Does your Google PMax ROAS look great?
But, maybe your actual business isn’t growing?
Here’s what may be happening:
PMax is designed to find the path of least resistance. And the easiest conversion in your entire account is someone who is already searching for your brand by name.
So that’s where it goes.
It takes credit for the demand you’ve already created elsewhere. It reports an incredible ROAS, but your incremental new customer growth stays flat.
The platform is grading its own homework.
The fix is simple but most accounts don’t do it:
Add brand negatives to PMax. Force it out of your existing demand pool.
Run your brand in a separate Exact Match campaign where you control the messaging, the landing page, and the budget.
Then stop looking at PMax ROAS alone. Watch your Blended MER. That’s where the truth is.
Automation is a tool. Not a growth strategy.
How’s your PMax looking?
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20+ years running paid media. Operator Note 1 of 24.
This post is part of my Google Ads Operator Playbook — 24 notes on what’s actually working in Google Ads in 2026. I also cover Meta, Pinterest, and AppLovin if those are on your radar.
Note: Every account has context. These notes assume the fundamentals are in place. If your attribution is broken, your conversion actions are misconfigured, or your campaign structure has deeper issues, these moves will land differently. If that sounds familiar, give me a shout.
#googleads #pmax #dtcmarketing #paidmedia