More Intelligence Behind Every Search. More Value From Every Advertising Dollar.

Performance Max — commonly called PMax — is one of the primary campaign types within the intice360° Google Ads strategy. We describe PMax as a bucket-based campaign system: instead of one rigid advertisement, we provide Google with a carefully developed collection of advertising assets, and Google's AI assembles and delivers different ad combinations based on the shopper, context, placement, and likelihood of conversion.

• Short and long headlines
• Descriptions
• Dealership logos
• Vehicle and lifestyle images
• Video assets
• Sitelinks and callouts
• Promotional messages
• Audience signals
• Landing-page URLs
• Inventory or product data

Performance Max can reach customers across Google Search, YouTube, Display, Discover, Gmail, and Maps from a unified campaign structure — but it should never be treated as a black box. Our team actively manages campaign segmentation, creative assets, audience signals, search themes, landing pages, geographic targeting, exclusions, conversion goals, and bidding strategy, using Google's channel and placement reporting to understand how campaigns are distributing traffic and producing results. Automation provides scale. Strategy provides direction.

Read Google's overview of Performance Max campaigns →
Explore Search Engine Land's guide to Performance Max →

Vehicle Ads are among the most important lower-funnel components of our automotive search strategy. These inventory-driven advertisements are built for consumers actively searching for vehicles, displaying a vehicle image along with year, make, model, trim, price, mileage, dealership name, promotional pricing, and monthly payment information where supported. When the customer clicks the advertisement, the shopper is taken directly to the corresponding Vehicle Details Page on the dealership's website — no generic intermediary page, no unnecessary detour.

Review Google's official Vehicle Ads overview →

A Direct Inventory Connection Through Google Merchant Center

Effective Vehicle Ads begin with accurate inventory data. intice provides vehicle data to the Google Merchant ecosystem, creating a direct connection between the dealership's live inventory, the intice360° website, Google Merchant Center, Google Ads, and the shopper's vehicle search. Incorrect prices, missing images, inconsistent availability, or mismatched vehicle details can reduce eligibility and weaken campaign performance — our objective is to ensure the information submitted to Google closely matches what's on the dealership website.

Learn how vehicle feeds are activated for Google Ads →

Separate Campaigns for Greater Control

We generally keep inventory-driven campaigns separate from broader PMax campaigns, giving our team greater control over budgets, new-versus-used allocation, bidding strategies, geographic targets, conversion objectives, inventory categories, and make/model segmentation. A Honda dealer may need separate strategies for new Honda inventory, certified Honda inventory, used vehicles, and specific high-priority models. An Acura dealer may need to emphasize RDX, MDX, or Integra inventory based on supply, sales objectives, and local demand. The campaign architecture should reflect the dealership's actual business — not a generic template.

• New vehicle campaigns
• Used vehicle campaigns
• Certified pre-owned campaigns
• Individual franchise or make campaigns
• Model-specific campaigns
• High-priority inventory campaigns
• Aged-inventory campaigns
• Promotional inventory campaigns

Responsive Search Ads, or RSAs, are the modern version of traditional pay-per-click text advertising, appearing when a consumer searches for relevant terms and Google determines the dealership's ad is eligible for the auction. For each RSA, we can provide up to 15 headlines and four descriptions, plus sitelinks, call assets, location assets, image assets, promotional assets, and price and structured-snippet assets. Google's systems test different combinations to determine which messages are most relevant to different searches — the ad is dynamic, but the strategy behind the assets remains deliberate, built around dealership advantages, inventory, offers, geographic relevance, and model demand.

Learn how Responsive Search Ads work →
Review Google's Responsive Search Ad best practices →

Google Smart Bidding uses Google AI to optimize bids for conversions or conversion value at auction time, evaluating signals available during each individual auction that a person adjusting a single keyword bid manually never could. Automation does not mean set-it-and-forget-it — the effectiveness of an automated bidding strategy depends entirely on the quality of the information supplied to the system. Google's algorithms handle millions of potential signal combinations; our job is to define the correct objective, supply dependable data, establish appropriate guardrails, and continuously evaluate the output.

• Maximize Clicks
• Maximize Conversions
• Target CPA
• Maximize Conversion Value
• Target ROAS
• Target Impression Share

Read Google's guide to Smart Bidding →
Learn about auction-time bidding →

The intice Methodology

Machine learning performs best when it's given a scientifically sound experiment. Bad inputs accelerate bad decisions; clean inputs allow the system to learn from meaningful dealership outcomes.

• Accurate conversion configuration
• Meaningful primary and secondary conversion actions
• Campaign-specific conversion goals
• Clean GA4 event data
• Proper Google Ads and GA4 linking
• Sufficient learning periods
• Budget stability
• Geographic accuracy
• Search-term review
• Negative keyword management
• Audience development
• Landing-page relevance
• Inventory-feed quality
• Continuous performance monitoring

The dealership's Google Ads account is directly linked with its GA4 property, creating a complete view of the customer journey from advertisement to website engagement to conversion. Not every event should be treated equally — our measurement strategy differentiates general activity from high-value conversion behavior, so Google's bidding systems are trained toward meaningful dealership outcomes, not inflated activity counts.

Learn about connecting Google Ads and Google Analytics →

• Vehicle Details Page views
• Inventory searches
• Lead-form submissions
• Phone calls
• Text-message engagement
• Chat activity
• Payment calculations
• Trade-value activity
• Credit-related engagement
• Appointment requests
• Directions
• Offer interactions
• Service scheduling
• Other high-intent website actions

Optimization Score: Account Hygiene With Strategic Oversight

intice actively monitors the Google Ads Optimization Score and works to maintain dealership accounts at or near 100%. Google calculates the score in real time using account statistics, settings, campaign status, and available recommendations — but maintaining a high score does not mean blindly accepting every recommendation. Our team reviews each one and either applies it when it supports the strategy, modifies the account in a more appropriate way, or dismisses it when it conflicts with the dealer's objectives. The goal is not to chase a number; it's to maintain an account that's current, actively managed, and technically aligned with best practices while preserving the dealership's strategic priorities.

Learn how Google calculates Optimization Score →