Performance Max asset group: what Google needs to accept it

Quick answer

A Performance Max asset group needs at least 3 headlines of up to 30 characters (one with 15 or fewer), 1 long headline of up to 90, 2 descriptions of up to 90, a business name of up to 25, a landscape image, a square image and a logo. Bidding must be Maximize conversions or conversion value.

What are the asset group minimums?

Google recommends going well past the minimums (11 or more headlines, 4 or more descriptions) and requires the business name to match your domain or verified business name, without extra symbols or promotional text.

Google checks all of this at publishing time. The campaign, its asset group and every minimum asset have to go out together, so a Performance Max campaign cannot be published empty and filled in later. Any tool that creates PMax for you has to follow the same rule.

Why was my Performance Max campaign rejected?

• No short headline. Three headlines are not enough if none of them has 15 characters or fewer.
• Business name with promotional text. "Acme Shoes | 50% Off" fails; the name has to match the domain or the verified business name.
• A missing image format. One landscape image, one square image and one logo are all required, not just one of the three.
• The wrong bid strategy. PMax only accepts Maximize conversions or Maximize conversion value.

Which bid strategies does PMax accept?

Only Maximize conversions and Maximize conversion value. Target CPA and target ROAS come in as optional targets inside them. PMax also does not accept network settings: Google decides where to serve, across all of its channels from a single campaign.

Are audience signals targeting?

No. Audience signals and search themes are hints that help the algorithm start. The campaign can and will serve outside the signal. Anyone who treats signals as targeting gets a surprise in the channel report.

What does Final URL expansion change?

Google Ads Help notes that when Final URL expansion is on, Google may replace your final URL with a more relevant landing page based on the search, and generate a dynamic headline, description and other assets to match that page. That is useful for large sites and risky for accounts where only one page converts or where copy needs client approval. Decide per client, on purpose, not by default.

Which checks prevent a rejected PMax launch?

1. Count the text assets against the minimums, including one headline of 15 characters or fewer.
2. Check that the business name matches the domain or the verified business name, with no promotional text.
3. Have at least one landscape image, one square image and one logo ready before you start.
4. Pick Maximize conversions or Maximize conversion value; add target CPA or ROAS only if you have conversion history.
5. Decide on Final URL expansion and confirm your UTMs: a tracking suffix set at the account level applies to the new campaign, but one set at the campaign level has to be added to each new campaign.

How should you read PMax results?

Performance Max serves across every Google channel from one campaign, so read the channel and search term insights before judging the asset group. A PMax campaign that looks cheap may be spending mostly on your own brand searches or on placements that do not match the client's goal. Compare it with your Search campaigns in the same period, not in isolation, and keep brand terms in mind when you report results to the client (see how to manage Google Ads for multiple clients).

How do you create and edit PMax in Ads Editor?

Ads Editor's Google Ads manager creates Performance Max campaigns from scratch, validates the minimums before submitting (and tells you what is missing), and edits the asset group afterward, including through MCP in Claude or ChatGPT. AI can suggest headlines and assets from the website, for you to review before publishing. The general Google routine is in how to manage Google Ads for multiple clients.

Since October 13, 2026, PMax creation has a Merchant Center / Google Shopping block: pick the store linked to the account and, optionally, the feed label; the campaign starts advertising every product in the feed. On an existing PMax, Edit asset group has the same block. A Merchant Center account that is not linked is rejected before anything is created, with the steps to link it. Videos can be uploaded from your computer straight to the account's YouTube channel, and audiences go in as asset group signals. Linking Merchant Center to Google Ads, feed labels and listing groups are covered in Merchant Center in Performance Max.