Google says Performance Max "intentionally" doesn't show channel-specific KPIs

Google confirmed that it deliberately withholds channel-specific KPIs for top performing campaigns because it could be “misleading”.

Some advertisers suspect that Google is not being fully transparent about PMax campaign performance data because doing so would affect their ability to drive automation.

What Google says. When an advertiser asked why Google doesn’t offer channel-level reporting for PMax campaigns in the Google Ads Help Center, a spokesperson responded:

“It intentionally doesn’t show channel-specific KPIs because looking at the aggregate ROAS or CPA of a single channel within Performance Max can actually be misleading and doesn’t accurately represent the value of a given channel.” “One channel may look better than another with a stronger ROI on average. However, this does not take into account the marginal cost of the next conversion in that channel. The ‘best’ channel in an auction is not the best choice in another auction.” “Performance Max makes a real-time decision about where to place your ad based on which inventory it predicts will deliver the most profitable conversion and high ROI at that moment.”

reaction Julie F Bacchini, President of Neptune Moon LLCshared a screenshot of the exchange a X and commented:

“New questions about PMax answered from Think with Google… From the first answer… Paraphrased: We won’t show you PMax channel statistics because you might get the wrong idea about their performance if you actually see it” . “Trust us to always do the best.”

Why we care Advertisers want more transparency into the performance of their campaigns because while AI can be very effective, it’s not perfect. And since Google products are designed to benefit Google rather than advertisers, many would feel more comfortable with statistics to ensure that decisions about their campaign performance prioritize their brands over Google.