Google launched a long-awaited update to Performance Max reporting, giving advertisers their first real look at how Search Partners contribute to PMAX performance.
Driving the news. The update is now live in Google Ads, surfacing Search Partners directly inside the PMAX Channel Performance tables. Advertisers can now view:
- How Search Partners contribute to PMAX results
- Whether they add incremental value
- Performance compared with other PMAX channels
- Total spend directed to Search Partners
What’s changing. This added transparency gives advertisers a clearer understanding of where PMAX allocates budget across channels — especially in search — and helps validate whether Search Partners traffic is profitable or dragging down efficiency.
Why we care. Search Partners activity has historically been hidden inside PMAX, making it difficult for advertisers to understand where spend was going or evaluate its impact. The new reporting line item brings long-requested visibility into an often-opaque slice of search inventory.
With this new visibility, teams can assess whether that traffic is adding incremental value, compare its performance to other PMAX channels, and make more informed optimization and budgeting decisions.
In short: you can now see and measure spend that was completely blind before, which can directly impact performance and profitability.
The big picture. While the update may look minor, it represents a meaningful step toward demystifying PMAX. For accounts running PMAX at scale or analyzing profitability by channel, the ability to isolate Search Partners data can directly influence optimization, budgeting, and strategic decisions.
First seen. This update was first seen by Google Ads specialist Aleksejus Podpruginas, when he shared his view of it on LinkedIn.
The bottom line. PMAX is finally revealing a missing piece of the puzzle — and advertisers now have a better picture of how Google’s automation is spending their money.