You own a small business that sells shoes. You're ready to run your first Performance Max campaign that uses a set budget. How does the system allocate budget on a Performance Max campaign?

Budget is automatically allocated by campaign, so you'll need to create a separate campaign by channel, and Smart Shopping will optimize budget.

Budget is allocated manually across channels, based on your channel preference. You control the campaign setup but optimize by channel manually.

Budget is allocated manually by campaign, so you'll need to create a separate campaign channel and separate campaign for budget.

Budget is allocated automatically across channels, based on performance. You don't need to create a separate campaign for each channel.

Explanation

Analysis of Correct Answer(s)

The correct answer accurately describes the fundamental nature of a Performance Max (PMax) campaign. PMax is designed to be a comprehensive, AI-powered campaign type that simplifies advertising across Google's entire network.

  • Automatic, Cross-Channel Allocation: The core benefit of PMax is its automation. You provide a single budget, and Google's AI allocates it in real-time across all available channels (like YouTube, Display, Search, Discover, Gmail, and Maps).
  • Performance-Based Optimization: The system's goal is to maximize conversions or conversion value. It dynamically shifts the budget towards the channels and placements that are delivering the best performance against your campaign goals.
  • Consolidated Campaign Structure: PMax eliminates the need to create and manage separate campaigns for each channel. Everything is managed within one single, unified campaign, which is a major difference from traditional campaign setups.

Analysis of Incorrect Options

  • The other options describe a manual or separated approach, which is the opposite of how Performance Max functions. PMax's primary value proposition is removing the need for manual budget allocation across channels.
  • Mentioning the need to create "a separate campaign by channel" is fundamentally incorrect for PMax, as it consolidates all channels into one.
  • The reference to "Smart Shopping" is outdated, as Smart Shopping campaigns were automatically upgraded to Performance Max. This highlights that PMax is the successor and more advanced version of that campaign type.