Performance Max (PMax) campaigns are a newer type of Google Ads campaign—and if you manage a Google Ad Grant, you may be wondering: Should I be using these?
Short answer: Yes. Especially if your account has stopped spending the full $10,000/month.
In this simple guide, we’ll explain what PMax is, how it’s different for Ad Grant users, and how we’re using it to help churches and nonprofits regain momentum.
Why We Started Using PMax for the Google Ad Grant
Last year and into early 2025, we saw a big drop in ad spend across many nonprofit accounts. Some were only spending a few thousand dollars out of the $10K/month grant.
One major reason? AI summaries. Now when people Google questions like “What does the Bible say about marriage?”, they often get a full answer directly in the results—without needing to click.
That means fewer site visits and lower clickthrough rates. But we’ve found a way to fight back.
Enter: Performance Max campaigns.
It’s not a silver bullet—but it’s a big part of the solution.
What Is a Performance Max Campaign?
A PMax campaign is one campaign that can run across multiple Google platforms—Search, Maps, Gmail, and more. You provide Google with text, images, logos, and targeting suggestions, and Google figures out when and where to show your ads.
For Google Ad Grants, PMax is limited:
- Your ads don’t show on YouTube, Display, or Gmail.
- You still mostly show up in Search results, possibly Maps.
- Even though it prompts you to upload a video, you don’t need to—videos don’t run under the grant.
How PMax Differs from Regular Search Campaigns
| Feature | PMax (Ad Grant) | Standard Search |
| Uses keywords? | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Uses audience signals? | ✅ Yes | Optional |
| Shows video ads? | ❌ No | ❌ No |
| Control over targeting | Low | High |
| Best for | Scaling spend | Intent-based targeting |
In Search campaigns, you’d use keywords like “church near me”. PMax doesn’t work like that. You instead give search themes and audience signals, and Google decides how and where your ad appears.
Advantages of P-Max Campaigns
- Audience signals and utilizing their data and similar website data can drive more conversions by dialing into the audience better – “Audience signals + AI”.
- Appears we still get more diverse creative formats and options tested with the many photos.
- Also, both can be run simultaneously and we’re often seeing Google favor them.
Should You Use PMax?
If your Ad Grant account isn’t maxing out, definitely try PMax.
Here’s how we’re using it:
- To jumpstart low-spend accounts
- To promote pages like baptisms, events, or sermons
- To broaden reach when Search campaigns struggle
🛈 Important: PMax campaigns usually have a lower clickthrough rate than Search ads, and it’s harder to see exactly what search terms triggered your ad. But they still work.
Our Honest Take
PMax is far from perfect. It’s a bit of a black box. But we’ve consistently seen it help accounts spend more and reach broader audiences—especially when Search campaigns hit a wall.
For now, it’s one of the best tools available to get back to fully using the Google Ad Grant.
Want Help?
If your nonprofit’s grant is stuck or underperforming, give PMax a try—or reach out to our team. We’ve been running and testing these campaigns for months and would love to help.
