Case study · Google Ads · eCommerce
Performance Max restructure that made Google Ads follow profit
A Google Ads and SEM case study: splitting Performance Max by margin tier, excluding brand traffic and fixing purchase tracking so Smart Bidding optimised for profit, not just revenue.
The challenge
The store ran a single Performance Max campaign across its entire product catalogue. Google Ads treated every product the same, so budget flowed to whatever sold easily, including low-margin items that barely made money after ad costs.
Brand searches that would have converted anyway were being counted as new sales, and purchase tracking was unreliable. Reported ROAS looked healthy, but it did not reflect real profit.
This is one of the projects behind the $25M+ in sales that Saifur Saif, a digital marketing specialist in Bangladesh, has helped generate through Google Ads and Meta Ads. Client details are kept confidential.
The approach
Audit, track, launch and test, then scale and report: the same process used on every project.
Audit
Reviewed the Google Ads account, Merchant Center feed, product margins, search terms and brand traffic, and compared Google Ads conversions with real orders.
Track
Fixed purchase conversion tracking with GA4 and Google Tag Manager and set up enhanced conversions, so Smart Bidding learned from accurate revenue data.
Launch & test
Split Performance Max into campaigns by margin tier with separate ROAS targets, added brand exclusions, and supported them with a branded Search campaign and a cleaner product feed.
Scale & report
Moved budget toward the higher-margin campaigns that returned the best profit, reported weekly in a Google Data Studio dashboard with spend, revenue, ROAS and margin views.
The outcome
Google Ads budget now follows product profitability instead of raw revenue. Brand traffic is measured separately, reporting reflects real sales, and the store has a Performance Max structure it can scale with confidence.
Key takeaways for your business
- One Performance Max campaign for a whole catalogue often hides unprofitable spend.
- Splitting by margin lets you set a different ROAS target for each product group.
- Brand exclusions stop Performance Max taking credit for sales you would win anyway.
- Accurate conversion values are the foundation of Smart Bidding.
Want the same approach for your business? Learn more about the Google Ads & SEM service or book a free strategy call.
Tools used
The platforms behind this project.
Questions about this project
Quick answers related to this case study.
What is Performance Max in Google Ads?
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More projects
Other case studies from Saifur Saif.
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