How to Optimise Google PMAX Campaigns for High-Intent Local Traffic

It feels like every few months, Google hands marketers a shiny set of new tools and says, “Go ahead, see what you can do.” Performance Max (PMAX) campaigns have been the talk of the advertising world lately, and the latest updates are an absolute game-changer for anyone looking to draw high-intent, local traffic. Especially for those of us with brick-and-mortar businesses or hybrid strategies that combine online and in-store goals.

I’ve been deep in the trenches with PMAX ever since it rolled out, obsessively tweaking asset groups, stress-testing audience signals, and frantically refreshing the insights tabs. There have been headaches, sure. But there have also been ridiculous leaps in campaign performance, especially once I figured out how to play to Google’s latest strengths. If you’re up against fierce local competition and want to turn AI-driven automation into store visits and ringing phones, read on. Let’s get into the nuts and bolts of what actually works.

What’s New: PMAX Features That Zero in on High-Intent Local Traffic

Recent Google PMAX updates shift the focus squarely onto local and offline performance. It’s no secret that post-pandemic, online-to-offline journeys are more tangled than ever, and Google’s answer has been to bake smarter location signals and offline tracking directly into the campaign mix.

Some key new features now make it possible to:

• Track local actions, like store visits and direction requests, with much greater accuracy.
• Layer in advanced audience signals. Think “people who have searched for your business’s exact address”.
• Optimise asset groups separately for online and in-store objectives, so there’s no more one-size-fits-all creative.

From personal experience, I watched a high-street retailer’s PMAX performance spike when we properly separated their “visit us in person” messaging from their ecommerce promos. The campaign started driving not just traffic but actual footfall, which we measured and verified through Google’s offline conversion tracking.

Structuring Asset Groups for Online and Offline Goals

Here’s the hard truth: lumping online and offline objectives into a single asset group is a surefire way to muddy your messaging. With the most recent PMAX updates, splitting out your asset groups isn’t just smart. It’s non-negotiable if you want serious results.

For online shopping:

• Use clear product images, tight branding, and direct calls-to-action.
• Push limited-time offers, online exclusives, and seamless checkout experiences.

For in-store visits:

• Showcase your physical location, opening hours, and front-of-store photos.
• Focus on locally relevant events or offers, like “in-store only” discounts or local community involvement.

In a recent multi-location rollout, segmenting creative by store and goal gave us granular control. Store visits skyrocketed in some locations, and it was immediately clear where further investment made sense.

Supercharging Conversion Relevance with Audience Signals & Location Targeting

Google’s PMAX now lets you get hyper-specific with location layers and audience cues. These aren’t the old, broad-brush local radius campaigns; you can now:

• Prioritise people physically near your stores, or who’ve shown strong intent by searching for your business or products locally.
• Layer in remarketing lists from your CRM or loyalty program, giving the algorithm a nudge toward those with proven buying history.
• Exclude areas with low store performance or foot traffic, ensuring you’re not wasting budget on window shoppers who’ll never convert.

Last winter, using “store visits” as an offline conversion and syncing it with CRM data meant we could spot at a glance which locations needed a creative shake-up. One shop on the edge of town started lagging, so we doubled down on hyperlocal messaging and ramped up mobile callouts. It’s amazing how quickly the feedback loop tightens your targeting.

Brand Settings and Creative Control in an Automated World

One of the sticking points for plenty of marketers has been the feeling of losing creative control as automation ramps up. Google has clearly taken this feedback on board by rolling out enhanced brand settings inside PMAX. You can now:

• Dictate which brand assets (logos, taglines, and approved visuals) appear, minimising rogue creative surprises.
• Pre-load brand rules, so AI-generated headlines and descriptions stay on-message.
• Pin specific creatives to particular placements, ensuring higher-quality assets get the prime real estate.

I’ve found this especially helpful for franchises or national brands with strict style guides; the AI can mix and match assets, but stays inside your guardrails. Trust me, enforcing uniform standards can save heaps of awkward phone calls and apologies to the design team.

Making Sense of PMAX Insights & Reporting

If you’re anything like me, dashboards full of vague “optimisation score” figures just don’t cut it. You want cold, hard numbers showing where the wins and leaks are hiding. PMAX’s updated insights panel helps you drill down:

• View granular local performance. City by city, postcode by postcode.
• See which asset groups, headlines, or images are driving actual offline conversions.
• Spot search trends and new opportunities using Google’s audience insights.

When we started paying attention to this data, we noticed the busiest day for store visits wasn’t Saturday as everyone expected, but Thursday lunchtimes. Rolling out special weekday offers led to a measurable spike in both web and foot traffic the following week.

One tip: Set aside time weekly or at least fortnightly to review these reports. PMAX adapts fast, so staying on your toes isn’t just recommended, it’s critical for squeezing maximum value from your spend.

Takeaways: Why It’s Worth the Effort

Dialling in your PMAX campaigns for high-intent, local conversions isn’t just about letting Google’s AI do its thing. It’s about giving the system the best raw ingredients. Sharp audience signals, relevant creative, and watertight reporting. So it can cook up something genuinely valuable for your business.

Each tweak and test nudges your results closer to where you want them, and the payoff isn’t just higher ROAS. It’s a real impact where it matters most: actual people walking through your doors, sales ticking up, and your brand making noise in your local community.

Want to see what a fine-tuned PMAX campaign can do for your business? Dive in, keep experimenting, and don’t be afraid to challenge assumptions (especially when the data tells you otherwise). If you’ve got a local campaign that’s stalling, maybe it’s not the market. It could just be time to give your PMAX setup the local focus it deserves.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I track in-store visits from my online PMAX campaign?

Google’s PMAX supports offline conversion tracking by linking in-store actions, such as purchases or visits, to your campaigns. You’ll need to upload offline conversion data (from your POS or CRM) and enable store visit tracking within your Google Ads account. This allows you to see which ads and audience signals lead to actual footfall.

What’s the best way to use audience signals for local targeting?

Start by creating audience lists based on users who have interacted with your location or local pages, and combine them with people searching for your products or services in specific areas. There’s also value in leveraging your CRM data for remarketing to lapsed customers within a geographic radius of your stores.

Should I separate asset groups for online and offline goals?

Absolutely. Keeping your messaging and creative focused for each conversion type drives relevance and performance. Online-oriented asset groups can highlight digital benefits and checkout simplicity, while in-store groups should get hyper-local, showing physical storefronts and store-only promotions.

How often should PMAX campaigns be reviewed and optimised?

PMAX campaigns benefit from regular check-ins. At a bare minimum, review performance every week or two. Look for spikes and dips in both online and offline conversions. Use these trends as triggers to adjust targeting, assets, and budget allocation for better returns.

Can I control what creative assets Google’s automation serves?

Yes. Google’s latest brand settings inside PMAX let you select approved graphics, logos, and messaging, and allow you to set up rules for headline and description usage. This helps keep automated creative on-brand, even as the AI experiments with different combinations.