Google launched a new channel performance timeline view inside Performance Max, giving advertisers a clearer breakdown of how individual channels — Search, YouTube, Display, and others — are contributing to campaign results over time.
What’s new. A timeline graph now shows channel-level contributions over a selected period, paired with investment and performance filters. Advertisers can see at a glance which channels are pulling their weight — and which aren’t.
Yellow box – Channel Performance Evolution Over Time
Pink box (right) – All Ads, Ads Using Product Lists, Ads Using Video
Why we care. Performance Max campaigns span multiple channels simultaneously, which makes it genuinely difficult to know where budget is being spent most effectively. This update gives advertisers a timeline view of channel-level contributions — so if YouTube is underperforming while Search is driving most conversions, that’s now visible without having to dig through export data or rely on guesswork.
This allows you to spot channel-level trends earlier and adjust asset strategy or budget accordingly.
The big picture. The view gives advertisers a more actionable way to evaluate PMAX performance without having to rely solely on Google’s automated decisions. If YouTube is consistently underdelivering while Search drives the bulk of conversions, that’s now visible — and can inform budget and asset strategy going forward.
The bottom line. It’s not full transparency, but it’s a meaningful step in the right direction. Advertisers have a cleaner way to spot PMax trend anomalies early and adjust accordingly.
First spotted. This update was first spotted by Head of Search at Le Mage du SEA, Axel Falck, who shared spotting this update on LinkedIn.