Asset Group Planning Worksheet

Plan Your Performance Max Asset Groups Before You Touch Google Ads

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Most brands build Performance Max campaigns inside Google Ads. They click "create asset group," dump in some headlines, upload whatever images they have, and hope the algorithm figures it out.

That's backwards.

The architecture decisions you make before you open Google Ads determine 80% of your campaign's performance. How many asset groups. Which products go where. What headlines and images each group gets. Which audience signals to load.

We've built or restructured 110+ Performance Max campaigns across 20+ brands. The pattern is consistent: brands that plan their asset groups on paper first and then build in Google Ads outperform brands that build on the fly.

This worksheet walks you through every decision. Fill it out completely before creating anything in your Google Ads account.

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Step 1: The Data Density Check

Before you decide how many asset groups to create, you need to know whether your account has enough conversion data to support them.

Performance Max is a machine learning system. Each asset group needs conversion signals to learn which headlines, images, and audiences perform best. Split your data too thin and the algorithm is guessing.

Your numbers:

The threshold table:

Your recommendation: _______ asset groups maximum

If your monthly conversions are below 30, Performance Max probably isn't the right campaign type yet. The algorithm doesn't have enough data to make intelligent bidding decisions below that threshold. Standard Shopping and Search campaigns with manual bidding give you more control until you build the conversion history.

Minimum budget check: Each campaign needs at least $50/day to give the algorithm enough daily budget to explore and learn. If your total PMax budget can only support 2 campaigns at $50/day each, run 2 campaigns - not 3 underfunded ones.

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Step 2: Product Segmentation

Now decide how to split your products across asset groups. The segmentation criteria you choose determines your ability to write targeted headlines, assign relevant audience signals, and set appropriate bid strategies.

Segmentation options (in order of effectiveness):

Your segmentation plan:

Critical rule: Each product should appear in exactly one asset group within a campaign. Overlapping products forces them to compete against each other in the auction, driving up your cost per click.

Verify your split: Look at the "Estimated Monthly Conversions" column. If any asset group has fewer than 15 estimated monthly conversions, merge it with another group. A group with too few conversions will stay in LEARNING mode indefinitely.

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Step 3: Headline Planning

Each asset group needs its own headline set. Google allows up to 15 short headlines (30 characters each) and 5 long headlines (90 characters each). The minimum is 3 short and 1 long.

Don't use the same headlines across asset groups. Each group has different products, different buyers, and different search intent. Generic headlines like "Shop Now" or "Best Products" get rated LOW by Google's performance labeling system. Accounts with generic headlines have 70-80% of assets rated LOW. Accounts with specific, targeted headlines have 60-70% rated GOOD or BEST.

The difference in practice: 0.3-0.5% CTR with generic headlines versus 0.8-1.2% CTR with specific headlines. On a $10K/month budget, that's 300 clicks versus 900 clicks for the same spend.

Short Headlines (30 characters max, target 20-28)

For each asset group, write headlines using these six types:

Asset Group 1: ________________

Asset Group 2: ________________

(Repeat for each additional asset group)

Long Headlines (90 characters max, target 60-80)

Write 5 long headlines per asset group. Long headlines appear in Display and YouTube placements where you have more space.

Asset Group 1: ________________

(Repeat for each additional asset group)

Headline Quality Check

Before you finalize, run each headline through these three tests:

1. Visualizable: Does the headline create a mental image in under half a second? "6 pillows in 2 years" creates an image. "Superior sleep technology" does not.

2. Falsifiable: Can the claim be proven or disproven? "2,847 five-star reviews" is falsifiable. "The best pillow ever made" is not.

3. Unique: Could only your brand say this? "The only retinol that absorbs in 30 seconds" is unique. "High-quality skincare products" could be any brand.

If a headline fails any of these three tests, replace it. Headlines that pass all three consistently earn GOOD or BEST performance labels from Google.

Banned phrases (auto-fail): "best in class," "premium quality," "innovative solution," "next-level," "cutting-edge," "world-class," "state-of-the-art," "industry-leading."

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Step 4: Description Planning

Write 5 descriptions per asset group. 90 characters max each, target 70-85 characters. Each description should take a different angle.

Asset Group 1: ________________

(Repeat for each additional asset group)

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Step 5: Image Planning

Each asset group supports up to 20 images across three aspect ratios.

Required dimensions:

Minimum per group: 3 images (1 landscape, 1 square, 1 portrait). Recommended: fill all 20 slots.

The Image Mix

Don't upload 20 versions of the same product-on-white photo. Mix your image types to serve different stages of the buyer's attention.

Asset Group 1: ________________

(Repeat for each additional asset group)

Image quality rules:

• Minimum 800x800 pixels (recommended 1500x1500 for square)
• No watermarks, logos, or promotional text on product-on-white images
• Lifestyle images should show the product in use by a real person
• Social proof overlays need to be readable at mobile sizes

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Step 6: Audience Signal Assignment

Audience signals are suggestions to Google's algorithm, not hard targeting. Google uses them as starting hints, then expands through machine learning. But the quality of your starting signals significantly affects how quickly the algorithm finds your best audiences.

Signal types to include:

Asset Group 1: ________________

Competitor URLs for custom segments:

1. ---

2. ---

3. ---

4. ---

5. ---

Search terms for custom segments:

1. ---

2. ---

3. ---

4. ---

5. ---

6. ---

7. ---

8. ---

9. ---

10. ---

In-market audiences (select 3-5 relevant categories):

1. ---

2. ---

3. ---

4. ---

5. ---

Customer lists to upload:

• Past purchasers (last 12 months)
• Email subscribers
• Cart abandoners (if available)
• High-value customers (top 20% by LTV)

(Repeat for each additional asset group)

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Step 7: Search Theme Planning

Search themes tell Google what types of queries your asset group should appear for. Load 10-30 per asset group. More than 30 dilutes the signal. Fewer than 10 leaves money on the table.

Theme tiers by intent level:

Asset Group 1: ________________

(Repeat for each additional asset group)

Deduplication rule: If you're running multiple campaigns (Feed-Only + Demand Gen + Remarketing), never load the same search theme in two campaigns. Feed-Only gets Tier 1 themes. Demand Gen gets Tier 2-3 themes. Remarketing gets minimal themes - audience signals do the targeting.

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Step 8: Pre-Launch Checklist

Before you build anything in Google Ads, verify these items are complete.

Architecture

• Data density check passed (30+ monthly conversions)
• Budget supports minimum $50/day per campaign
• Products segmented with no overlap between asset groups
• Each asset group has 15+ estimated monthly conversions

Creative

• 15 short headlines per asset group (all under 30 characters)
• 5 long headlines per asset group (all under 90 characters)
• 5 descriptions per asset group (all under 90 characters, 5 different angles)
• All headlines pass the Visualizable / Falsifiable / Unique test
• Zero banned phrases in any headline or description
• No identical headlines shared across asset groups

Images

• 20 images planned per asset group (8 landscape, 8 square, 4 portrait)
• Mix includes product-on-white, lifestyle, social proof, problem, and before/after
• All images meet minimum resolution (800x800, recommended 1500x1500)
• No watermarks or promotional text on product images

Audience Signals

• 5-10 competitor URLs loaded per asset group
• 10+ relevant search terms per asset group
• 3-5 in-market audience categories selected
• Customer lists prepared for upload

Search Themes

• 10-30 themes per asset group
• Themes follow 50/30/20 split across Tiers 1, 2, 3
• No duplicate themes across campaigns

Campaign Settings (to configure when you build)

• URL expansion: OFF (use page feed instead)
• Brand exclusions: ON
• Automatically created assets: OFF
• Location targeting: Presence only (not "presence or interest")
• Bidding strategy: Maximize Clicks or Manual CPC for first 2 weeks (not Target ROAS)
• Conversion actions: Purchase only as primary action

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What This Worksheet Doesn't Cover

This worksheet handles the planning phase. The complete system includes:

• The 3-Campaign Architecture (Feed-Only + Demand Gen + Remarketing) with budget allocation by maturity stage
• The 8-12 Week Bidding Warmup Protocol - why you never launch with Target ROAS and the exact progression from Manual CPC through Maximize Conversion Value to tROAS
• The Emotional Truth Extraction system for writing headlines that consistently earn GOOD/BEST labels
• The 80-Image System with emotional journey mapping (Recognition, Hope, Belief, Desire, Action)
• Demand Gen video integration with hook rotation and fatigue management
• The Weekly X-Ray for reading channel-level performance data
• Multi-campaign orchestration across Feed-Only, Demand Gen, and Remarketing with audience separation rules
• Policy compliance system for preventing disapprovals before they happen

The Google Ads AI Agentic System ($4,997+) covers the full architecture, creative, launch, and optimization protocols.

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This worksheet is extracted from the Google Ads AI Agentic System, built on 110+ Performance Max campaigns across 20+ brands spending $3K-$500K/month.