This article explains that in Google Ads Performance Max, audience signals and search themes act as hints rather than strict targeting controls. Real influence over performance comes from accurate conversion tracking, appropriate bidding strategies, and strong, service-specific creative assets and landing pages. Contractors should organize asset groups by distinct services, feed high-quality first‑party data, and avoid duplicating asset groups just to test different signals. It also warns against soft conversions, emphasizes the use of Target CPA/ROAS once data is stable, and suggests running Search campaigns for strict keyword control.

PMax Won’t Save a Bad Setup: How to Use Audience Signals and Search Themes for More Calls

TL;DR: Performance Max doesn’t “target” the way you think. Audience signals and search themes are just hints. Your real control is conversion tracking, bidding, and strong assets. Build asset groups around distinct services, feed PMax quality first‑party data, and stop duplicating groups just to change signals. Aim for calls, not clicks.

What PMax Really Does (and Doesn’t)

Performance Max is a goal-based system. You don’t choose audiences or keywords like you do in Search or Display. You give Google a conversion goal and bids, and it hunts for people likely to convert across Search, YouTube, Display, Maps, and Gmail.

That means two things for contractors:

• Your conversion tracking and bid strategy determine who actually sees your ads.
• If your conversions are junk (page views, long sessions), you’ll train PMax to chase junk. If your conversions are real leads (calls, form fills with quality screens), you’ll train it to find more of those.

Audience Signals: Seed, Not Fence

Audience signals are not targeting restrictions. They’re suggestions that combine your insight with Google’s modeling. Signals can include:

• Data segments (your customer lists, past converters, loyalty lists)
• Google segments (in-market, detailed demographics)
• Custom segments (people who search certain terms, visit certain sites, or show specific interests)

Here’s the catch: if the algorithm finds better converters outside your signals, it will go there. That’s by design. So treat signals like a head start, not a fence line.

For HVAC, plumbing, and electrical shops, your best “seed” is first‑party data: booked jobs, repeat customers, and high-LTV service agreements. If you’ve got clean lists, use them. If you don’t, start collecting and cleaning now.

Search Themes: Hints, Not Keywords

Search themes are similar: they tell Google the types of queries you care about, but they aren’t exact keywords. If you add “AC repair” and “furnace tune-up” as themes, that doesn’t restrict traffic to those phrases. PMax will still optimize for conversions over “thematic purity.” If “emergency AC not turning on” converts better, expect it to explore there—even if you didn’t list it.

Bottom line: search themes help new campaigns find footing. They’re not a substitute for real search campaigns when you need strict control.

Where You Actually Control PMax

If you want more booked jobs and fewer tire-kickers, focus on these levers:

• Conversion tracking: Track meaningful actions—call extensions, website call events, and lead forms with basic QA. Avoid soft goals. De-duplicate calls so the same caller doesn’t count five times.
• Bid strategy: Use Target CPA or Target ROAS after you have stable conversion data. Early on, Maximize Conversions with a capped budget can help you gather signal without overpaying.
• Assets and landing pages: PMax is asset-hungry. Distinct, service-specific assets and tight landing pages are your steering wheel.

Contractor-ready build approach

• Create asset groups by service, not by audience. Example groups: “AC Repair,” “Water Heater Replacement,” “Panel Upgrade.” Each gets its own headlines, descriptions, images, videos, and landing pages.
• Attach relevant audience signals to each group (customer list, in-market HVAC services, custom segments built from “near me” queries). Remember: they seed, they don’t fence.
• Feed real conversion signals: phone calls (from ad and site), qualified form submissions, and booked appointments when possible.

Common Mistakes That Waste Money

• Cloning asset groups with the same creative but different audience signals. You’re fragmenting learning and starving each group of data. If the assets are the same, you’re testing labels, not performance.
• Using soft conversions. Time on site isn’t a lead. Train PMax on outcomes that ring the phone.
• No asset diversity. One set of generic ads for every service is lazy. PMax needs variety to match placements and intent.
• Expecting search-theme-level control. If you need hard keyword control for core terms like “24/7 plumber near me,” run a Search campaign alongside PMax.

When Audience Signals and Search Themes Help

• New accounts or new markets: Signals and themes give PMax a push in the right direction while it learns.
• When you have quality first‑party data: Customer lists, past leads, and top-revenue jobs help the model prioritize profitable lookalikes.
• When your services are distinct: Clear themes like “ductless mini-split install” or “tankless water heater” pair well with matched assets.

Quick, Contractor-Focused Checklist

• Define “real” conversions: calls over 60 seconds, qualified forms, booked jobs if you can pass them back.
• Pick a bidding strategy that matches data volume: start simple, move to tCPA/tROAS once stable.
• Build asset groups by service line; give each unique creatives and landing pages.
• Use audience signals and search themes to seed, not to control.
• Avoid duplicate asset groups with identical creatives.
• Review asset group performance and search term insights; prune weak assets, expand winners.

Performance Max can drive calls, but only if you give it the right guardrails. Get your conversions right, choose bids that fit your data, and build assets that

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