What is Performance Max asset optimization?

It is the group of campaign settings that let Google adapt and add creative: text customization, Final URL expansion, image enhancement, landing page images, video enhancement and sourced videos. You find them under Asset optimization in each campaign's settings.

Are sourced videos on by default?

Google says sourced videos are enabled by default for new campaigns and may have been switched on for some existing campaigns. You approve the sources, and Google can add up to 10 videos per asset group.

Where do sourced videos come from?

They come from sources you approve: social media platforms, your campaign's landing page and your linked YouTube channel. Google uploads them to a dedicated Google-owned YouTube channel branded with your logo and business name.

How do I stop Final URL expansion from sending traffic to the wrong pages?

Add URL exclusions for careers pages, blog archives, portals, policy pages and retired services. Then review the Expanded Final URL assets tab in asset reporting to see which pages served.

Are Performance Max asset settings safe for healthcare advertisers?

They can be, with review. Clear consent and usage rights for every image and video Google may crawl, keep outcome claims off your landing pages, and check automatically created text against your healthcare policy rules each week.

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Performance Max Asset Optimization: A Settings Guide for Lead Gen

Performance Max can now pull images and videos from your site and channels. Review six asset optimization switches, approve your sources and fence your URLs.

Oct 26, 2026 · 6 min read

Performance Max asset optimization shown as a vintage slide projector with a tray of slides and one chosen slide held up to the light.

The short answer

Performance Max asset optimization is a group of six campaign switches that let Google rewrite text, swap landing pages, edit images and pull photos and videos from your own channels. Several start switched on by default. For lead generation in healthcare, dental, childcare and local services, review every switch in every campaign, approve only the video sources you own, and fence Final URL expansion with exclusions.

Automation works best inside the lines you draw.

Start with what your brand is allowed to show

For a lead generation business, one wrong asset costs more than one wasted click. A clinic photo that shows a patient, a classroom photo that shows a child, a social clip with a song you licensed for one post only, or a headline that promises a result your providers avoid promising: each one reaches thousands of people before anyone on your team sees it.

Google's newer options make this question urgent. In October 2026, Search Engine Land reported two new Performance Max controls, Landing page images and Sourced videos, and noted that the advertiser who spotted them found Sourced videos switched on automatically. Google's own help page confirms that sourced videos are enabled by default for new campaigns and may have been activated on some existing campaigns.

The upside is real. Fresh images and videos help Performance Max fill more placements. The job is to decide which content Google may use, then let the system work.

The six Performance Max asset optimization settings at a glance

Google groups the controls under Asset optimization in campaign settings. Here is how they line up, per Google's Performance Max automation feature availability page and the related help articles.

Setting	What it does	Default
Text customization	Writes headlines and descriptions from your landing page, domain and assets	On
Final URL expansion	Sends a searcher to a more relevant page on your domain	On
Image enhancement	Crops, uncrops, animates, blurs or filters your uploaded images	On
Landing page images	Pulls images from your landing pages into ads	Follows your account-level dynamic images setting
Video enhancement	Creates vertical, square or shorter versions of your videos	On
Sourced videos	Adds up to 10 videos per asset group from sources you approve	On for new campaigns

Two details matter for planning. Final URL expansion requires text customization, so switching off text automation also switches off URL expansion. And sourced videos are uploaded to a dedicated Google-owned YouTube channel branded with your logo and business name.

7 steps to set Performance Max asset optimization for a lead gen account

1. Audit the switches in every campaign

Open each Performance Max campaign, go to settings and expand Asset optimization. Record the state of all six switches in a simple sheet, one row per campaign. Multi-campaign accounts often carry different settings from different launch dates, and the campaign-level setting overrides the account-level one for landing page images.

2. Approve video sources one at a time

Sourced videos can come from social media platforms, your campaign's landing page and your linked YouTube channel. Select Manage sources and approve only the URLs your marketing team controls. Leave out personal staff accounts, franchise owner pages you have yet to review and any channel that hosts patient or parent testimonials without written ad consent.

3. Clear usage rights and consent before landing page images

Landing page images reuse the visuals already on your site. Walk the pages that take paid traffic and check each photo: stock licenses that cover web use only, photos of patients or children, team photos of people who have since moved on, and before-and-after images in regulated categories. Fix the page, or keep Landing page images off for that campaign until the page is clean.

4. Fence Final URL expansion with URL exclusions

Final URL expansion can send a searcher to any page on the final URL domain that Google judges more relevant. Add URL exclusions for careers pages, blog archives, patient portals, policy pages, closed locations and any service you have stopped offering. Then check the Expanded Final URL assets tab in asset reporting to see which pages actually served.

5. Preview text customization against your claims rules

Google says customized text assets serve only when predicted to beat your own, and that they are refreshed at least every 48 hours. That pace calls for a written list of phrases your brand avoids, such as outcome promises, pricing you quote only in person, or insurance claims that vary by location. Find generated assets in asset reporting, where the Source column reads "Automatically created", and remove any that cross the line.

6. Decide on enhancements by asset type

Image enhancement and video enhancement adapt your own creative to more formats. For most lead generation brands that is a net gain. Check the first enhanced versions for crops that cut off a face, a logo or a required disclaimer, and keep your strongest images framed with space around the subject so crops stay clean.

7. Measure the switches with an experiment

Google offers Performance Max optimization experiments, including a test of Final URL expansion, and its asset A/B testing beta. Run one change at a time on a campaign with steady lead volume, and judge the result on qualified leads and booked visits rather than raw form fills.

Guardrails by vertical

Healthcare and pain clinics: keep patient imagery and outcome language out of every sourced channel, and read Google's healthcare policies before switching on generated text.
Dental groups: check that each location page shows accurate services and insurance details, since expanded URLs and generated text both draw from them.
Childcare and school groups: confirm written parent consent for every photo of a child on pages and channels Google may crawl.
Local service businesses: retire old promotions and seasonal offers from landing pages, because generated text can repeat them.

Google also labels ads that use AI-optimized images or videos as created or edited with AI in the European Union, India and New York state, according to Search Engine Land's report. Advertisers serving New York can expect that label.

A monthly asset optimization review

01Export the switch sheet and confirm each campaign still matches the plan.
02Review the approved video sources and remove any channel that changed hands.
03Read the Expanded Final URL assets tab and add exclusions for off-target pages.
04Scan automatically created text assets against the claims list.
05Spot-check enhanced images and videos for crops and context.
06Compare qualified lead rate by campaign with last month.

How SalesX sets up Performance Max creative controls

SalesX treats every automation switch as a business decision. We map the switches to each client's brand rules, approve sources with the client's marketing and compliance owners, and connect Performance Max to qualified lead data so the system learns from outcomes that matter.

A multi-location dental group (DSO) we partner with under NDA saw 40–50% more leads at the same ad spend within 60 days, and 80% of those leads became new patient visits. SalesX credits two levers for that result: expert pre-click targeting and post-click landing page experiences. SalesX's X-Vault technologies give each client a custom, continuously improved edge, tuned to that client's growth goals.

Want a senior strategist to pressure-test your account? Request a free X-Audit. It is built for U.S. advertisers spending $50k+ per month, and the analysis typically takes three to five working days after access is approved.

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The bottom line

Performance Max asset optimization gives Google more creative to work with. Decide what it may use, approve your sources, fence your URLs and review the output each month. Clear lines let automation help your brand grow.

Sources and further reading

FAQ

What is Performance Max asset optimization?: It is the group of campaign settings that let Google adapt and add creative: text customization, Final URL expansion, image enhancement, landing page images, video enhancement and sourced videos. You find them under Asset optimization in each campaign's settings.
Are sourced videos on by default?: Google says sourced videos are enabled by default for new campaigns and may have been switched on for some existing campaigns. You approve the sources, and Google can add up to 10 videos per asset group.
Where do sourced videos come from?: They come from sources you approve: social media platforms, your campaign's landing page and your linked YouTube channel. Google uploads them to a dedicated Google-owned YouTube channel branded with your logo and business name.
How do I stop Final URL expansion from sending traffic to the wrong pages?: Add URL exclusions for careers pages, blog archives, portals, policy pages and retired services. Then review the Expanded Final URL assets tab in asset reporting to see which pages served.
Are Performance Max asset settings safe for healthcare advertisers?: They can be, with review. Clear consent and usage rights for every image and video Google may crawl, keep outcome claims off your landing pages, and check automatically created text against your healthcare policy rules each week.

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