Introduction
With over 10 years in digital marketing, I have witnessed numerous changes in Google’s advertising tools. Performance Max (PMax) – is one of the most controversial formats. It offers maximum reach and automation yet it can deliver either phenomenal results or complete chaos in the form of irrelevant leads.
I have worked with advertising accounts where PMax became the primary sales driver, but I have also seen businesses for which it simply didn’t work. Currently, my team utilizes this campaign type for 90% of clients, but always with precise settings, regular analysis and adjustments.
One of the biggest challenges marketers and businesses face with PMax is spam leads. In this article, let’s explore why this happens, how to minimize losses and how to make campaigns more effective.
1. What Are Performance Max Campaigns and Why Choose Them?
Performance Max (PMax) is a type of Google Ads campaign that integrates the entire spectrum of Google’s advertising channels in a single tool. Due to automation and artificial intelligence, PMax allows advertisers to reach the target audience through:
- Search Ads
- Display Ads (Google Display Network)
- YouTube Ads
- Gmail Ads
- Discovery Ads (ads in Google’s recommendation feeds)
- Google Maps (for local businesses)
The main idea is to reduce manual work for advertisers by enabling Google’s algorithms to select the audience for ad displays, optimize bids in real time and determine the most effective channels to achieve business goals.
2. Why Does Performance Max Generate Spam Leads?
Performance Max is a powerful automation tool, but its specific characteristics can lead to irrelevant inquiries. The main problem is the limited control advertisers have over settings, which sometimes results in attracting audiences that don’t align with business goals.
What Are Spam Leads?
Spam leads are irrelevant or low-quality inquiries received through advertising campaigns. These leads usually have no real potential to become customers and do not meet business objectives. They can be classified into several categories:
- Fake inquiries generated by bots or fraudulent users;
- Incorrect contact details (e.g., fake or misspelled phone numbers and emails);
- Inquiries from uninterested users, including people searching for unrelated products or services, requests from regions the business does not serve, users looking for services outside the company’s scope.
Key Reasons for Spam Leads in PMax
- Too Extensive Audience Targeting
Google’s algorithms aim to maximize reach by attracting new users. However, this can result in irrelevant or low-quality leads.
- Focus on Quantity Over Quality
Performance Max often prioritizes conversions (e.g., form submissions or calls) without considering the quality of those conversions.
- Lack of Audience Segmentation
Without detailed audience segmentation (custom signals, remarketing, CRM lists etc.), the algorithm operates “blindly,” increasing the likelihood of displaying ads to random users.
- Low-Quality Traffic Sources
Performance Max uses various advertising platforms, including YouTube and Gmail, some of which may generate low-quality traffic or inquiries.
How Spam Leads Impact Business
- Financial Losses: Spam leads consume advertising budgets, reducing funds available for real customers. This lowers ROI and makes campaigns less profitable.
- Wasted Time and Resources: Employees must process irrelevant inquiries instead of focusing on potential clients.
- Loss of Trust in the Tool: Negative experiences with Performance Max can lead businesses to distrust Google Ads as a whole, avoiding potentially effective tools due to past inefficiencies.
3. Strategies to Minimize Spam Leads
To reduce the number of irrelevant inquiries in Performance Max campaigns, a comprehensive approach to ad settings is essential. Here are key strategies:
1. Review and Specify Conversion Goals
- Use high-quality goals, such as confirmed sales or verified calls;
- Avoid goals that don’t align with business objectives, such as mere content engagement.
2. Use Detailed Audience Signals
- Upload customer lists from your CRM for precise targeting;
- Set up audiences based on advanced demographics, life events, interests and behaviors that match your ideal customer;
- Utilize search themes to improve ad relevance.
3. Optimize Landing Pages
- Implement form validation tools for emails and phone numbers;
- Use CAPTCHA to prevent bot submissions;
- Regularly test landing page variations to reduce spam submissions.
4. Improve Ad Creatives
- Write clear calls to action (CTAs) that are strictly relevant to your target audience;
- Use ad copy and visuals that filter out uninterested users.
5. Analyze Data and Exclude Spam Sources
- Monitor campaign data to identify which channels or segments generate spam leads;
- Use UTM tags at the campaign and asset group levels to pinpoint spam sources;
- Add negative keywords to exclude irrelevant search queries;
- Review ad placements and exclude underperforming sites;
- Set up scripts to analyze Performance Max campaigns, helping detect sources of spam leads.
Implementing these strategies will not only reduce spam leads but also enhance overall traffic quality and improve campaign profitability.
4. Reducing Spam Leads – The LuxSite Case Study
Context
Our client, a company specializing in international freight transport, had specific requirements regarding minimum weight and distance for their services. Due to high niche competition, Google Search Ads became too expensive, so we decided to test Performance Max campaigns with different audience signals.
However, right after the launch, we encountered a major problem: 50% of leads were spam. These included:
- Incorrectly entered phone numbers and email addresses;
- Inquiries about lightweight shipments or routes not serviced by the company;
- Requests for transportation services outside the company’s scope;
- Lead forms filled out by competitors.
Even though the campaigns generated high-quality leads, the high percentage of spam negatively impacted their efficiency, as Google’s algorithms optimized even for low-quality inquiries.
What We Did
1. Contact Data Validation
We implemented input masks for phone numbers and emails to automatically verify correctness.
2. Clearer Segmentation on Landing Pages and Ads
We displayed minimum shipment weight prominently on the landing page’s first screen and in ad texts.
3. Detailed Tracking with UTM Tags
We used UTM tags to track lead quality at the campaign and asset group levels.
4. Implemented Scripts for PMax Campaigns
We also used scripts to analyze spam lead sources and found that many came from YouTube ads. To reduce the amount of spam, we have removed video assets to further shift focus to Search and Display ads, which generated better-quality leads. Over time, Google Ads may automatically generate video assets, but temporarily removing them can improve lead quality.
5. Negative Keywords and Placement Exclusions
We added negative keywords daily (especially on initial stages) to filter out irrelevant queries concerning freight types, destinations, transport options etc. We also excluded underperforming placements to focus the budget on relevant target audiences.
6. Real-Time Lead Quality Monitoring
We created a Google Sheets report tracking for effective lead monitoring and analysis. The report included the following key parameters: lead source, type of inquiry, data, comments from the logistics team, lead quality rating (qualified/unqualified).
Additionally, we enabled quick filtering to identify trends, revealing that most spam came from form submissions rather than phone calls.
7. Audience Signal Optimization and Campaign Relaunch
Finally, we reviewed and refined audience signals to narrow targeting to the most relevant users. What’s more, we have relaunched PMax campaigns with updated settings.
Results
After implementing these changes, spam inquiries dropped to 10–15%. While completely eliminating spam is impossible, this significantly improved lead quality and overall campaign effectiveness.
Conclusion
Performance Max campaigns are a powerful lead-generation tool, but without proper optimization, they can attract a high volume of spam inquiries. To minimize irrelevant leads, it makes sense to work with high-quality target audiences, optimize landing pages, add negative keywords and keep analyzing traffic sources.
This approach makes it possible to reduce spam leads, increasing campaign efficiency and ROI.