Performance Max Gains Waze Ads & Channel Performance Reporting in 2026

The short version

Google added Waze Ads inventory to Performance Max and launched channel-level performance reporting in July 2026, giving advertisers visibility into exactly which placement types drive results — Search, Shopping, Display, YouTube, Gmail, Discover, Maps, and now Waze. Some advertisers also gained the ability to opt out of Search Partners and Display inventory within PMax campaigns, addressing the longstanding complaint that Performance Max was a “black box” with no placement control.

Key facts

• Waze Ads are now available as a Performance Max inventory source, expanding reach to in-car navigation audiences
• New channel performance reporting shows impressions, clicks, conversions, and cost by inventory type
• Some PMax advertisers can now exclude Search Partners and Display placements at the campaign level
• The update was confirmed by Google, covered by Search Engine Roundtable, PPC Land, and Search Engine Journal in July 2026
• No budget changes required — Waze inventory is additive, and performance reporting is available to all PMax campaigns

What happened

Google quietly expanded Performance Max in mid-July 2026, adding Waze advertising inventory and launching channel-level performance reporting — two changes that address some of the most persistent criticisms of PMax since its 2021 launch. The official Google announcement, titled “Access new inventory and channel performance reporting in Performance Max campaigns,” was confirmed by multiple industry publications including Search Engine Roundtable, PPC Land, and Search Engine Journal.

Prior to this update, Performance Max advertisers could not see how their budget was allocated across different Google inventory channels. A PMax campaign running on Search, Shopping, Display, YouTube, Discover, Gmail, and Maps would report aggregate performance only — making it impossible to know whether a campaign’s strong ROAS was driven by Shopping inventory or subsidized by low-quality Display placements.

Why channel-level reporting changes how PMax campaigns are managed

Performance Max has always promised automation — and delivered opacity. The single biggest complaint from PPC practitioners was the inability to see channel-level performance. Without knowing whether YouTube was generating sales or Display was burning budget on mobile game placements, optimization was reduced to adjusting asset groups and hoping for the best.

The new reporting changes that. For the first time, advertisers can see impressions, clicks, conversions, and cost broken down by inventory source directly within the Google Ads interface. This doesn’t mean you can adjust bids per channel — PMax still uses automated bidding — but it does let you make informed decisions about whether PMax is the right campaign type for your goals, or whether a multi-campaign structure would perform better.

The channel breakdown also reveals something Google has been reluctant to confirm publicly: how different inventory types actually perform. Early data shared by PPC practitioners on social media suggests Search and Shopping inventory typically drives the majority of conversions in PMax, while Display and YouTube often serve upper-funnel awareness roles with lower conversion rates and higher CPA.

Waze Ads inside PMax: what it means for advertisers

Waze, the Google-owned navigation app with over 150 million monthly active users, was previously accessible only through separate Waze Ads campaigns or via Google Ads Display campaigns. Adding Waze to Performance Max means any PMax advertiser — including those who never actively considered Waze — can now reach drivers at contextually relevant moments: approaching a retail location, searching for nearby services, or sitting in traffic near a business.

The integration is automatic for PMax campaigns that serve local businesses, retail, restaurants, and service-area businesses with physical locations. Waze ad formats within PMax include branded pins on the map, promoted search results when drivers search for nearby businesses, and zero-speed takeover ads that appear when the vehicle is stationary.

Because Waze is added to PMax as an inventory source rather than a separate campaign type, there’s no additional setup required. Google’s Smart Bidding automatically determines when Waze placements are likely to drive conversions and allocates budget accordingly. For advertisers, this means free incremental reach — but it also means Waze performance is now part of the PMax aggregate, making the new channel-level reporting essential to understanding whether Waze is adding value.

Some advertisers can now opt out of Search Partners and Display

Alongside the Waze integration and reporting upgrade, Google began allowing select PMax advertisers to exclude Search Partners and Display inventory — a feature that has been requested since PMax launched. The ability to opt out appears in campaign settings under “Networks,” but not all accounts have access. Google is rolling this out gradually, suggesting a controlled test before wider availability.

This is significant because Search Partners — the network of non-Google search engines and sites that show Google ads — has historically been a source of low-quality traffic in PMax. Similarly, Display placements in mobile apps and low-quality sites have been a frequent complaint. The ability to exclude these channels moves PMax closer to a Search+Shopping+YouTube campaign, which many advertisers would prefer over the current all-in-one model.

If your account has access, the opt-out is found at: Campaign Settings > Networks > uncheck “Search Partners” and/or “Display Network.” Be aware that excluding these may reduce your total impression volume, and Smart Bidding will need time to recalibrate.

What this means (our take)

Performance Max is Google’s strategic bet that AI-powered campaign automation will eventually outperform human-managed, channel-specific campaigns. The July 2026 updates suggest Google recognizes that transparency and control are prerequisites for that bet to pay off — advertisers won’t hand over budget to a black box forever.

The Waze integration is particularly interesting from a local advertising perspective. Waze’s user base skews toward drivers making in-the-moment purchasing decisions — gas stations, coffee shops, restaurants, retail. For local businesses running PMax with store visits or local actions as conversion goals, the Waze inventory could materially increase foot traffic at no additional setup cost. But the lack of Waze-specific bid controls means advertisers are still trusting Google’s algorithm to allocate budget between a high-intent Google.com search and a Waze driver who may or may not be interested.

The channel reporting upgrade is the bigger deal for most advertisers. Knowing that 70% of your PMax conversions come from Shopping at a $12 CPA while Display generates 30% of spend at a $48 CPA is actionable intelligence — even if you can’t directly adjust bids by channel. It informs whether PMax is right for your account, or whether a hybrid approach (standard Shopping + Search + separate Display/YouTube campaigns) would yield better results.

What to do now

1. Check your PMax campaign settings for the new channel reporting under “Insights & reports” > “When and where your ads showed.” If available, segment by channel to understand your performance baseline.
2. Look for the Search Partners and Display opt-out under Campaign Settings > Networks. If available, test excluding one or both channels and monitor performance over 2-4 weeks.
3. For local businesses, verify your Google Business Profile is linked and optimized — Waze pulls business data from GBP, and accurate location data improves Waze ad relevance.
4. Compare PMax channel performance to any standalone campaigns you already run (Search, Shopping, YouTube). If PMax Display CPA is significantly higher than your account average, consider whether the opt-out or a multi-campaign structure makes sense.
5. Set a 30-day review cadence for the new channel report. As Google refines the PMax algorithm with Waze data, performance patterns may shift. Don’t treat the first month’s data as final.

FAQ

Sources

• Google — Access new inventory and channel performance reporting in Performance Max campaigns (July 2026)
• Search Engine Roundtable — Google Performance Max Gains Waze Ads & Channel Performance Reporting (July 2026)
• PPC Land — Google adds Waze inventory to Performance Max and expands channel reporting (July 2026)
• Search Engine Journal — Google Performance Max Adds Waze Ads And Channel Reporting (July 2026)
• PPC Land — Google lets some PMax advertisers switch off Search Partners and Display (July 2026)
• ROA Marketing — Performance Max Strategy 2026: What’s Working Now
• ROA Marketing — Google Ads Campaign Types Explained 2026