Search Themes are still in beta but they are widely adopted and it seems they are here to stay. But do you really understand how they work and how they impact your Search campaigns? Apparently most people don’t.
In this post I will explain what Search themes are, how they work, best practices, differences between themes and keywords and if Search themes have any impact on your Search campaigns.
What are Search Themes in PMax?
Search Themes is one of the Signals you can provide to your PMax campaign.
It helps guide Google’s AI in effectively understanding and targeting your audience. Unlike traditional keyword targeting, Search Themes provide a broader, more flexible approach to reaching potential customers. That’s why I assume they call it themes, not just keywords.
What you need to understand is that Search Themes are not keywords and don’t work like targeting. It’s more of a guideline for Google to understand the direction you want it to go. Will it go there? Not always, as PMax campaigns learn from data, and can ignore Search Themes if conversions are coming from somewhere else.
You can add words and phrases to help Google understand what you are offering and help PMax campaigns reach the right audience. By combining your expertise with Google AI, you can expand your reach to relevant customers across Google channels, including Search.
How do Search Themes work?
First of all, Search Themes in PMax are optional. You don’t have to use them. However, with additional insights, your performance might be a lot better. By listing Search Themes, you can help Google understand a lot quicker what your business is about, especially in those first days when there are no conversions.
- Search themes let you indicate queries that you know your customers are looking for. So, if you’re already running a Search campaign, this shouldn’t be a problem for you.
- Search themes are additive to the queries and placements Performance Max predicts will perform well based on your assets, feeds, and landing pages.
- You can add up to 25 search themes per asset group.
- Exclusions and negative keywords still apply. Soon, we will have campaign-level negative keywords for Performance Max campaigns.
Performance Max heavily relies on machine learning, that’s why it needs conversions. Search Themes being just a signal not a target, means that Google might not place your ads on Search network at all. Or it can use different keywords based on other signals.
Why does Google use themes instead of specific keywords in Performance Max?
Google’s shift to Search Themes in Performance Max aligns with their focus on intent-based advertising and leveraging advanced AI. This approach offers several advantages:
- Improved AI Utilization: Themes allow Google’s machine learning algorithms more flexibility to interpret and match user intent.
- Adaptation to Changing Search Behavior: As search queries evolve, themes can more easily adapt without constant manual updates.
- Simplified Campaign Management: Advertisers can focus on broader strategies rather than managing extensive keyword lists.
- Potential for Discovering New Opportunities: By not limiting to specific keywords, campaigns can uncover valuable search queries advertisers might have missed.
Your ads might appear on the Search network without using Search Themes. Performance Max campaigns will use other provided Signals to match certain queries.
đź’ˇ Search themes will have the same prioritization as your phrase match and broad match keywords in your Search campaigns. But not exact match.
Here are a few examples where Search Themes might come in handy:
- Your landing page doesn’t have complete details or the latest updates about the products and services you offer.
- You’ve just expanded into a new market or launched a new product or service where your campaigns don’t have an extensive performance history.
- You are launching a new promotion or sale for the holiday season where you don’t have an extensive performance history.
- You want to expand your reach within Performance Max—including on Search inventory in Performance Max—and ensure you have comprehensive coverage on important business themes.
- You want to provide important information to help your campaign ramp up and optimize performance faster.
Search Themes vs. Keywords: What’s the Difference?
If you’re running Search campaign it can be an easy mistake to think that keyword targeting and Search themes work in a similar way. But they do not.
Here’s how they differ:
Specificity
Keywords are specific words or phrases that trigger your ads.
Search Themes are broader concepts or topics related to your business.
Control
Keywords offer more direct control over when your ads appear.
Search Themes provide guidelines for Google’s AI to determine ad relevance.
Volume
Keyword campaigns often require extensive lists of keywords.
Search Themes use fewer, broader categories to cover a wide range of searches.
Match Types
Keywords use match types (exact, phrase, broad) to determine triggering.
Search Themes don’t use match types; Google’s AI determines relevance.
Best Practices for Setting Search Themes
If you have already done Search Themes and your PMax campaigns are working, then you probably don’t need to read this. However, if you’re starting out, here are some of the best practices to help you guide your PMax campaigns.
Focus on Relevancy
Choose themes that are directly related to your offerings.
Avoid overly broad themes that might attract irrelevant traffic.
Be Specific, But Not Too Narrow
Strike a balance between specificity and breadth.
Example: “Outdoor camping gear” is better than just “outdoor” or overly specific “3-person waterproof tents”.
Use a Variety of Themes
Include themes that cover different aspects of your business.
Consider themes related to your brand, products, services, and common customer problems you solve.
Include Location-Based Themes (if relevant)
If you serve specific geographic areas, include themes with location modifiers.
Consider Seasonal or Timely Themes
If your business has seasonal peaks, include themes relevant to those periods.
Examples of Search Themes:
For an outdoor equipment retailer:
“Camping gear”
“Hiking equipment”
“Outdoor adventure supplies”
“Winter camping essentials”
“[Brand Name] outdoor products”
For a local bakery:
“Fresh baked goods [City Name]”
“Custom birthday cakes”
“Artisanal bread”
“Gluten-free pastries”
“Wedding cake design”
Common pitfalls for Search Themes
While Search Themes offer many benefits, there are some challenges to be aware of. Performance Max campaigns are just like any other campaigns; they’re not some magical one-fits-all solution.
Overly Broad Themes
Using themes that are too general can lead to irrelevant traffic and wasted ad spend.
Example: Using “shoes” as a theme for a specialized running shoe store.
Excessively Specific Themes
Themes that are too narrow can limit your reach and prevent the AI from fully optimizing.
Example: Using “red size 10 women’s running shoes with arch support” instead of “women’s running shoes”.
Misalignment Between Themes and Ad Creatives
If your ad content doesn’t align well with your chosen themes, it can lead to poor performance and low-quality scores.
Overlooking Negative Themes
Failing to exclude irrelevant themes can result in wasted impressions and clicks.
Neglecting to Diversify Themes
Relying on too few themes can limit your campaign’s potential and make it vulnerable to market changes.
Monitoring and Optimization
There is no campaign type or platform that you don’t need to optimize or keep an eye on. Setting and forgetting can lead to a lot of wasted budget and suboptimal results. Even though PMax is sort of a black box, Google is slowly “opening” some insights, that help us optimize those campaigns.
This is what I recommend you should do on a regular basis.
Regular Performance Reviews
Consistently analyze campaign performance to identify which themes drive results and which may need adjustment.
Utilize Search Term Insights
While you can’t see all search terms, use available data to understand how your themes interpret user intent. You can exclude negative keywords through Google rep. But, as I mentioned, this year, we might not need this.
A/B Testing Themes
Experiment with different theme variations to find the most effective combinations for your business. This will take time, but in the end, you will have a combination that performs great specifically for your business.
Seasonality Adjustments
Update your themes to reflect seasonal trends or changes in your business offerings. Marketers love to double down on any season, or any occasion, for that matter. You will have to do that as well. Adjust not only bids and budgets but also your creatives. I’ve seen many times when you have summer images running during winter.
Continuous Learning
Stay informed about updates to Performance Max and best practices for Search Themes (or other signals) as Google continually evolves its platforms. This is very important. Google loves PMax and probably will heavily focus on its updates.
Does PMax impact your Search campaigns?
Yes, they do. We established above that if you have a Search campaign with broad or phrase match keywords, PMax (with Search themes) will have the same prioritization.
Performance Max (in general) complements existing Search campaigns and respects your keyword targeting.
- If the user’s query is identical to an eligible Search keyword of any match type in your account, the Search campaign will be prioritized over Performance Max.
- If the query isn’t identical to an eligible Search keyword, the campaign or ad with the highest Ad Rank, which considers creative relevance and performance, will be selected.
Search themes have the same prioritization as phrase match and broad match keywords.
This means that if you don’t have Search Themes, then Google will check if the query is identical to the keyword. If so, then the Search campaign takes priority. If not, then ad rank plays its role.
With search themes in PMax, only keywords that match exactly are prioritized in your search campaigns.
If most of your Search campaigns have exact match keywords, you have nothing to worry about. Otherwise, you should test if having Search themes on PMax campaigns in general affects your Search campaigns.
I haven’t seen a big difference in several campaigns with or without Search themes. But each product, each business is different. In your case having Search themes might change the performance of your campaign.
Whenever you’re ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:
- Book a call with me. During a 1-hour call, we can go through your account and identify growth opportunities or do a quick audit to see what can be improved instantly. Short call, big gains.
- Get my book “The Google Ads Playbook”. It’s almost 300 pages on how to create, manage and optimize campaigns. If you’re just starting out, you will get massive value out of it. No fluff. No BS. No basic information. Nothing held back.
- Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter. Don’t miss new articles. Get them straight into your inbox.
Blogging gives me a chance to share my extensive experience with Google Ads. I hope you will find my posts useful. I try to write once a week, and you’re welcome to join my newsletter. Or we can connect on LinkedIn.