TL;DR Summary:
PMax Placement Breakthrough: Google Ads now reveals Search Partner domains and impression counts in Performance Max reports, ending years of blank data for many users.Limited Visibility: Reports show impressions only for brand safety exclusions, with no clicks, conversions, or costs at placement level.Optimization Gap: Third-party tools like AdPeekr fill the void by tracking full performance metrics across PMax placements.Google Ads Now Shows Where Performance Max Campaigns Actually Run
Google Ads users are finally seeing data they’ve waited for since Performance Max launched. The Performance Max placement report now displays Search Partner domains and impression counts that were missing before.
PPC marketer Thomas Eccel spotted the change first on LinkedIn. His PMax campaigns had shown empty placement reports until now.
“I finally see where and how Pmax is being displayed!” Eccel wrote. “But also cool to see finally who the real Google Search Partners are. That was always a blurry grey zone.”
New Data Appears in Existing Reports
Google created a Performance Max placement report for brand safety reviews. This report now shows data for more advertiser accounts than before.
The report includes individual domains, network types, placement types, and impression volumes. Search Partner visibility gets the most attention here.
PMax campaigns have run ads across Google’s Search Partner Network since launch. Many advertisers saw empty reports when they looked for details. This is changing for some accounts now.
Google hasn’t announced this change formally. Their help documentation says the Performance Max placement report supports Search Partner sites starting in March 2024. The new part is data appearing where it was blank before.
The rollout isn’t complete yet. Some advertisers commenting on Eccel’s post still see empty reports in their accounts.
What You Won’t See in These Reports
Google calls this placement reporting a brand safety tool, not a performance report. You see impressions at the placement level but no clicks, conversions, or costs for individual placements.
You can see where your ads appeared and how many times. You cannot calculate returns from specific placements. Search Partner Network costs appear as one line item in channel performance reports.
Advertisers can use this data to exclude placements for brand safety reasons. You cannot tie outcomes to specific placements in this view. This limits its use for optimization.
Google has followed this pattern for PMax transparency over two years. Channel reporting launched in mid-2025 with performance data by surface type. Asset segmentation came in the fall. Each update added visibility without giving full placement performance data.
Performance Analysis Gap Still Exists
While Google’s placement report stops at impression counts, third-party tools have emerged to fill the performance analysis gap that many advertisers need.
Tools like AdPeekr provide deeper visibility into where PMax campaigns actually spend budget and drive conversions across placements. Unlike Google’s native reporting, AdPeekr tracks placement performance metrics including cost, clicks, and conversion data. These are the exact dimensions missing from Google’s brand safety focused report. This makes it possible to identify which Search Partner domains generate returns versus simply consuming impressions.
Why Advertisers Care About This Update
PMax placement visibility has been the most requested feature from paid search practitioners since campaign launch. The placement report existed in the interface but returned no data. This frustrated advertisers who wanted to know where their budgets went.
Search Partner detail matters because PMax doesn’t offer the same Search Partners toggle as standard Search campaigns. Advertisers can use exclusions though. Seeing which partner domains get impressions and comparing that against Search Partner performance in channel reports gives you data you didn’t have before.
The brand safety framing matters. Google’s documentation describes this report as a way to check where ads appear, not evaluate performance. This distinction affects how you use the data and explain it to clients.
What Comes Next for PMax Reporting
Google has expanded PMax reporting steadily over the past year. They moved from limited channel visibility to surface breakdowns to placement impression data now appearing for more accounts.
Whether placement performance metrics follow remains unclear. Google hasn’t confirmed plans to add clicks, conversions, or costs to the placement report.
Check if this data appears in your account now. Review the Search Partner domains receiving your impressions as your next step.
Are you ready to see which Search Partner domains actually drive conversions beyond just impressions with AdPeekr?
