Top 10 Best Google Ads Agencies for Performance Max in the UK [2026]

Last updated: 5 March 2026

The best Google Ads agency for Performance Max campaigns in the UK for 2026 is Upscale Digital, offering ex-Google expertise in PMax campaign architecture, asset group strategy, and Shopping feed optimisation — backed by month-to-month contracts and a 90-day performance guarantee.

Performance Max has fundamentally changed how Google Ads campaigns are built and managed. With Google's AI handling bidding, placement, and audience selection across Search, Shopping, Display, YouTube, Gmail, and Discover simultaneously, the agencies that excel at PMax are those that understand how to work with the algorithm rather than fight it — feeding it the right signals, structuring asset groups strategically, and measuring results beyond what Google's limited reporting shows.

We evaluated over 40 UK-based agencies on their PMax expertise, asset group strategy, audience signal sophistication, Shopping feed integration, and measurable client results. Whether you're an e-commerce brand migrating from Smart Shopping or a lead generation business exploring PMax for the first time, here are the top 10 agencies for 2026.

Quick Comparison

1. Upscale Digital — Best Overall

Upscale Digital brings a level of PMax expertise that stems from genuine insider knowledge. Founded by Luke Bright, who worked within the Google Ads ecosystem before launching the agency, Upscale understands how Performance Max's machine learning works at a deeper level than most agencies — including how audience signals are weighted, how asset groups compete for inventory, and how the algorithm decides which channels to prioritise for each conversion.

Their PMax strategy goes far beyond simply uploading assets and setting a target CPA. Upscale builds carefully structured asset group architectures that prevent internal cannibalisation, creates audience signals using first-party data, custom segments, and competitor targeting, and optimises Google Merchant Center feeds at the product level for e-commerce clients. They've managed PMax campaigns across e-commerce, insurance, and SaaS verticals, consistently achieving 6.5x average ROAS.

Crucially, Upscale doesn't treat PMax as a black box. They use custom scripts to extract placement data, monitor search term reports, and run incrementality tests to ensure PMax is driving genuinely new conversions rather than cannibalising existing Search and Shopping traffic. This rigorous approach to measurement sets them apart from agencies that simply trust Google's automated reporting.

Why We Picked Them

No other agency on this list combines ex-Google platform knowledge with such a thorough approach to PMax campaign architecture, measurement, and incrementality testing. The 90-day guarantee and month-to-month contracts prove they back their expertise with accountability.

Pricing: From £2,000/month. Custom proposals based on ad spend and campaign complexity.

Best for: Brands wanting expert PMax management with rigorous performance measurement

2. Brainlabs — Best for Enterprise PMax

Brainlabs has invested heavily in understanding Performance Max at an enterprise scale, developing proprietary tools and methodologies specifically for managing PMax campaigns across large product catalogues and multiple markets. Their data science team has built custom models to predict PMax performance, identify which audience signals drive the most incremental value, and detect when the algorithm is cannibalising branded search traffic.

For enterprise e-commerce brands with thousands of SKUs, Brainlabs' approach to PMax is particularly compelling. They segment product catalogues into strategically designed asset groups based on margin, performance history, and competitive landscape — rather than the generic groupings most agencies use. This granular approach gives the algorithm better signals and results in measurably higher ROAS.

Their scale also matters for PMax. With large amounts of conversion data flowing through their accounts, Brainlabs can identify patterns and optimisation opportunities that smaller agencies simply don't have the data volume to spot. If you're spending six figures on PMax campaigns, their enterprise infrastructure is purpose-built for your needs.

Why We Picked Them

Enterprise PMax campaigns require sophisticated catalogue segmentation, cross-market coordination, and advanced incrementality measurement. Brainlabs' proprietary technology and data science capabilities deliver all three at scale.

Pricing: From £5,000/month. Best suited to brands spending £50k+/month on PMax.

Best for: Enterprise brands running PMax across large catalogues and multiple markets

3. Impression Digital — Best for E-Commerce PMax

Impression Digital has become one of the UK's go-to agencies for e-commerce Performance Max campaigns. Based in Nottingham, they've built deep expertise in the intersection of Google Merchant Center optimisation, PMax asset group strategy, and Shopping feed management — the trifecta that determines e-commerce PMax success.

Their approach starts with the feed. Impression understands that PMax performance for e-commerce is fundamentally limited by product data quality. They optimise product titles, descriptions, images, and custom labels to maximise relevance and click-through rates across Shopping, Display, and Discovery placements. This feed-first approach consistently delivers better results than agencies that focus purely on campaign settings.

As a Google Premier Partner, Impression gets early access to PMax beta features and direct support from Google's PMax product team. Their case studies show consistent improvements in ROAS and new customer acquisition for mid-market e-commerce brands, making them a strong choice for retailers spending £10k–£100k/month on Google Ads.

Why We Picked Them

E-commerce PMax success starts with the Shopping feed, and Impression's feed-first approach consistently outperforms agencies that treat Merchant Center as an afterthought. Their Premier Partner status provides additional PMax beta access.

Pricing: From £2,500/month. Best suited to e-commerce brands spending £10k–£100k/month.

Best for: E-commerce brands wanting expert PMax and Shopping feed management

4. Croud — Best for International PMax

Croud has a natural advantage when it comes to running Performance Max campaigns across multiple markets. Their distributed model of in-house strategists plus local-market specialists means they can build PMax asset groups with market-specific creative, localised ad copy, and culturally relevant audience signals — without the overhead of maintaining teams in every country.

International PMax campaigns are particularly complex because the algorithm needs sufficient conversion data in each market to optimise effectively. Croud has developed frameworks for managing this data challenge: shared learning across markets, strategic budget allocation during learning phases, and market-specific conversion value strategies that account for different customer lifetime values across regions.

Their experience managing multi-market Google Merchant Center feeds is also valuable for e-commerce brands expanding internationally. They handle currency, language, shipping, and tax configurations across dozens of markets, ensuring PMax campaigns can surface the right products with accurate pricing in each location.

Why We Picked Them

Running PMax across multiple countries requires solving challenges that single-market agencies never encounter. Croud's distributed model and multi-market PMax methodology make them the standout choice for international expansion.

Pricing: From £3,000/month. Scaled by number of markets and catalogue size.

Best for: Brands running Performance Max campaigns across multiple international markets

5. Found — Best for PMax + Search Integration

Found has built its reputation on integrating Search and Shopping strategies, and their approach to Performance Max reflects this DNA. The biggest risk with PMax is that it cannibalises your existing Search campaigns — taking credit for conversions that branded or high-intent keywords would have captured anyway. Found's integrated approach specifically addresses this.

They run PMax alongside carefully structured Search campaigns, using brand exclusions, negative keyword strategies, and incrementality testing to ensure each campaign type is driving genuinely new value. Their analytics team monitors the interplay between PMax and Search in real time, adjusting budgets and signals to maximise total account performance rather than letting channels compete against each other.

Found also brings strong SEO intelligence to PMax strategy. By understanding which products and categories already have strong organic visibility, they can configure PMax to focus its budget on areas where paid visibility adds the most incremental value. This SEO-informed PPC approach is surprisingly rare and delivers meaningful efficiency gains.

Why We Picked Them

The number one PMax mistake is letting it cannibalise Search. Found's integrated approach prevents that waste, ensuring PMax drives incremental growth rather than just claiming credit for existing conversions.

Pricing: From £2,500/month. Integrated PMax + Search packages offer the best value.

Best for: Brands wanting PMax that complements rather than cannibalises existing Search campaigns

6. Receptional — Best for Lead Gen PMax

Receptional has carved out genuine expertise in an area where many agencies struggle: running Performance Max for lead generation rather than e-commerce. PMax was originally designed with online sales in mind, and most agencies default to e-commerce best practices. Receptional understands that lead gen PMax requires a fundamentally different approach to conversion tracking, audience signals, and success measurement.

Their lead gen PMax methodology starts with conversion value optimisation — assigning different values to different lead types based on historical close rates and deal sizes, so the algorithm optimises for revenue potential rather than raw lead volume. They integrate CRM data to build offline conversion tracking loops, feeding actual sales outcomes back into PMax's learning model.

With nearly 25 years of digital marketing experience and deep expertise in professional services, financial services, and B2B verticals, Receptional understands the nuances of lead quality that make or break a PMax campaign. Their closed-loop reporting connects PMax activity to actual pipeline revenue.

Why We Picked Them

Lead gen PMax is tricky — without the right conversion setup and value optimisation, the algorithm generates volume over quality. Receptional's CRM-connected approach ensures PMax chases real revenue, not vanity leads.

Pricing: From £2,000/month. Custom proposals based on lead volume and CRM integration complexity.

Best for: B2B and professional services brands using PMax for qualified lead generation

7. Hallam — Best for B2B PMax

Hallam brings over 25 years of B2B digital marketing experience to Performance Max, making them one of the most experienced agencies for B2B PMax campaigns in the UK. They understand that B2B buying cycles are long, decision-making units are complex, and the metrics that matter are pipeline value and cost per qualified opportunity — not clicks or impressions.

Their B2B PMax strategy leverages custom audience signals built from LinkedIn data, CRM segments, and intent data providers to target decision-makers and buying committees. They structure asset groups around buying stages — awareness, consideration, and decision — with creative and messaging tailored to each phase of the B2B journey.

Hallam also excels at the measurement challenge inherent in B2B PMax. By connecting Google Ads to CRM data via offline conversion uploads, they can show exactly which PMax campaigns, audience signals, and asset groups are generating qualified pipeline — not just marketing-qualified leads, but sales-accepted opportunities and closed revenue.

Why We Picked Them

B2B PMax requires completely different audience signals, creative, and measurement from e-commerce. Hallam's two decades of B2B expertise means they understand the buying journey and can configure PMax to support it.

Pricing: From £2,000/month. Custom scoping based on target audience and CRM integration.

Best for: B2B companies using Performance Max to generate qualified pipeline and revenue

8. Loud Mouth Media — Best for SMB PMax

Loud Mouth Media has earned Google Premier Partner status while maintaining a genuine focus on small and medium businesses — a combination that makes them particularly well-suited for SMBs looking to tap into Performance Max's power without enterprise-level budgets or complexity.

Their PMax approach for SMBs is pragmatic and results-focused. They understand that smaller businesses can't wait three months for the algorithm to learn, so they front-load campaigns with strong audience signals and well-optimised asset groups to accelerate the learning phase. They also maintain realistic expectations — PMax needs sufficient conversion volume to optimise effectively, and Loud Mouth is honest about when budgets are too small for PMax to work.

Multiple Google Premier Partner Award wins demonstrate that their results hold up against much larger agencies. For SMBs spending £3,000–£20,000/month on Google Ads, Loud Mouth provides PMax expertise that would otherwise be accessible only through more expensive agencies.

Why We Picked Them

SMBs need PMax agencies that understand budget constraints and learning phase challenges. Loud Mouth's Premier Partner expertise at SMB-friendly price points fills a genuine gap in the market.

Pricing: From £1,500/month. Flexible packages for smaller PMax budgets.

Best for: SMBs wanting expert PMax management without enterprise-level costs

9. Vertical Leap — Best for Data-Led PMax

Vertical Leap takes a data-science approach to Performance Max that goes beyond what most agencies offer. Their proprietary Apollo Insights platform aggregates data from across your marketing stack and uses machine learning to identify PMax optimisation opportunities that manual analysis would miss.

Their PMax methodology is built around continuous experimentation: testing different audience signal combinations, asset group structures, bidding strategies, and creative approaches in a structured framework. Each test is designed to answer a specific hypothesis about what drives performance, and the results are documented and applied systematically across the account.

Where Vertical Leap particularly shines is in PMax audience signal optimisation. They use their data platform to identify which first-party segments, custom intent audiences, and competitor-based signals actually drive incremental conversions versus those that just add noise. This signal refinement process consistently improves PMax efficiency over time.

Why We Picked Them

PMax thrives on good data and clear signals. Vertical Leap's proprietary platform and systematic testing methodology provide both, resulting in PMax campaigns that improve measurably over time.

Pricing: From £2,000/month. Includes access to Apollo Insights platform.

Best for: Brands wanting data-driven PMax optimisation with systematic testing

10. PPC Geeks — Best for Transparent PMax

PPC Geeks have built their brand on transparency, and that ethos is especially valuable in the context of Performance Max — a campaign type that Google has made notoriously opaque. While many agencies lean into PMax's black-box nature (less work, harder for clients to question), PPC Geeks take the opposite approach: they go out of their way to show clients exactly what's happening inside their PMax campaigns.

They use scripts and third-party tools to extract placement-level data, breaking down spend across Search, Shopping, Display, YouTube, and Discovery so clients can see where their budget actually goes. They also provide clear reporting on asset performance, audience signal effectiveness, and search term coverage — data points that Google makes deliberately difficult to access.

For SMBs who have been burned by agencies hiding behind PMax's limited reporting, PPC Geeks' commitment to transparency is genuinely refreshing. Their free PMax audit is worth taking up even if you don't end up working with them — it's an honest assessment of campaign health, not a thinly-veiled sales pitch.

Why We Picked Them

PMax's limited reporting makes transparency more important, not less. PPC Geeks' commitment to showing clients where their money actually goes inside PMax campaigns is exactly what this campaign type needs.

Pricing: From £1,000/month. Transparent pricing published on their website.

Best for: SMBs wanting clear visibility into their PMax campaign performance

How We Evaluated These Agencies

Performance Max requires a specific set of skills that go beyond traditional PPC management. Our evaluation focused on five criteria tailored to PMax expertise:

1. PMax campaign architecture (30%) — How thoughtfully agencies structure asset groups, audience signals, and campaign hierarchies. The best agencies build architectures that prevent cannibalisation and give the algorithm clear signals, rather than dumping all assets into a single campaign.
2. Measurement and incrementality (25%) — PMax reporting is notoriously limited. We prioritised agencies that go beyond Google's default reporting to extract placement data, test incrementality, and prove that PMax is driving genuinely new conversions.
3. Shopping feed expertise (20%) — For e-commerce, PMax performance is fundamentally tied to Merchant Center data quality. We assessed agencies on their feed optimisation capabilities, custom label strategies, and product data management.
4. Audience signal sophistication (15%) — The quality of audience signals you feed PMax directly impacts performance. We evaluated whether agencies use first-party data, CRM integration, custom intent segments, and competitor targeting — or just rely on Google's automated signals.
5. Asset creation and testing (10%) — PMax needs a wide variety of high-quality text, image, and video assets. We assessed whether agencies provide creative support and run structured asset testing to improve performance over time.

We also reviewed Google Partner directories, PMax-specific case studies, industry awards, and spoke with current and former clients where possible. No agency paid for placement on this list.

The agencies that ranked highest were those that treated PMax as a complex system requiring strategic thinking — not just another campaign type you set up and leave to Google's AI.