Google Ads for Online Stores – Smart Marketing

Search. Shopping. Performance Max. What's Worth It?

If you run an online store, you’ve probably heard all the buzzwords:

“Use Performance Max.” “Search is dead.” “Shopping is the best.”

And now you’re stuck wondering—what the hell should I actually do?

We get these questions from ecommerce founders all the time:

  • Do I run search or shopping?

  • Is Performance Max worth it?

  • Why do some campaigns do great, while others flop?

Let’s break it down cowboy-style. No fluff. Just what works.I Can Explain GIFs | Tenor

Why Google Ads? One Word: Intent.

Meta is great for attention. But Google? Google is for buyers.

When someone searches “best waterproof hiking boots South Africa,” they’re not looking for inspo. They’re ready to pull out the card.

And when you show up at that exact moment with the right ad? 💥 That’s high-converting, high-ROI traffic.

What Type of Campaign Should You Run?

🔍 Search Ads

Classic. Proven. Still works when used right.

  • Text-based ads that show when people search for specific keywords.

  • Perfect for brand defense and product-specific targeting.

🛍️ Shopping Ads

Must-have for ecommerce.

  • Product photos, titles, prices, and reviews show up right on the search results page.

  • High visual intent = high conversion potential.

  • If you’re selling physical products and not using Shopping, you’re leaving money on the table.

⚙️ Performance Max (PMax)

Here’s the controversial one.

  • Combines Shopping, Display, Discover, YouTube, Gmail... all in one campaign.

  • Google decides where your ads show.

  • When used right, it can scale like crazy.

BUT... We’ll be real with you—Google wants to push more spend to Display and Discover inventory (because that’s where they have more space to sell).

So if you don’t structure your campaigns strategically, Performance Max will burn budget in the wrong places. We know how to work around that. And yes—we’re writing an article about that sneaky scheme soon.How to integrate memes into your marketing strategy - Red Marlin

What We Actually Do

We don’t throw you into automated setups and pray. We engineer campaigns that work for your business stage and product.

🛠️ We build:

  • Branded search campaigns to protect your name

  • Shopping campaigns that push top sellers

  • Performance Max structures that don’t waste your money

  • Segmented remarketing campaigns that close the loop

And we monitor it obsessively.

Full Stack = Full Picture

Google Ads don’t operate in a vacuum. Our team is watching how your traffic, conversions, and repeat buying are flowing across the stack.

We make decisions based on actual sales—not just clicks and impressions.

📩 Want to run Google Ads that actually drive revenue? Email us at hello@smartmarketing.co.za

Or head back to Our Full Stack Services to see how this fits into your broader growth engine.