Performance Max or Search? What should a NZ business run right now?

PMax can scale—but only with clean signals and guardrails. Otherwise it hoovers budget into branded and low-value queries. Tripwire helps you gate PMax with brand protection, query filtering, and audience signals, then layers Search for the intent you must control (high-value non-brand, competitor, and WTB terms).

Our approach:

• Fix conversions and values first (dedupe, de-spam, set priorities)

• Ring-fence brand and exclude junk placements/queries

• Build audience signals that reflect genuine intent and margin

• Run Search alongside PMax for coverage you need to steer

Result: scale without surrendering control. You keep visibility into what’s driving revenue, retain levers to move CPA/ROAS, and avoid the “black box” drift that kills confidence. When the inputs are clean and the lanes are clear, PMax becomes a force multiplier—not a money sink.

“Once we put rails around PMax, scale showed up without the chaos.” – Chris