Google adds network segmentation to Performance Max asset reports

Google announced on September 30, 2025, that Performance Max campaigns now support network segmentation in asset reporting, enabling advertisers to track individual asset performance across Search, Display, YouTube, Discover, Gmail, and Maps channels.

According to the company's help documentation, the "Network (with search partners)" segmentation feature has become available for Performance Max campaigns in the asset group report. Advertisers can now use this segmentation to track the performance of individual assets across Google's various advertising channels.

The announcement, made by Irem Erkaya, Senior Product Manager at Google Ads, represents a continuation of reporting improvements the company introduced earlier in 2025. The new capability addresses a long-standing transparency gap in Performance Max campaigns, where advertisers previously lacked visibility into how specific assets performed on different networks.

Technical implementation details

The network segmentation feature allows advertisers to add multiple segment layers to their asset reports. According to Google's documentation, advertisers can now segment by devices, time, conversions, and networks. When segmenting by networks specifically, the system breaks down asset performance data across all six major Google advertising channels.

The feature appears in both the asset group report and the assets report sections of Performance Max campaigns. Advertisers can access these reports by navigating to their campaigns section, then selecting the appropriate report type from the available options.

Google's documentation notes that data is viewable for any date range after June 6, 2025, using the date picker. This constraint suggests the company began collecting network-level asset data around that time, making historical comparisons before this date unavailable.

Metrics and measurement considerations

According to Google's documentation, Performance Max campaigns display five default metrics in asset reports: conversions, conversion value, impressions, clicks, and costs. Advertisers can access additional metrics by selecting the columns icon in the top right menu of the table.

The company emphasizes important measurement considerations that affect how advertisers should interpret asset-level data. According to the documentation, asset-level metrics are "attributed per instance of the asset served within an ad." This means if a single ad impression includes three different assets, those three assets will each register one impression.

This measurement approach creates what Google calls "Non-Summable Metrics." The sum of individual asset impressions, clicks, or costs may not directly match corresponding metrics at the asset group level for Performance Max campaigns. The company states that ratio metrics at the asset level, such as CTR, CPC, CPA, and ROAS, "should be used as directional indicators only."

Channel performance reporting enhancements

Beyond network segmentation for assets, Google added several features to its channel performance reporting tool, which remains in beta status. According to Erkaya's announcement, these additions include bulk reporting capabilities that allow advertisers to download channel performance reports for all Performance Max campaigns at the account level.

The channel performance report now includes cost data in the channel visualization. Google also added ROI columns that can be incorporated into the reporting table, providing advertisers with return-on-investment calculations alongside other performance metrics.

The company expanded segmentation options in channel reporting to include conversion action and ad event type. According to the documentation, ad event type refers to "the action that precedes a conversion," with examples including engaged-view, clicks, interaction, or impression.

Google also introduced additional diagnostics within the channel performance report. According to the documentation, the status column now surfaces issues such as limited serving due to restrictive bid targets. Other diagnostic categories include asset group policy issues, product feed issues, missing and disapproved assets, final URL expansion problems, missing video assets, and budget constraints.

Strategic implications for advertisers

The network segmentation capability matters for advertisers managing Performance Max campaigns because it provides visibility into asset effectiveness across different inventory types. Before this update, advertisers could see overall asset performance but lacked the ability to determine whether specific creative performed better on Search versus Display or YouTube.

Performance Max campaigns operate across Google's full advertising inventory using automated bidding and asset combinations. The platform's AI systems determine which assets to serve together and where to show them. This automation has made it difficult for advertisers to understand which specific creative elements drive results on particular channels.

Google unveiled major transparency improvements to Performance Max in April 2025, addressing persistent criticism about the campaign type's "black box" nature. The announcement introduced three major reporting enhancements: channel-level performance data, full search terms reporting, and more detailed asset-level metrics.

Channel performance reporting began appearing in advertiser accounts on May 30, 2025, exactly one month after Google's initial announcement. The feature marked the end of what many described as a "black box" era for the campaign type, providing transparency across Search, YouTube, Display, and other Google channels.

Best practices and optimization guidance

Google's documentation outlines specific best practices for using asset-level metrics effectively. The company recommends that advertisers "evaluate performance at the asset group level or campaign level, rather than at the individual asset level." This guidance reflects the non-summable nature of asset-level metrics and the influence of asset combinations on performance.

According to the documentation, advertisers should "regularly review your Ad Strength to understand how your assets are performing." Google recommends aiming for an "Excellent" Ad Strength score by adding a diverse range of assets, up to the maximum allowed, before replacing or refreshing assets. The company states that "a wider variety of assets increases the chances of showing the most relevant combinations to potential customers."

The channel performance report includes a status column that provides diagnostics surfacing potential issues on specific channels. According to the documentation, advertisers may see three status types: "Not eligible" when the channel cannot show ads, "Eligible (Limited)" when issues are limiting where and when ads can show, and "Eligible" when the channel has no issues.

Google notes that if a channel shows no spending and no issues appear in the status column, "this likely indicates that Performance Max is simply bidding on channels that provide a higher return-on-investment (ROI) at that moment." The system aims to maximize performance by bidding on inventory predicted to deliver the most cost-efficient, highest ROI conversions in real time.

Data availability and rollout status

The channel performance report remains in beta status. According to Google's documentation, the report "is currently in beta and will become available to all advertisers at a later date." The company has not provided a specific timeline for when the feature will reach general availability.

Advertisers can access network segmentation data for any period after June 6, 2025. This six-month historical window provides sufficient data for trend analysis but prevents year-over-year comparisons that some advertisers typically use for seasonal business planning.

The asset-level metrics feature now shows impressions, clicks, and costs as "new" metrics for Performance Max campaigns, according to the current availability table in Google's documentation. These metrics join the previously available conversions and conversion value data.

Additional reporting capabilities

Beyond network segmentation, Google supports several other segment types for asset reports. According to the documentation, advertisers can segment by channel, ads using product data, ads using video, conversion category, conversion action, and ad event type.

The "ads using product data" segment includes Shopping ads across Google Search, YouTube Search, Maps, and Search partners, as well as dynamic remarketing on Google Display Network. According to the documentation, "other formats using Merchant Center feeds on Gmail and video ads with products on YouTube and Discover aren't included yet."

Google also added the ability to filter the Channels-to-Goals chart by channel, format, and conversion type. According to the documentation, filtering for "Conversions" shows the conversions the campaign optimizes for, while "Results" shows conversions for all goals, including those not used in campaign optimization.

Google wrapped up Performance Max feature rollouts in August 2025, bringing enhanced visibility and control features including campaign-level negative keyword lists, increased search theme limits, and new demographic targeting capabilities that had been rolling out throughout the year.

The company emphasized that it will "continue to add more improvements to channel performance reporting." Erkaya's announcement encouraged advertisers to provide feedback and stay tuned for updates.

Timeline

• June 6, 2025: Google begins collecting network-level asset data for Performance Max campaigns (earliest date for which data can be viewed)
• April 30, 2025: Google announces major transparency boost for Performance Max campaigns, introducing channel-level performance data, full search terms reporting, and detailed asset-level metrics
• May 30, 2025: Channel performance reporting begins rolling out to select advertiser accounts in beta
• August 7, 2025: Google wraps up Performance Max feature rollouts with campaign-level negative keywords, expanded search themes, and comprehensive asset-level metrics
• August 29, 2025: Google launches podcast series discussing AI Max and Performance Max channel reporting updates
• September 30, 2025: Google announces network segmentation for Performance Max asset reports and enhanced channel performance reporting features

Summary

Who: Google Ads, specifically announced by Irem Erkaya, Senior Product Manager at Google Ads

What: Launch of network segmentation for Performance Max asset reports, allowing advertisers to track individual asset performance across Search, Display, YouTube, Discover, Gmail, and Maps; additional enhancements to channel performance reporting including bulk downloads, cost visualization, ROI columns, and expanded diagnostics

When: Announced September 30, 2025, with data available for date ranges after June 6, 2025

Where: Available within Google Ads Performance Max campaigns through the asset group report and assets report sections; channel performance reporting accessible through the Insights and reports dropdown in the campaigns menu

Why: Addresses advertiser demand for greater transparency in Performance Max campaigns by revealing how specific creative assets perform across different Google advertising channels; helps advertisers make informed optimization decisions about their asset mix and understand which creative elements drive results on particular networks