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How to Use Performance Max + Custom Audiences for Service Businesses
If you think Performance Max (PMax) is only for ecommerce, you’re missing out on one of the most powerful updates Google has made in years.
PMax is built for smart marketers who understand their audience. It just needs better input.
💬 From Keywords → to Signals
Traditional Search campaigns rely on keywords. Performance Max relies on signals. That’s a massive shift.
Instead of telling Google,
“Show my ad when someone searches ‘HVAC repair near me,’”
you’re telling it,
“Show my ad to people who look like the customers who’ve already called us.”
When you feed Google strong audience data, it starts to recognize patterns of intent before the search happens.
📊 Building Your First Custom Audience
Custom audiences are where the real performance boost happens.
Here’s how to build one that actually works for a service business:
- Collect URLs your ideal customers visit.
Think of pages like competitor sites, industry resources, or related local directories.
- Upload those URLs into your PMax audience signals.
This helps Google model lookalike behaviors and find similar users.
- Layer in your own data.
Add your website visitors, customer lists, or CRM exports.
The more first-party data, the better the targeting.
PMax learns from your inputs — not your ad copy. The stronger your audience signals, the faster your performance improves.
🙌 Why This Works for Service Businesses
Service businesses often have limited ad budgets and smaller search volume.
PMax expands your reach by finding the right people across all Google surfaces (Search, Maps, YouTube, Display, and Gmail) — not just those searching specific terms. It’s like getting a smarter version of your Search campaign that also learns faster.
When budgets are tight, PMax’s machine learning helps you reach more qualified people for less spend.
💸 Stretch Every Dollar Further
If you feed it junk (random interests, no URLs, vague audiences), PMax will waste your spend. But if you feed it precise, data-backed signals — like the pages your best customers already visit — it will outperform most Search campaigns within a few weeks.
