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Amenity Shots Beat In-Home Photos in PMax, Data Shows

October 17, 2026

Demand Marketing ran a Google Performance Max study from July through December 2025 and found something your creative deck probably isn't built for: community amenity imagery delivered 25-29% lower cost per conversion than in-home shots. Outdoor amenities pulled a 2.60% click-through rate, indoor amenities hit 2.77%, and in-home images trailed at 2.26%.

So the pool deck is outperforming the kitchen island. That tracks, actually. Prospects scrolling ads aren't trying to picture themselves doing dishes. They're trying to picture the life, and a renovated clubhouse or a well-lit fitness center sells lifestyle faster than a granite countertop ever will.

Here's what to actually do with this. Pull your current PMax asset groups and count how many in-home photos are doing the heavy lifting. If it's most of them, you've been optimizing for the wrong instinct, the one that says "show them the unit, that's what they're renting." Swap in your best indoor and outdoor amenity shots as the lead creative, keep a few unit photos in the mix for people deep in the funnel, and let the algorithm redistribute spend toward what's actually converting.

One caution: this is one study, one window, one platform. It's not gospel for every market or every asset class. But a 25-29% cost-per-conversion gap is big enough that testing it against your own account costs you nothing and ignoring it might be costing you leads.

Source: RealPage, October 16, 2026