Performance Max Asset Groups: How to Structure

Performance Max asset groups hold the headlines, descriptions, images and videos that Google combines into ads across its channels. How you split and fill them affects what Google can show and to whom. This guide explains how to structure asset groups and what to put in each one.

What an Asset Group Is

An asset group is a set of creative assets and a final URL, grouped around one theme. A single Performance Max campaign can hold several asset groups, and Google picks the best combinations of assets for each person. If you are still deciding whether this campaign type fits, read our comparison of Performance Max and standard Shopping.

How to Split Asset Groups

Google’s best practices for asset groups advise creating multiple asset groups for assets that belong together as a theme. You can separate them by content category, theme, language or target audience, and add more groups when certain assets suit a specific audience better.

Online shops: one asset group per product category or margin band, so the message matches the products.
Lead generation: one asset group per service line, each with its own landing page.
Different audiences: a separate group when the message changes for a different buyer.

Avoid putting unrelated products in one group. The ads become vague and reports become hard to read. Our guide to structuring Google Ads for an e-commerce brand covers the wider campaign layout.

What Each Asset Group Needs

Google recommends covering every asset type in each group: text, images and videos. The maximums are 15 headlines, 5 descriptions, 20 images and 5 videos. The recommended minimums are:

Headlines: at least 11 (the minimum is 3), including one of 15 characters or fewer.
Long headlines: at least 2.
Descriptions: at least 4.
Images: at least 4 landscape (1.91:1) and 4 square (1:1), plus at least 2 vertical (4:5).
Logos: one square logo.
Videos: at least 1. If you add none, Google may generate a video for you, so upload your own to control the message.
Call to action and final URL: one of each.

The Ad Strength indicator shows whether a group has enough assets. Treat it as a guide to completeness and still check quality yourself.

Give Google a Starting Point

Audience signals tell Performance Max which people to learn from first. They act as suggestions, so Google can still find customers outside them. Our guide to audience signals, observation and targeting explains how they differ from targeting.

Maintain Without Over-Editing

Wait a few days after edits for Ad Strength and asset group status to update.
Wait two to three weeks before replacing low-performing assets, as Google advises.
Add variations of your best assets to find top performers.
Check that each final URL matches the group’s theme, and fix any weak pages using our list of landing page mistakes.

Write Strong Headlines and Descriptions

Each asset group needs text that covers different angles. Mix benefits, proof, offers, product details and answers to common objections. Keep the language consistent with the landing page, because a mismatch between the ad and the page loses people. Avoid repeating the same phrase in several headlines, since Google combines them and repeated wording makes ads look alike.

Choose Images and Video

Use clear product shots, people using the product and lifestyle images that show the result. Keep text overlays light, because large text on images can be hard to read once Google crops them. Provide different orientations so the campaign can fill every format. For video, a short clip that shows the product or service in use works better than a slideshow of stock images.

Review Performance Reports

Performance Max reports on results at asset group level, so compare groups against each other and against your targets. Check the asset reports in your account for guidance on which assets are performing. Give new assets enough time before you judge them, in line with Google’s advice to wait two to three weeks before replacing low performers.

When to Add a New Asset Group

Add a group when you launch a new product line, serve a different audience or run an offer that needs its own message and page. Do not add groups simply to have more of them. A small number of well-built groups beats many thin ones.

Match the Final URL to the Group

Every asset group has a final URL, and that page should deliver what the group’s assets promise. If an asset group advertises running shoes, send people to the running shoes category, not the home page. For services, send each service group to its own page. A relevant landing page lifts conversion rate and also gives Google a clearer picture of what the group is about.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many asset groups should I create?

There is no fixed number. Create one for each distinct theme, product group or audience where the message differs, and keep each one fully stocked with assets.

What if I have no video?

Google may generate videos from your other assets if you add none. Uploading your own gives you control over the message and quality.

Final Thoughts

Build asset groups around clear themes, fill each one with a full set of assets and leave them alone long enough to learn before you change them.

Want expert help with your account? See our Google Ads management service.