And there we have it, Google has finally confirmed that standard shopping campaigns will continue to run, despite the many pushes towards automation in recent months. This announcement came after the release that smart shopping will be transitioning into the new Performance Max campaign type.

Performance Max allows advertisers to be present across all Google Ads inventory from one campaign. It combines search, display, shopping and video into one with the idea that automation and AI will allow advertisers to target the right audience at the right time on the right platform.

Although more and more advertisers have embraced automated campaigns and automating bidding strategies over the last couple of years as AI and the algorithm has improved, there are still some reservations about not having the option for manual bidding should advertisers need it.

Smart shopping offers very little control over what searches the auction bids for, so if a new advertiser launches a campaign, there’s very little to analyse, difficult to check whether the feed isn’t quite right for the campaigns, or the search terms are too upper funnel and not generating the results in-line with expectations.

Our take on the update

This is a welcome update from Google. As an agency we do lean on automation (whilst holding the reigns) where we feel the campaigns will benefit, but in our experience, there are a few instances where automation can be a hindrance rather than a benefit e.g. a niche industry where Google does not have enough user data to be able to target the correct audience.

At We Do PPC, we will always take the time to understand your business and your goals to enable choice of the right campaign strategy to achieve your objectives, whether it’s through manual or automated solutions. If you have any questions about Google Ads or automation, get in touch and one of our PPC experts will be happy to help.

Shopping campaigns will continue to run, despite the many pushes towards automation in recent months. This announcement came after the release that smart shopping will be transitioning into the new Performance Max campaign type.

Performance Max allows advertisers to be present across all Google Ads inventory from one campaign. It combines search, display, shopping and video into one with the idea that automation and AI will allow advertisers to target the right audience at the right time on the right platform.

Although more and more advertisers have embraced automated campaigns and automating bidding strategies over the last couple of years as AI/the algorithm has improved, there are still some reservations about not having the option for manual bidding should advertisers need it.

Smart shopping offers very little control over what searches the auction bids for so if a new advertiser launches a campaign, there’s very little to analyse, whether the feed isn’t quite right, or the search terms are too upper funnel and not generating the results in-line with expectations.

At We Do PPC, we will always take the time to understand your business, your goals to choose the right campaign strategy to achieve your objectives, whether it’s through manual or automated solutions. If you have any questions about Google Ads or automation, get in touch and one of our PPC experts will be happy to help.