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Why PMAX Ads Suck for Self Storage (and What to Do Instead)

  • Mitch Briggs
  • May 16
  • 3 min read

Google would love for you to think Performance Max (PMAX) campaigns are the future of advertising. And for some industries, they might be. But if you’re in self storage, here’s the hard truth: PMAX campaigns are usually a waste of budget.




Let’s break down why.

Person in glasses punching through a colorful Google logo with an intense expression. Text reads "WHAT IS PMAX REALLY?" in bold yellow.

What is PMAX, really?

PMAX campaigns are a type of Google Ads campaign that automatically shows your ads across all of Google’s properties — not just Google Search. That includes:

  • YouTube

  • Gmail

  • Google Display Network (millions of third-party sites)

  • Discovery feed

  • Google Search Partners

  • And yes, Search


Sounds impressive, right? One campaign, everywhere your customers are.


The problem? Less focus and money going towards where your potential storage customers are, on Google’s main search engine.


When someone needs storage, they search for it — literally. “Storage near me,” “climate-controlled units in [city],” or “vehicle storage.” These are high-intent searches that signal someone is ready to rent. Because they are high intent they also have a much higher cost per click.


PMAX floods your budget across low-intent placements instead, giving you more clicks and impressions for the same budget, but way less qualified traffic.


Animated man in purple punches a shattered Google logo. Boxes float around on a purple background. Text: "What Google Won't Tell You."

Here’s what Google won’t tell you:

  • PMAX doesn’t let you see where your traffic is coming from. You won’t know if your clicks came from a YouTube pre-roll ad, a Gmail promo tab, or a display ad halfway down an irrelevant blog post.

  • You get more clicks, but fewer qualified leads. PMAX is designed to easily maximize volume and promote creative assets, not target quality.

  • Google reports PMAX campaigns as “better performing” because the cost-per-click is lower. But cheaper clicks aren’t the goal — occupied units are.


So unless you're in ecommerce with a strong visual product, or running a national brand awareness campaign, PMAX sucks! For local, need-based services like storage, stick to search ads!


A cartoon character in a purple hoodie clenches fists with a fierce expression. Bright orange background. Text: "AND HERE IS THE TEST."

We ran a test of our own ads to see the difference - both based on $1500 in Google Ad spend, one with PMAX, and the other with Search Ads + Retargeting. It's not exactly apples to apples since we're not advertising on self storage keywords, but still interesting to see the results!


PMAX Campaign

Graph showing clicks and impressions from Apr 10-19, 2025. Blue line represents clicks (1.48K); red line for impressions (6.68K).

Looks great right?! We even had 2 demo requests. Problem is? Both were not even in the storage industry or had anything to do with storage. Completely unqualified. The worst part about this test campaign? There was no data on where/when the ads were shown, what keywords my ads served for, etc. I didn’t have any “levers to pull” to make these ads more relevant and targeted!


Search + Retargeting Campaigns

Graph showing clicks and impressions from Apr 28 to May 13, 2025. Red line for impressions, blue for clicks. Stats: 144 clicks, 11.3K impressions.

Wow - 10x the cost per click and 1/10th of the clicks? Why would I want that?! Well…because we had 4 actual demo requests from legit self storage operators.


Conclusion - I’d much rather spend $1500 to get 4 qualified leads from less clicks vs. $1500 for 1500 unqualified site visitors.


A person in a purple hoodie punches a stylized Google logo, causing it to crack. The background is yellow-orange with scattered boxes. Text reads "Here is what works."

Here’s what actually works for self storage


Stick to search campaigns targeting high-intent keywords

  • Focus on phrases like “self storage in [city]” or “RV storage near me.” These are people signaling they have a need for storage and are looking at options - don’t have your ads not serve during this critical moment because you’re out of budget !

  • Use manual bid strategies or smart bidding tied to conversions, not clicks. Let your real business outcomes — move-ins, reservations — drive the optimization.

  • Track what matters. Clicks are cheap, but they aren’t the goal. Track phone calls, form fills, rentals — and invest where those come from.

  • Focus on Retargeting for display. The Google Ad Network is very powerful at getting impressions and clicks from visual banner ads, but only when it serves those ads to the right audience. Focus display campaigns on retargeting previous visitors to your site. This is a great low cost way to keep prospects engaged by offering them move-in specials and staying top of mind.


PMAX looks great on paper, but for self storage, it’s a frustrating black box of low-quality traffic that ultimately does little to drive new move-ins and improve occupancy. It spends your money across channels that don’t convert and hides performance data you actually need to make adjustments.


Don’t fall for the shiny dashboard and cheap cost per clicks!


Want more move-ins?

  • Stick to search and retargeting.

  • Target only high-intent keywords within your target geo for each location.

  • Track move-ins and occupancy to see what works and make adjustments to budgets.

  • Focus on ROI at each location, not vanity metrics like impressions, clicks, and cost per click.


Download this helpful chart for comparison!




 
 
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A Fun Online Resource for Self Storage Advertising

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