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The short answer
When a Performance Max asset group has no video, Google builds one from the images and text and runs it on YouTube under your name. Oppy reads each video asset's source, so it knows which were made by Google, and also lists groups with no video at all.
Why it matters
The generated videos are slideshows: images panning, text appearing, stock music. They run on YouTube as if you had made them, and viewers cannot tell.
For some brands that is acceptable. For many, it is the first impression a stranger gets on YouTube, and nobody at the company has watched it.
How Oppy decides
The check runs on accounts with Performance Max asset groups whose assets could be read.
Checks that weigh money or clicks judge what they find on your own account's numbers, not on one figure applied to every account, so what counts as a problem on a small account is not the same on a large one. Checks on settings read how the account is set up.
When there is too little to go on, the check says so instead of guessing. A finding always comes with the rows behind it, so you can read the evidence before you decide.
| This check | |
|---|---|
| Step of the audit | Ads |
| What it reads | Performance Max asset groups |
| Needs trustworthy conversions | No. It does not wait for the tracking step. |
| What happens next | Reported in the audit with the rows behind it. The decision stays with you. |
Check it yourself in Google Ads
- In Google Ads, open a Performance Max campaign, then Asset groups.
- Open each group and look at its Videos.
- Look for videos marked as automatically created, or a note that Google may generate videos.
- List the groups with no video you uploaded.
What to do about it
Upload at least one video of your own per asset group, ideally in landscape, square and vertical. Even a simple 15 second edit of product shots beats a generated slideshow.
Watch what Google generated before deciding. If it is acceptable, keep it on purpose. If not, replace it.
Terms on this page
Other checks in this area
The checks next to this one in Ads and creative, each with its own page.