When you launch a Google Performance Max campaign with Adwisely, you might notice that it initially runs exclusively on the Google Shopping network, without any custom ad copy or images. You might also notice that when you click "Edit campaign," the only setting you can change is your daily budget.
This is not an error—it is a deliberate, data-driven strategy designed to set your store up for long-term success. Here is everything you need to know about our Phase 1: Shopping-first approach.
What is the Phase 1: Shopping-first strategy?
Google Performance Max is a powerful tool that can display your products across multiple channels, including Search, YouTube, Discover, Gmail, and Shopping. However, launching across all these channels simultaneously can dilute your advertising budget and make it difficult to measure true performance.
To prevent this, Adwisely uses a Phase 1 approach that focuses 100% of your initial budget on the Google Shopping segment.
During this phase, your campaign uses only your product data (pulled directly from your store) to generate ads. This means no custom text, images, or logos are required from you at this stage.
Why do we start with Google Shopping only?
There are two main reasons why Adwisely starts your campaign exclusively on the Shopping network:
1. Validating your Google Merchant Center setup
Google Shopping is the most scalable and highest-intent channel for eCommerce. By isolating this segment first, we can quickly verify that your Google Merchant Center (GMC) is set up correctly, your product feed is syncing properly, and Google is approving your products. If there are any GMC issues, it is much easier to identify and fix them when we are only looking at Shopping data.
2. Preventing performance dilution
When you add custom images, logos, and ad copy to a new Performance Max campaign, Google automatically begins testing those assets across YouTube, Discover, and Search. While these channels are valuable, they often require a larger budget and a longer learning phase to become profitable. By sticking to Shopping initially, we ensure your budget is spent on shoppers with the highest purchase intent, keeping your Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) clean and easy to measure.
Why can I only edit my daily budget?
Because Phase 1 relies entirely on your automated product feed rather than custom creatives, the only variable that needs adjustment is how much you want to spend.
Adwisely handles the complex bidding algorithms, audience targeting, and product selection in the background. You simply set your comfortable daily budget, and our system optimizes the rest.
What happens next? (Phase 2 and beyond)
The Shopping-first setup is just the beginning of your advertising journey with Adwisely.
Once we have validated your Merchant Center setup and established a profitable baseline on the Shopping network, the foundation is set for scale. Once we have verified your Google Merchant Center setup and your campaign has successfully passed the initial learning phase, we will begin expanding it automatically. This means adding ad copy, images, and other ad assets to your campaign and testing performance across additional Google channels such as Search, YouTube, and Discover.
For now, keep your campaign active and let it learn. Monitor your ROAS and adjust your daily budget as your sales grow.