Google modifies campaign setup flow to prioritize Performance Max

According to Riley Slater, SEM Lead at MIRA Marketing, who reported the changes on September 24, 2025, "Google has changed the setup of new campaigns. Instead of asking what format you want to run, you must select all for Pmax or specific ones for display, search etc."

The modification represents a fundamental shift in how advertisers create campaigns within Google Ads. Previously, campaign managers selected specific campaign types first, then configured targeting and budget parameters. The updated interface reverses this workflow by requiring channel selection before determining campaign format.

Channel Selection Drives Campaign Type

The new interface presents five primary advertising channels: Search, YouTube, Display, Discover, and Gmail. Each channel includes descriptive text explaining its optimal use cases. Search focuses on "driving action, leads and discovery on the world's largest search engine," while YouTube emphasizes "growing awareness, consideration and demand on the world's largest video platform."

When advertisers select all available channels, the system automatically defaults to Performance Max campaigns. This automated selection eliminates the explicit Performance Max option from the campaign type selection menu, instead making it the default outcome of comprehensive channel selection.

According to the LinkedIn discussion, selecting individual channels generates traditional campaign types. Display selection creates standard Display campaigns, while Search selection generates Search campaigns with expanded functionality.

Standard Shopping Integration Changes

The update introduces notable modifications to Shopping campaign creation. According to Slater's observations, "Strangely enough you must only choose search to get standard shopping when this used to be separate."

This change consolidates Shopping campaign creation within the Search campaign workflow rather than maintaining Shopping as an independent campaign type option. The integration reflects Google's systematic effort to streamline campaign creation while reducing the number of distinct campaign type selections available to advertisers.

Adriaan Dekker, who specializes in scaling companies with Google Ads, confirmed the changes in a separate LinkedIn post on September 24, 2025. According to Dekker, "discovered that Google has quietly changed the new campaign setup flow. Instead of picking your campaign type first, you now either: – Select all channels → which defaults to Performance Max – Or select specific ones like Search, Display, Video, etc."

Performance Max Prioritization Strategy

The interface modifications align with Google's broader Performance Max adoption strategy. The platform has invested heavily in automated campaign capabilities throughout 2025, introducing features like AI Max for Search campaigns and enhanced Performance Max controls.

According to industry data from PPC Land, Performance Max campaigns serve over one million active advertisers across Google's advertising network. The automated campaign format utilizes machine learning algorithms to optimize ad placement, bidding, and audience targeting across Search, YouTube, Display, Discover, Gmail, and Maps properties simultaneously.

The timing of the interface changes coincides with Google's Think Week 2025 announcements, where the company unveiled its Power Pack strategy combining AI Max, Performance Max, and Demand Gen campaigns for comprehensive automated advertising solutions.

Marketing Community Response

Industry professionals have expressed mixed reactions to the workflow changes. Some view the modification as a simplification that aligns campaign creation with actual advertising objectives, while others perceive it as Google's attempt to increase Performance Max adoption through interface design rather than feature superiority.

Dekker noted the potential implications for Shopping campaigns: "a cue they'll slowly kill standard Shopping?" This speculation reflects broader concerns about Google's gradual deprecation of manual campaign management options in favor of automated alternatives.

The changes coincide with Google's systematic automation expansion across its advertising platform. Recent developments include the removal of language targeting settings from Search campaigns by the end of 2025, with artificial intelligence systems automatically detecting user languages.

Technical Implementation Details

The modified interface maintains all existing campaign customization options after initial channel selection. Advertisers retain access to budget controls, geographic targeting, demographic exclusions, and negative keyword management regardless of the selected campaign format.

For Performance Max campaigns specifically, the 2025 feature rollouts have expanded advertiser control mechanisms significantly. Campaign-level negative keyword lists now enable exclusion of irrelevant search terms across multiple campaigns simultaneously, while search themes support up to 50 entries per asset group.

The interface changes do not affect existing campaigns or campaign management workflows beyond the initial creation process. Campaign optimization, asset management, and performance reporting continue operating through established interfaces and API endpoints.

Industry Implications

The setup flow modifications reflect Google's strategic positioning of automated campaign management as the primary advertising approach. Performance Max campaigns generated over 90 quality improvements during 2024, according to Google's internal metrics, driving conversion increases exceeding 10% for participating advertisers.

However, the change has raised questions about advertiser choice and campaign management transparency. The interface modifications make Performance Max the default outcome when advertisers select comprehensive channel reach, potentially reducing deliberate campaign type selection in favor of automated defaults.

Marketing professionals managing large account structures may need to adjust campaign creation workflows to ensure appropriate campaign type selection. The changes particularly affect agencies and consultants who create multiple campaign types for diverse client objectives across different industries and business models.

Platform Evolution Context

Google's campaign setup modifications represent part of a broader platform transformation throughout 2025. The company has introduced AI Max expanded matches reporting, Performance Max channel visibility, and comprehensive API documentation overhauls to support automated campaign management.

The timing aligns with Google's Power Pack strategy announcement on September 16, 2025, which formalizes multi-campaign approaches combining AI Max for Search, Performance Max, and Demand Gen campaigns for comprehensive automated optimization.

These developments indicate Google's commitment to artificial intelligence-powered advertising management, with traditional manual campaign types serving increasingly specialized use cases rather than general advertising objectives.

The interface modifications affect all Google Ads accounts globally, with implementation appearing gradually across advertiser interfaces. Campaign managers should expect continued interface evolution as Google integrates automated campaign capabilities throughout its advertising platform ecosystem.

Timeline

• September 24, 2025: Riley Slater and Adriaan Dekker report campaign setup interface changes on LinkedIn
• September 16, 2025: Google announces Power Pack strategy combining AI Max, Performance Max, and Demand Gen campaigns
• September 10, 2025: Google unveils comprehensive AI advertising suite at Think Week 2025
• September 5, 2025: Google expands Web to App Connect functionality across YouTube and Performance Max campaigns
• August 29, 2025: Google launches "Ads Decoded" podcast series featuring AI Max updates
• August 14, 2025: Google announces comprehensive API documentation overhaul
• August 7, 2025: Google completes Performance Max feature rollouts for 2025
• August 6, 2025: Google releases Ads API v21 with AI Max enhancements
• July 8, 2025: Google releases Ads Editor 2.10 with AI features

Summary

Who: Google modified the campaign creation interface affecting all advertisers using Google Ads platform globally, with changes first reported by marketing professionals Riley Slater and Adriaan Dekker.

What: Google restructured its campaign setup workflow from format-first selection to channel-based creation that defaults to Performance Max when advertisers select all available advertising channels, integrating Shopping campaigns within Search campaign creation rather than maintaining separate campaign type options.

When: The changes were reported on September 24, 2025, with gradual implementation across Google Ads accounts, coinciding with Google's broader artificial intelligence integration strategy throughout 2025.

Where: The modifications affect the Google Ads campaign creation interface globally across all advertiser accounts, impacting campaign setup workflows for Search, Display, YouTube, Shopping, and Performance Max campaign types.

Why: The interface changes support Google's strategic shift toward automated campaign management through Performance Max adoption, simplifying campaign creation while positioning artificial intelligence-powered optimization as the default advertising approach rather than manual campaign type selection.