Skip to content
GetProfit
Log in

← All terms

Performance Planner

Performance Planner is a Google Ads tool that forecasts the clicks, conversions and conversion value your campaigns would get at a different budget or target.

How it works

You pick campaigns, a period and a goal, and the planner shows the expected results at other budgets or targets. According to Google, it refreshes its forecasts daily and simulates the relevant ad auctions of the last 7–10 days, adjusted for seasonality and competitor activity.

The planner works with Search, Standard Shopping and Performance Max campaigns. Among other conditions, a campaign must have kept its bid strategy for 10 days, had at least 10 impressions, 3 clicks and 1 conversion, and spent in the last 17 days. Since 9 March 2026 it no longer covers Display and Video campaigns. It may suggest a zero budget for campaigns that don’t fit the most efficient split of spend, and you can apply its suggestions to live campaigns in one click.

The forecast rests on the account’s last 7–10 days, adjusted for season. A sale you are planning, new products or a bestseller about to sell out lie outside that data. Our guide to trusting the budget forecast covers how far a store can rely on it.

Example

Example store, not client data.

The tableware shop spends 40,000 a month and gets 180,000 in conversion value, a ROAS of 4.5. The planner forecasts 205,000 at a budget of 50,000. Average ROAS slips only to 4.1 (205,000 ÷ 50,000), but the extra 10,000 brings in 25,000: a marginal ROAS of 2.5 (25,000 ÷ 10,000).

Not to be confused with

  • Keyword Planner — keyword ideas, search volume and forecasts for Search keywords, often before a campaign exists. Performance Planner forecasts campaigns that are already running, from their own recent auctions.
  • Demand forecast — the store’s own forecast of sales months ahead. Performance Planner forecasts ad results at a given budget.

Right and wrong readings

  • Wrong: “The forecast keeps ROAS above 4, so the extra 10,000 pays off.” Right: the extra spend has a marginal ROAS of 2.5. At the shop’s 35% gross margin, its break-even ROAS is 2.86, so the extra 10,000 brings in 8,750 of gross profit, 1,250 less than it costs.

Sources

  • About Performance Planner (Google Ads Help) — forecasts on the last 7–10 days, seasonality, campaign types and eligibility, the March 2026 change, zero budgets, applying suggestions. Checked 2 October 2026 in the archived copy of 20 August 2026.
  • Keyword Planning (Google Ads API) — keyword ideas, historical metrics and forecast metrics, then a new campaign with the keywords. Checked 2 October 2026.