Is Google’s "Smart" Advertising Actually Making You Money?
If you’ve logged into your Google Ads account lately, you’ve probably seen Google pushing something called "Performance Max" (or PMax). They promise it uses artificial intelligence to find you customers across YouTube, Search, Maps, and Gmail all at once.
It sounds like magic, doesn't it? You give Google some photos, a bit of text, and your credit card, and the customers start rolling in.
But here is the truth I’ve seen working with dozens of Brisbane businesses, from electricians in Coorparoo to boutique shops in Paddington: if you just "set it and forget it," you aren't buying customers—you're just donating money to Google.
In this guide, I’m going to show you how to actually win with these ads in 2024 and beyond. We’re going to skip the technical fluff and focus on what matters: getting your phone to ring and your inbox to fill up with genuine enquiries.
The Trend: Why Google is Changing (and why you should care)
In the old days of Google Ads, you picked a few keywords—like "plumber North Lakes"—and bid a couple of dollars to show up at the top. It was simple.
Today, Google is moving away from keywords and moving toward "intent." Their system is trying to guess who is ready to buy right now. For example, if someone is watching DIY plumbing videos on YouTube and then searches for "emergency pipe repair," Google knows they are a high-value lead.
Performance Max is designed to follow that person across the whole internet.
The Prediction: In the next 12-18 months, traditional keyword-only ads will become more expensive and less effective for small businesses. If you want to keep your cost-per-customer low, you have to learn how to guide Google’s AI rather than fighting it.
The Biggest Mistake Brisbane Business Owners Make
Most people treat PMax like a junk drawer. They throw in one or two blurry photos from a job site, a generic headline like "Best Service in Brisbane," and hope for the best.
When you do this, Google’s AI gets confused. It starts showing your ads to people who aren't interested, or worse, it shows your ads on kids' gaming apps where people click by accident. This is how you stop wasting money and start seeing a real return on your investment.
If your ads look cheap, Google will find you "cheap" visitors who kick tires and never buy. To get high-quality customers, you need to give the system high-quality ingredients.
Three Simple Steps to Better Results
1. Better Photos = Better Customers
Google is a visual platform now. If you’re a landscaper, don't just show a pile of dirt. Show a finished, beautiful backyard in New Farm with the sun hitting the pool. People buy the end result, not the process.Action: Take 5 high-quality photos on your iPhone of your best work. Why: Google will test these photos against each other. The one that gets the most clicks wins. Better photos mean more people become customers.
2. Tell Google Exactly Who Your Customer Is
You can actually upload a list of your past customers’ email addresses (securely) or tell Google to look for people who visit your competitors' websites. This is like giving a bloodhound a scent to follow.Instead of Google guessing who wants a new roof, you’re telling it: "Find me more people like these 50 people who already paid me."
3. Fix Your "Thank You" Page
This is the most common spot where local businesses lose money. If Google thinks a "click" is a success, it will find you lots of clicks. But clicks don't pay the bills—sales do.You need to make sure your website tells Google exactly when someone has actually called you or filled out a form. If your tracking is broken, your data is lying to you, and you'll end up spending money on leads that don't exist.
What’s a Waste of Money?
I’ll be blunt: Video is a trap for most small businesses.
Google will tell you that you "need" video for Performance Max. If you don't provide one, Google will stitch your photos together into a cringey, robotic slideshow that looks terrible. It makes your business look unprofessional.
Unless you have a high-quality, 15-second video that actually sells your service, I recommend staying away from the auto-generated video options. Stick to great photos and strong headlines until you have the budget to do video properly.
Also, don't try to compete on every single product or service at once. If you're a mechanic, don't run ads for "oil changes" (low profit) and "engine rebuilds" (high profit) in the same bucket. Focus your budget on the jobs that actually make you money.
How Much Will This Cost?
In Brisbane, for a local service business, you should expect to spend at least $50 to $100 per day to see real results from Performance Max.
Why? Because the AI needs data to learn. If you only spend $10 a day, it’s like trying to teach a dog a trick but only giving it one treat a week. It’ll never learn.
The Timeline: Weeks 1-2: The "Learning Phase." You might see some weird results or low-quality enquiries. Don't panic. Google is figuring things out. Weeks 3-6: Results should start to stabilise. You’ll see more consistent phone calls.
- Month 3+: This is where the magic happens. The system now knows exactly who your customer is and where to find them for the lowest price.
Expert Insights: What’s Coming in 2025?
We are seeing a massive shift toward Local Search. Google wants to show your business to people who are physically close to you.
In the coming year, your Google Business Profile (the map listing with your reviews) will be more integrated into these ads than ever before. If you have 5-star reviews and you’re running PMax ads, Google will prioritise you over a competitor with 3 stars, even if they spend more money.
My advice: Keep getting those reviews. They are the fuel that makes your ads run faster.
What Should You Do First?
If you’re currently running Google Ads or thinking about starting, here is your checklist:
1. Check your website on your phone. If it’s hard to find your phone number, fix that first. No amount of fancy advertising will save a bad website. 2. Audit your images. Are they blurry? Are they boring? Get some real photos of your team and your work. 3. Define your "Winning Job." Don't advertise everything. Pick the one service that has the best profit margin and build your first campaign around that.
Summary
Performance Max isn't a silver bullet, but for a Brisbane business owner who wants to grow, it’s the most powerful tool in the shed right now. It allows you to compete with the big guys without needing a massive marketing department.
You just have to give it the right directions. Focus on great photos, clear tracking, and a healthy daily budget, and you'll see your business grow while your competitors are still scratching their heads over keywords.
Ready to stop guessing and start growing?
At Local Marketing Group, we help Brisbane businesses take the guesswork out of Google Ads. We don't care about "impressions" or "click-through rates"—we care about how many new customers are walking through your door.
If you want a hand setting this up so it actually makes you money, let’s have a chat.