Performance Max Ad Specs: Complete Guide

Did you know the average RoAS of Performance Max campaigns is around 125%? This highlights that if you set up PMax campaigns properly, then there is a high chance that these campaigns would help you improve your business’s visibility and maximize conversions.

However, to create these campaigns properly, you need to provide the right creative assets in the correct format. Moreover, each asset that you use during the campaign creation stages should align with Google’s defined PMax ad specifications.

But what are those ad specs for PMax campaigns? Moreover, which assets do you need to upload for these campaigns? 

To answer all these questions and many others, we have created this blog on Performance Max ad specs. In it, we will cover how you can prepare and upload your PMax assets properly, ensuring that your ads run smoothly across all Google channels.

Overview of Performance Max Assets 

Before we dive into the ad specs for PMax campaigns in detail, it’s important to understand the different types of PMax assets that can be used for your campaigns: 

1. Text assets 
2. Image assets 
3. Video assets

Note: You can also use other assets (which were earlier known as ad extensions) such as callouts, sitelinks, etc. Additionally, if you want, you can use page feeds and asset group URL options as well.

Google recommends adding all types of assets when you are building an asset group for your PMax campaign. This is to ensure that Google AI gets an ample number of creatives to test and create different ad combinations, which can be shown to users. 

Therefore, the more diverse range of assets you provide Google, the better your chances of reaching different audiences across different Google channels. 

But remember, just adding these assets will not be enough. Ensure that you organize them properly, using asset groups. Asset groups are a collection of your images, headlines, descriptions, audience signals, etc., that you upload or are automatically created by Google AI. 

Google uses these groups to automatically generate your ads based on the user’s intent and suitable PMax placement.

Text Asset Specs 

Text assets in PMax campaigns include: 

• Headlines
• Long Headlines 
• Descriptions 
• Business Name 
• Call-to-Action 
• Display URLs
• Final URL

Google AI combines text assets in unique ways. Based on your ad’s placement, Google’s systems pick the most suitable combination of text assets and help display the most relevant message to each user. 

With that, let’s understand the detailed specifications of text assets. Please note that below we have shared a brief overview of text asset specifications. For a detailed overview, refer to the infographic:  

1. Headlines: You need to add at least three headlines for your PMax campaign. The maximum number of headlines you can add is 15, where each should be of 30 characters. 
2. Long headline: The minimum requirement for long headlines is 1, and the maximum is 5. Each should be within 90 characters. 
3. Descriptions: The minimum limit is 3, and up to 5 descriptions can be added. Each description should be under the limit of 90 characters. 
4. Business name: There should only be one business name in your campaign, which should be described within 25 characters.
5. Call to Action: The minimum and recommended count for CTAs is 1. Their length is automated. 
6. Final URL: You are only allowed to add 1 final URL. And it should be within 2048 characters. 
7. Display URL Path: These can be 15 characters at most. But remember, you can add only two Display URL Paths. 

There are some important points to note about text assets in PMax campaigns: 

1. The length limit for text assets defined by Google is same for all languages. But for double-width languages such as Korean, Chinese, etc., every individual character is counted as 2 toward the limit instead of 1. 
2. If Final URL Expansion is enabled for your PMax campaigns, Google will swap the original URL with another relevant landing page from your domain. Along with that, Google will also create a dynamic headline, description, etc., to match your new landing page’s content. 

Image Asset Specifications

Image assets in Performance Max campaigns include logos, product images, etc.

These image assets are meant to complement and enhance your ads. Moreover, with the help of image assets, you help users understand the specifics of your business.

Before we understand the detailed specifications, ensure that your image assets also meet these requirements: 

1. Use JPEG or PNG files 
2. The maximum file size of image assets should be 5 MB
3. Ensure that the main subject is in the center 80% of the frame. This is to ensure that the subject doesn’t get cropped. 

Let’s now understand the image asset requirements in detail. 

1. Landscape (1.91:1): At least provide one landscape image. But remember, you can add up to 20, and the recommended dimensions are 1200×628 pixels.
2. Square* (1:1): The minimum and maximum limits of square image assets are 1 and 20, respectively. Moreover, the recommended dimensions are 1200×1200 pixels. 
3. Portrait image (4:5): There is no minimum number of required portrait images. But you can add up to 20 images, which should ideally be of 960×1200 pixels. 
4. Landscape logo* (4:1): No minimum requirement. However, the maximum requirement stands at five images. Google recommends that, ideally, there should be one logo of 1200×300 pixels (or at least 512×128 pixels). 

*Google renders logos with transparent backgrounds on a white background. Thus, Google advises you to upload logos as square images and avoid adding logos that are mainly white on a transparent background.

Some other important points about image assets include: 

1. When you opt into image enhancements and landing pages, Google AI will have the capability to automatically fetch images from your landing pages and use those in your ads to improve their appeal.
2. Moreover, with recent updates to PMax and the image enhancements feature, Google can also automatically crop your images to ensure they are
3. Google advises that while you can use images with overlays, at least use one clean image (without overlays) across square, landscape, and portrait formats. 
4. Ensure that business logos and information are set at the campaign level. These shouldn’t be split across different asset groups. 

HTML5 Ads in Performance Max Campaigns

If you want to create HTML5 ads in PMax campaigns, then you must meet the following requirements: 

What are HTML5 ads?  To put it simply, HTML5 ads (also known as HTML5 banners) are rich media ads. These can include animations and other visually appealing features to engage users.  Please note that for creating HTML5 ads on Google, you must meet certain requirements. For example, your Google Ads account must be over 90 days old. To read all these requirements, check out this Google help page.

1. The following dimensions or meta tags must be used: 

• <meta name=”productType” content=”dynamic”>
• <meta name=”vertical” content=”RETAIL”>

2. For your HTML5 ad, the “Responsive” parameter must be set to “true”. 
3. The maximum size of your file should be 600 KB. 

Video Asset Specifications

Adding video assets for your Performance Max campaigns helps your ads display on additional video inventory. 

Before we dive into the requirements, ensure that your video assets also meet the following requirements: 

1. Videos should be in HD 
2. Video assets are in MPG (MPEG-2 or MPEG-4) formats
3. There is at least one vertical video of 10-60 seconds for appearing in YouTube shorts 
4. Audio-only files like MP3, WAV, or PVM should be avoided

We will now discuss the specific requirements of video assets. You can upload these assets in the following ratios:

1. Horizontal (16:9) 
2. Vertical (9:16)
3. Square (1:1)

For all three ratios listed above, you can add up to 5 videos, each 10 seconds or longer. However, Google recommends that you add one video for any aspect ratio. 

If you don’t upload video assets for your PMax campaigns, please note that Google AI will auto-generate one or more videos from the other assets in your asset group. In case of PMax campaigns that are using a product feed uploaded to your Merchant Center account, videos will be generated using the product data in that feed. 

Pro tip: In case you don’t have assets and still wish to add videos for your PMax campaigns, you can use the Google Ads video creation tool.

If you want to create and upload custom videos (and not rely on Google’s auto-generated assets), then you must follow these specifications: 

Recommended	Can Also Accept	Additional Information
Resolution	1080p (Full HD) • 1920 x 1080 px (horizontal) • 1080 x 1920 px (vertical) • 1080 x 1080 px (square)	For high quality, Google recommends that you shouldn’t upload video assets in SD.
Aspect Ratio	• 16:9 for horizontal • 9:16 for vertical • 1:1 for square	Avoid SD formats.
Format	.MPG (MPEG-2 or MPEG-4)	Formats like MP3, WAV, or PCM aren’t supported on YouTube.
File Size	≤ 256 GB	Ensure your video asset is within this limit.
Ad Length	Minimum 10 seconds for each format: • Horizontal ≥ 10 sec • Vertical ≥ 10 sec • Square ≥ 10 sec	At least one vertical video (10–60 sec) is needed for Shorts placements.

Page Feeds with Custom Labels 

Page feeds (along with custom labels) are a type of asset for Performance Max campaigns. 

With the help of Page feeds, you are specifying to Google which URLs you want it to use for your ads in PMax campaigns. And to further organize or control which URLs are used in each asset group, Google allows you to add custom labels to each URL in the page feed. 

Note: Page feeds are optional. Even if you don’t add these feeds, you can still create your PMax campaigns.

Requirements for Preparing Page Feeds 

You can either download Google’s page feed template and use it, or upload your spreadsheet. However, the spreadsheet should include at least these two columns: 

1. Page URL: This will highlight the page on your domain that you are interested in targeting. 
2. Custom Label: This is a tag you add to describe the page. It helps you choose which pages to use in ads or set different bids. 

Additionally, you can only upload up to 100 page feeds to your account. 

Moreover, you should avoid adding the same URL more than once in your feed. If you add duplicate URLs by mistake or intentionally, Google will approve only the most recently added version. Others will be disapproved. 

Finally, once you are done uploading your new page feed or editing an existing one, Google will take around 2-14 days to crawl it. And Google says that you may notice a delay before a page that you have included in the feed starts serving. 

Other Performance Max Blogs You Can Read:  – How to Add Negative Keywords to Performance Max Campaigns 2025 – Demand Gen vs. Performance Max: What to Choose? – 6 Ways to Optimize Performance Max Campaigns

How to Use Custom Labels?

• When setting up an asset group, search for a custom label to include only the matching URLs.
• If Final URL expansion is on, you can also exclude certain URLs by their label in the campaign settings.

How to Compose Your Asset Groups? 

We looked at the different types of assets and their requirements for PMax campaigns above. Now, we will understand how to set up your asset groups properly. You might wonder, though, why this matters. 

If asset groups are structured properly, Google AI will be able to create multiple combinations from your creatives and serve the best possible and most relevant ad to a user.  

With that knowledge in place, let’s go through the best practices for composing asset groups: 

1. Ensure that the assets you add to a particular asset group are centered around a particular theme or target audience. This is because Google will combine assets within a group to create ads. So, keep the theme of an asset group consistent so that the final ad makes sense and is relevant. 
2. Include all asset types, text, videos, page feeds, etc., in every asset group. This will help you improve your ad strength. 
3. Ensure you are adding as many assets as Google allows. For example, include up to 15 headlines. That will give Google AI the headroom it requires to experiment and create the best-performing ads. 
4. Lastly, once you publish your campaign and it starts running, you should regularly review asset group reports. That will help you identify low-performing assets, so that you can either optimize or replace them. 

💡 Pro Tip: Use Asset Group URL Options (tracking templates, custom parameters, and final URL suffix) to track the performance of asset groups in detail.

Final Thoughts 

The secret to successful Performance Max campaigns is setting up the right types of assets in the correct format. 

We hope this guide helped you understand all the PMax ad specs properly. Remember, when your assets and asset groups are complete, organized, and structured, Google AI will be able to do its job better. So follow the specs, review performance, and keep refining to get the most out of PMax.

FAQs

1. How can I optimize image assets for Performance Max campaigns?

Use clear, high-quality JPEG or PNG images with the subject in the center 80 percent of the time. Upload all formats, including landscape, square, and portrait. Avoid cluttered overlays. Lastly, refresh low-performing creatives after reviewing asset performance in two to three weeks.

2. What are the video ad specifications for Performance Max campaigns?

Use HD videos in MPEG-2 or MPEG-4 formats. Maintain a minimum of 10 seconds per video. Upload horizontal, vertical, and square versions. Include at least one vertical video between 10 and 60 seconds for Shorts. Do not upload audio-only files like MP3 or WAV.

3. Why is it important to use a variety of asset types in Performance Max campaigns?

A mix of text, images, and videos helps Google generate more ad combinations. It allows your campaign to qualify for more placements and formats. This variety increases reach and improves the chances of showing the most relevant ad to each audience segment.

4. How do I ensure my headlines and descriptions meet Performance Max ad specs?

For headlines, Google has recommended that you add at least three headlines, and each headline should be within the 30-character limit. Moreover, advertisers shouldn’t add more than 15 headlines.

Coming to descriptions, the minimum requirement is 3, and at max, you can add 5. And your descriptions should be within the 90-character limit. Additionally, for both headlines and descriptions, ensure that you are using clear, concise language and avoiding repetition. And as a pro tip, we recommend that you use the Ad Strength indicator to ensure quality and coverage of all key messaging elements.

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• PMax Feed-Only Campaigns
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