Google Now Shows Which PMax Channels Are Driving Results—Here’s What to Do Next

Performance Max has long been both a blessing and a blind spot for ecommerce marketers. Its automated, all-in-one format streamlined campaign management—but obscured where results were coming from. Was Shopping carrying the weight? Was YouTube wasting spend? There was no way to tell.

Until now.

Google is finally lifting the lid on how PMax allocates performance across channels.

With channel-level reporting, advertisers can now see how individual surfaces—like Shopping, YouTube, Display, and Discover—contribute to campaign performance. This isn’t just more data; it’s a strategic unlock. For the first time, ecommerce marketers can pinpoint which surfaces are driving results—and adapt accordingly.

Performance Max is no longer a single, automated engine. It’s evolving into a multichannel performance hub, reshaping how you build campaigns, optimize feeds, invest in creative, and scale growth.

But to take advantage, you need to understand what’s changing—and where to look first.

First It Was a Black Box. Now Google’s Letting You Peek Inside

Google is introducing a new reporting feature in Performance Max campaigns that provides insights into how individual channels—such as Shopping, YouTube, Display, Discover, Gmail, and Maps—contribute to overall performance. This enhancement aims to offer advertisers a clearer understanding of where their results are coming from.

While this feature is a significant step toward greater transparency, it's important to note that it's currently in an open beta phase. Google plans to share more details during the upcoming Google Marketing Live event on May 21, 2025. Advertisers interested in gaining early access should stay tuned for further announcements.

What You’ll Be Able to See

Once the rollout completes, advertisers will be able to view key performance metrics—like conversions, cost, CPA, and ROAS—broken out by channel:

• Shopping
• Search
• YouTube
• Display
• Discover
• Gmail

Instead of a single, blended report, you'll have a clearer view into which surfaces are driving outcomes—and which ones may need adjustment.

Where to Find It

When available in your account, you’ll find the data here:

• Go to your PMax campaign in Google Ads
• Click the Insights tab
• Select the new Performance view

Note: This feature is still rolling out through May and June 2025 and may not yet appear in every account. It currently supports campaign-level reporting only, with no granularity for products or audiences (yet).

What This Doesn’t Change

While the new reporting view gives you insight into each channel’s performance, it doesn’t change how Performance Max operates. You still can’t control where your ads appear or set bids by channel—Google’s automation still drives placement and budget distribution.
What’s new is your ability to see how that automation is allocating spend—and how each surface is performing as a result.

Why This New View Matters

Performance Max blends multiple surfaces into one campaign, but each plays a different role in the buyer’s journey. Shopping usually captures bottom-funnel demand. YouTube builds brand awareness. Display retargets interest.

Until now, advertisers couldn’t see how each of these surfaces contributed. Campaigns delivered results, but the path remained obscured.

That’s changing. Channel-level reporting brings visibility to where results are coming from—and how effectively each surface is doing its job.

If Shopping is driving conversions, improving feed quality becomes a smart next move. If YouTube is scaling well, better video assets could amplify results. And if Display is underperforming, you may need to rework creative or reconsider your targeting signals.

This shift moves PMax closer to the transparency offered by platforms like Meta, Amazon, and TikTok. It makes performance comparisons and cross-channel strategy more grounded—and far less guesswork-driven.

With this new clarity, it's time to rethink how your campaigns, assets, and data align with each surface’s strengths.

Now That You Know What’s Working—Here’s How to Act on It

Visibility is only valuable if it drives smarter decisions. With new channel-level insights in hand, it’s time to make changes where they count—in your campaign setup, your creative, and your product data.

Start by Spotting Patterns

Regularly reviewing performance by channel can reveal clear trends:

• If Shopping consistently delivers conversions, your product feed is doing its job—consider doubling down.
  
• If YouTube or Display is spending without results, your creative may be off-message or misaligned with user intent.
  
• If Discover or Gmail is performing better than expected, that’s a signal to explore and scale.

These patterns help you decide what to fix, where to invest, and what to test next—grounded in real performance, not guesswork.

Rethink Campaign Structure Based on Performance

If certain channels consistently outperform others, consider restructuring your campaigns to play to their strengths. Instead of running one catch-all PMax campaign, try segmenting by intent and asset type:

• Use a Shopping-focused campaign optimized around high-quality feeds and promotions.
  
• Run a separate campaign for awareness channels like YouTube and Display, where storytelling and visuals lead.

You don’t have to rebuild from scratch. Duplicating an existing campaign and swapping in different assets can help you test strategies while preserving structure.

Align Your Assets With Each Channel’s Role

Each surface in PMax serves a different purpose—and your assets should reflect that. A generic set won’t cut it. Here’s how to tailor your creative to each environment:

• For Shopping: prioritize clean images, accurate pricing, and direct copy that converts.
  
• For YouTube and Display: lead with compelling visuals, video, and branded storytelling.
  
• Across all channels: adapt your messaging to where the shopper is in their journey—some surfaces spark awareness, others close the deal.

The better your assets match channel intent, the better Google’s automation can perform.

Look at Your Product Data with Fresh Eyes

Shopping relies on your feed, but that same data can show up in other places too. Previewing how your products appear across channels—or how they’re submitted to different destinations—can reveal small, high-impact issues.

Maybe your title looks great in Shopping but gets truncated in a Display ad. Or your mobile image works on YouTube but breaks the layout on desktop. These are fixable issues—but only if you’re looking.

For larger catalogs, manual updates won’t scale. That’s where rule-based feed tools come in—letting you automate fixes by product type, brand, or past performance, without disrupting your structure.

How a Google Ads Update Can Help You Win on Meta, TikTok, and More

The impact of PMax's new insights extends far beyond Google—it can strengthen how you approach Meta, TikTok, and every other performance channel.

For example, if Shopping is your top driver in PMax, that’s a green light on your product feed. Repurpose those winning titles, images, and pricing tactics across Meta, TikTok, or Pinterest. If YouTube or Display are overperforming, it likely means your creative resonates—time to adapt it for paid social.

Not every product thrives everywhere. Shopping favors high-intent, bottom-funnel products. YouTube and Display are built for storytelling and awareness. Understanding which SKUs succeed where helps you restructure catalogs, split campaigns, or tailor creative based on user behavior.

This may mean segmenting hero products from long-tail SKUs, or running channel-specific feeds—adjusting presentation while keeping base data consistent. And if you’re automating feeds or applying rules, this visibility helps you refine those rules with confidence.

As you expand across channels, complexity grows. While PMax automates delivery, it's still your job to manage creative, data, and structure. Clear, consistent feed management makes that complexity scalable—and keeps your campaigns moving in sync, not at odds.

You’ve Got the Data—Now Turn It Into Advantage

With channel-level reporting, Performance Max no longer operates in the dark. You can now pinpoint how Shopping, YouTube, Display, and other surfaces contribute—and shift strategy based on what’s truly working.

Maybe Shopping is driving 80% of conversions. Time to double down on feed optimization. Maybe YouTube is scaling quietly. That’s a signal to revisit your creative and push harder. Either way, you're no longer flying blind.

Of course, more clarity also brings more complexity. Different products perform better on different channels—and your feed and creative need to flex to match. For smaller catalogs, that might be manual. For larger ones, automation becomes essential.

Tools like GoDataFeed can help keep your feed structure clean and optimized, your product data accurate, and your messaging aligned—no matter how many surfaces you scale across.

Google gave you the visibility. Now it’s time to lead with strategy.