Performance Max Controls in 2026: Search Terms, Negatives and Channels

#01How do you see what it matched?

Go to Insights and reports → Search terms and choose Search terms and landing pages for Performance Max. You can segment by ad format (Shopping or text) and see which landing page served. Use it like the Search report in lesson 7: add negatives for poor terms, and add strong terms to Search as exact match if you want your own copy on them.

#02Which controls exist now?

#03How do you read the channel performance report?

It shows a summary, how each channel contributes to your goals, and a table of results by channel. It also shows diagnostics, such as a missing asset that stops ads showing on a channel. Use it to answer one question: is Performance Max mostly a Search and Shopping campaign for you, or is it really reaching YouTube and Display?

#04How does channel prioritisation help?

Google's channel prioritisation page says that in Performance Max, Google surfaces (Search, YouTube, Maps, Gmail, Discover) are grouped as "Google channels", while search partners and the Display Network can each be set to their own priority. For low-priority channels you can set a budget allocation percentage, and a 0% allocation means Google won't spend on that channel.

Our view: run Performance Max alongside a well-built Search campaign with exact match on your top terms and a brand exclusion. That split gives you clean reporting on what Performance Max adds.

#05Which Performance Max control fixes which problem?

#06How do you review search terms, step by step?

1. Open the Performance Max campaign and go to Insights and reports → Search terms.
2. Sort by cost and conversions.
3. Mark irrelevant terms and add them as campaign negatives or to a shared list.
4. Mark high-value terms; consider whether they belong as exact match in a Search campaign (lesson 7).
5. Check for brand terms; add brand exclusions if they shouldn't be here.

#07How should you use search themes?

Search themes are signals, not keywords. Add them for intent Performance Max might miss, such as new products or niche use cases. Don't paste your whole Search keyword list in: identical exact match keywords in Search take priority anyway.

#08Troubleshooting

#09Practitioner hacks for Performance Max

• Build asset groups around themes, such as one per product line, so reporting tells you something.
• Use your best Search keywords as exact match in Search, and let Performance Max find the rest.
• Upload video yourself. If you don't, Google may create video from your assets; your own will usually represent the brand better.
• Check the search terms view monthly, and after any big change.
• Keep brand out by default unless you want Performance Max to take brand searches.

#10Questions to ask about Performance Max

1. Which conversion goals does it bid on?
2. Are brand exclusions applied?
3. Which negatives and lists apply?
4. How is spend split by channel?
5. Which search themes are set, and why?

#11A 30-minute audit for this lesson

1. List Performance Max campaigns and asset groups.
2. Pull search terms; classify the top terms.
3. Check brand exclusions and negatives.
4. Check search themes per asset group.
5. Open the channel performance report.
6. Check account content exclusions.

#12Key terms

#13Common scenarios and fixes

Brand clicks jumped in Performance Max. Diagnosis: No brand exclusions. Fix: Add brand lists to Performance Max and check brand campaign volume.

Most spend went to video placements. Diagnosis: Weak search intent signals or assets suited to video. Fix: Review the channel report, add search themes, improve text and image assets.

Leads from Performance Max were low quality. Diagnosis: Bidding on raw form fills. Fix: Make qualified outcomes primary (lessons 3 and 4).

#14How should you structure asset groups?

Asset groups work best when each one has a clear theme that matches a landing page and an audience signal. For a B2B software company, that usually means one asset group per product line or use case rather than one per audience. Each group gets its own headlines, descriptions, images, videos and search themes, so the ads it creates make sense together.

Too many asset groups split data thinly; too few mix messages. Start with as many as you have distinct landing pages that convert, and merge groups that never gather enough data. When you add a new product, give it its own asset group with search themes for the intents it serves, then watch its search terms for the first month.

Remember that Performance Max reports are more limited than Search reports. Use the search terms view, the channel performance report and asset reporting together, and compare against your CRM outcomes rather than relying on platform conversions alone.

#15Worked example: Ledgerline's PMax clean-up

Ledgerline is a fictional accounts-payable software company. Details and numbers are illustrative.

Ledgerline's Performance Max campaign looked efficient, but the search terms view showed many conversions came from brand searches. After adding a brand exclusion, reported conversions fell while the brand Search campaign took that traffic at a lower cost. The team then added 12 search themes from its best non-brand terms and set the Display Network to low priority.

Walkthrough: Ledgerline's first Performance Max audit

1. Opened the search terms view: a share of cost went to brand searches. Added a brand exclusion.
2. Found "free invoice template" terms; added them to the learning-intent negative list.
3. Added search themes for two new features the Search campaigns didn't cover.
4. Opened the channel performance report to see where spend went by channel.
5. Set account content exclusions for sensitive content categories.

#16Try it yourself

1. Pull 30 days of Performance Max search terms and classify the top 20.
2. Check whether brand exclusions are applied.
3. List up to 10 search themes for intents you're missing.

#17Quick quiz

1. How many search themes can an asset group have?

Answer: Up to 50.

2. Do Performance Max negatives stop YouTube placements?

Answer: No. Use content exclusions for Display and YouTube.

3. Should you add every Search keyword as a search theme?

Answer: No; themes are signals for missing intent, and identical exact match keywords in Search already take priority.

#18What should you check before the next lesson?

• Open the Performance Max search terms view and list the top 20 terms by cost.
• Apply your negative lists and a brand exclusion.
• Check how many search themes each asset group uses.
• Read the channel performance report and note spend by channel.

Next: Demand Gen and channel prioritisation. Or return to the Google Ads for Marketers track.

#19Common questions

Can I see search terms in Performance Max? Yes. In the Search terms report, choose Search terms and landing pages for Performance Max to see search terms with landing pages and ad formats.

How many search themes can an asset group have? Google raised the limit from 25 to 50 search themes per asset group.

Can I stop Performance Max taking my brand searches? Yes. Apply a brand exclusion or brand list to the campaign. It keeps your brand traffic out of Performance Max Search and Shopping inventory.