If you manage Performance Max, the uncomfortable choice can seem to be full automation or a maze of duplicated campaigns. That is the wrong choice. You can give the system better creative and stronger intent signals without rebuilding the account every time a limit changes.
The useful distinction is simple: video assets shape what Performance Max can show, while search themes help steer the demand it should explore. Neither gives you deterministic control. Each gives the automation better inputs, and each needs a different plan.
Know which Performance Max controls are signals
Performance Max controls do not all behave like conventional campaign settings. A hard limit determines what you can upload. A signal communicates what matters to your business. Confusing those roles leads to two common mistakes: treating themes like exact-match keywords and treating every new asset slot as an instruction to create another variation.
| Control | What it changes | What it does not guarantee | Decision to make |
|---|---|---|---|
| Video assets | The creative ideas, formats, and ratios available within an asset group | That every upload becomes an isolated or equally weighted test | Which missing asset would add meaningful coverage or test a clear idea? |
| Search themes | The queries and intent patterns you want automation to prioritize | A strict keyword boundary around the traffic the campaign can pursue | Which customer intents deserve a stronger signal? |
| Audience signals | Additional context about the people likely to matter | A fixed audience that automation can never move beyond | Which customer characteristics improve the meaning of the intent signal? |
This distinction gives you a useful operating rule: diagnose whether the campaign lacks material to show, clarity about demand, or a coherent asset-group structure. Add the control that addresses that specific deficit.
Expand video coverage without filling slots for its own sake
Google has been testing a change from a five-video limit to as many as 15 videos per asset group. The observed option had not received a formal announcement, so treat it as a test or gradual rollout until your own interface exposes it. Do not restructure a live campaign in anticipation of capacity your account does not yet have.
If the larger limit is available, use the extra room in this order:
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