.

Take back control. Your pipeline will thank you.

Bruen Creative Co.