The parts of Performance Max you can actually control

While initially criticized as a black box, Performance Max has evolved into a fairly critical campaign type. With each passing quarter, Google has introduced more functionality and visibility.

Additional reporting is helpful, but what matters is what you can actually act on. While you can’t control everything in Performance Max, there are specific levers that can have a meaningful impact on performance. Here are the parts of PMax you can control and how to use them effectively.

Control what you can: Search terms and placements

One of the most exciting updates in the last year to Performance Max has been the ability to add these campaign-level negative keywords. 

In the past, you could contact Google to add these in. It was somewhat cumbersome and involved filling out an Excel doc, forwarding it to Google, and giving them permission to implement. 

With the inclusion of the search terms report, we’re now able to select a keyword and quickly add it to the campaign-level negative keyword list, just as we can with a search or shopping campaign.

Another way to optimize PMax is to review and monitor the placements report. Most recently, Google has moved the Performance Max placements report out of the reporting section of the Google Ads account and into the Where ads have shown section at the campaign level. While this makes analysis easier by removing additional steps, we still only have impression-level reporting on placements. 

We can use this information to decide whether to add these placements as negative placements at the account level. This is found in Tools > Content suitability > Advanced settings > Excluded placements. 

While this isn’t ideal, there’s still useful insight we can glean from this report, such as ads appearing in kids’ programming or driving a high number of impressions from mobile apps.

Use budget signals to improve efficiency

Also located in the When and where ads showed section is the ad schedule. Even if you hadn’t selected an ad schedule when creating the campaign, Google automatically dayparts performance hourly. 

Google typically recommends an open ad schedule, but if you have a limited budget, restricting your ad schedule during off-peak or non-converting hours is an excellent way to increase efficiency. 

You can do this by creating a campaign-level ad schedule within Campaigns > Audiences, keywords, and content > Ad schedule. Make sure your Performance Max campaign is selected in the top left dropdown menu.

Dig deeper: Top Performance Max optimization tips for 2026

Refine targeting with the right constraints

Demographic exclusions are a relatively new feature at the campaign settings level for Performance Max. Unfortunately, reports for these campaigns are hard to obtain, limiting informed decisions on demographic exclusions.

This functionality is helpful if you’re aware of specific demographics that aren’t actively in the market for specific products or services. To make adjustments, go to Campaign-level settings > Other settings > Demographic exclusions. From here, you can turn on age or gender exclusions:

While PMax initially didn’t even provide device-level reporting, a new feature lets you opt out of serving on certain devices.

If you opt into all device targeting when launching a PMax campaign, you should periodically review device performance and adjust accordingly. This is best done by segmenting at the campaign or asset group level by device. Device-level data is extremely helpful for determining which device is better suited to reach your goal. 

Likewise, if you almost always opt out of certain devices when launching a campaign, this data makes it easier to either launch with all device targeting enabled and monitor performance, or add a device you hadn’t initially added to see how it impacts performance. Device-level targeting is also available at the campaign level, under Other settings.

Improve inputs: Creative and AI assets

Ad assets play a large role in the display, YouTube, and Discover network performance of a PMax campaign. For many, there’s still a gap in producing high volumes of quality image and video creative.

While still evolving, AI assets are getting closer to filling these gaps — enabling us to more effectively target these additional networks. As newer iterations of LLMs emerge, this will become a primary way to generate video content and professional-looking images.

Google already offers generative AI image assets from shopping feed products that look relatively impressive. But we’re still a ways out from seeing high-quality AI-generated videos without the well-known glitches we typically see in this type of content.

Dig deeper: How to reduce low-quality leads from Performance Max campaigns

Understand the limits of control in Performance Max

The channel controls report gave more insight into where ads were serving. I have an unpopular opinion on this report. While helpful, there’s little we can do within the campaign to improve performance. Because of this, the report is frustrating. 

We’ll likely see channel controls available within Performance Max in the near future — similar to what we already have in Demand Gen campaigns. For now, adjust creative and bids to sway volume within certain networks. To opt out of certain networks completely and focus on shopping, then a feed-only Performance Max campaign will do just that.

Performance Max is evolving from a black box to a critical asset in a marketer’s toolkit. The steady stream of new functionality, from campaign-level negative keywords to detailed placement and ad schedule reports, shows Google’s commitment to providing greater control. 

Use these levers — strategic exclusions, device adjustments, and budget-aware scheduling — to move beyond set-it-and-forget-it and run Performance Max campaigns with precision and efficiency.