Google adds Waze inventory to Performance Max and expands channel reporting

Google announced on November 6, 2025, two updates to Performance Max campaigns aimed at helping advertisers reach customers more effectively and gain visibility into ad placement. The updates include Waze ads inventory for Performance Max for store goals campaigns and expanded channel performance reporting capabilities that now cover search partners.

According to Teresa Chen, Director of Product Management for Local Ads, and Irem Erkaya, Senior Product Manager for Performance Max, advertiser feedback throughout 2025 has driven significant improvements to the automated campaign type. The November announcement focuses specifically on in-store sales and channel transparency enhancements.

Waze inventory integration for store goals

Performance Max for store goals campaigns in the United States can now serve ads on Waze, the navigation application. Businesses appear as "Promoted Places in Navigation" pins on users' maps during their drives. The feature requires no additional setup from advertisers. Performance Max automatically uses existing assets to optimize for Store Visits, Store Sales, or Local Actions Directions.

According to the announcement, the Waze ads extension builds on Local Ads functionality and targets last-minute trips or long journeys, particularly during holiday shopping periods. Google plans to expand Waze inventory availability beyond the U.S. market in 2026, though specific countries were not disclosed.

The integration addresses a specific use case where consumers search for nearby businesses while actively navigating. Unlike traditional search or display advertising that reaches users during research phases, Waze ads target drivers at the moment they're making route decisions. This positions Performance Max for store goals campaigns to capture demand from mobile users who may not have predetermined shopping destinations.

Performance Max campaigns have expanded their inventory reach throughout 2025, with the Waze addition representing the latest surface where automated campaigns can serve ads. The campaign type already serves across Search, YouTube, Display, Discover, Gmail, and Maps, with Google now adding a navigation-specific placement that focuses exclusively on location-based conversions.

The technical implementation leverages existing campaign assets rather than requiring advertisers to create Waze-specific creative. Performance Max's automation selects appropriate assets from the advertiser's inventory based on the Waze placement requirements. This maintains consistency with Performance Max's asset-group approach where single creative libraries serve multiple placements.

Store goals campaigns specifically optimize for physical location visits and transactions. According to Google's documentation, campaigns can optimize for Store Visits, Store Sales, or Local Actions Directions depending on conversion tracking setup. The Waze integration focuses on these metrics rather than online conversion goals typical of standard Performance Max campaigns.

The timing aligns with the 2025 holiday shopping season, when consumers frequently make last-minute retail trips. Google specifically mentioned that the feature proves "especially helpful during last-minute trips or long journeys over the holidays" in the announcement. This seasonal context suggests Google views Waze inventory as particularly valuable during high-traffic retail periods.

Performance Max for store goals campaigns face unique targeting considerations compared to standard Performance Max campaigns. Google previously emphasized that advertisers should select specific store locations during campaign setup rather than adding additional geographic targeting, as the platform automatically applies dynamic radius targets around selected locations.

Channel performance reporting expansion

Channel performance reporting now extends to all Performance Max campaigns, providing advertisers visibility into where their ads run across Google's network. The reporting capability, which entered beta earlier in 2025, received additional enhancements in November.

According to the announcement, search partners will be added to the channel performance report in the coming weeks. This addition covers both the channel visualization interface and the channel distribution table, giving advertisers insight into performance across Google's search partner network alongside owned-and-operated properties.

Manager account access represents another enhancement announced November 6. Advertisers using Google Ads manager accounts (MCC) can now access channel performance reports at the portfolio level, enabling analysis across multiple client accounts or business units simultaneously. This addresses workflow requirements for agencies and large advertisers managing Performance Max campaigns at scale.

Google's channel performance reporting emerged as a major transparency improvement announced in April 2025. The feature addressed long-standing advertiser concerns about Performance Max's "black box" nature, where campaign managers lacked visibility into which specific channels drove conversions. The November update extends this reporting to all campaigns after an initial beta period limited to select accounts.

The reporting includes metrics such as clicks, conversions, conversion value, and cost broken down by individual channels. Advertisers can see performance across YouTube, Display, Search, Discover, Gmail, Maps, and now search partners. The visualization component provides a graphical representation of channel contribution to campaign goals, while the distribution table offers detailed numerical breakdowns.

September 2025 brought several related improvements that the November announcement references. According to Google, bulk reporting and download capabilities launched in September, allowing advertisers to export channel performance data for offline analysis. Segmentation functionality enables filtering results by various dimensions including time periods, device types, and audience segments.

Google published a tutorial video and best practices guide for the channel performance report, which the announcement directs advertisers to consult for implementation guidance. These resources address common questions about interpreting channel data and adjusting campaign strategies based on performance insights.

The channel reporting expansion continues Google's 2025 focus on Performance Max transparency. Throughout 2025, the platform introduced campaign-level negative keywords, increased search theme limits from 25 to 50, and enhanced search terms reporting. These features addressed advertiser feedback requesting greater control over automated campaign targeting while maintaining the efficiency benefits of machine learning optimization.

Search partner reporting specifically addresses questions about ad placement beyond Google's owned properties. Search partners include websites and applications that use Google's search technology to display ads alongside search results. These placements historically lacked detailed reporting in Performance Max campaigns, with performance aggregated into overall campaign metrics.

The manager account access enhancement supports workflow patterns common among advertising agencies and enterprise marketing teams. According to the announcement, MCC-level reporting enables analysis of channel performance across multiple campaigns simultaneously. This facilitates portfolio-level optimization decisions and budget allocation strategies based on aggregated channel data.

Performance Max adoption context

Performance Max campaigns serve over one million advertisers across Google's advertising network, according to data Google shared in 2025. The platform invested heavily in automated campaign capabilities throughout the year, introducing features like AI Max for Search campaigns and enhanced Performance Max controls in response to advertiser feedback.

The campaign type faces ongoing criticism regarding limited advertiser control compared to traditional campaign types. Digital marketing professionals have expressed concerns about Performance Max functioning as a "black box" where machine learning systems make targeting and placement decisions without full transparency into optimization logic. The channel reporting and other transparency features represent Google's response to these concerns.

Performance Max campaign setup workflow changes in September 2025 modified how advertisers create campaigns within Google Ads. The interface shifted from format-first selection to channel-based setup that defaults to Performance Max when advertisers select all available channels. This change generated discussion among marketing professionals about whether Google prioritizes Performance Max adoption through interface design rather than feature superiority.

The automated campaign type consolidated several previous formats including Smart Shopping campaigns, which converted to Performance Max in 2022. This consolidation reduced campaign type options while routing more advertising budgets through automated optimization systems. Google maintains that Performance Max delivers superior results through machine learning capabilities that optimize across channels simultaneously.

Why this matters for marketers

The Waze integration provides Performance Max campaigns access to navigation-based advertising inventory that targets consumers during active shopping journeys. This addresses a specific use case where consumers make purchase decisions while driving rather than during pre-trip research phases. The timing ahead of the 2025 holiday season positions the feature for peak retail traffic periods.

Channel performance reporting enhancements address transparency concerns that have accompanied Performance Max since its launch. Advertisers gain visibility into which specific channels drive campaign results, enabling more informed budget allocation and strategy decisions. The search partner addition fills a reporting gap for ads served beyond Google's owned properties.

Manager account access supports workflow requirements for agencies and enterprise advertisers managing Performance Max campaigns across multiple accounts. Portfolio-level analysis capabilities enable strategic decisions based on aggregated performance data rather than individual campaign reviews.

The updates reflect Google's ongoing balancing act between automated efficiency and advertiser control requirements. Performance Max automation delivers campaign management benefits by optimizing placement and bidding across channels simultaneously. However, this automation historically came with limited visibility into optimization decisions. The November enhancements expand transparency while maintaining automation benefits.

Waze inventory specifically targets local business advertising objectives where physical store visits represent primary conversion goals. The feature extends Performance Max reach to consumers actively navigating to destinations, creating advertising opportunities during high-intent moments when route decisions occur.

The November announcement follows extensive Performance Max updates throughout 2025, including search term reports added to Google Ads Editor 2.11 in November, campaign-level negative keyword lists that rolled out in January, and doubled search theme limits implemented in May. These features collectively address advertiser requests for greater control and visibility while maintaining the efficiency advantages of automated campaign management.

Timeline

• November 6, 2025 - Google announces Waze ads integration for Performance Max for store goals campaigns in U.S.
• November 6, 2025 - Channel performance reporting expands to all Performance Max campaigns with search partner metrics coming in following weeks
• November 2025 - Google Ads Editor 2.11 adds Performance Max search term reports
• September 2025 - Google modifies campaign setup flow to prioritize Performance Max as default option
• September 2025 - Bulk reporting, download capabilities, and segmentation features launch for channel performance reports
• August 2025 - Google announces completion of 2025 Performance Max feature rollouts including campaign-level negative keywords and expanded search themes
• May 2025 - Google doubles search themes limit from 25 to 50 per asset group
• April 2025 - Google unveils major transparency boost for Performance Max campaigns with channel performance reporting beta
• February 2025 - Google releases detailed Performance Max FAQ addressing transparency concerns
• 2026 (planned) - Waze inventory expansion to additional markets beyond United States

Summary

Who: Google announced updates affecting advertisers using Performance Max campaigns, with specific benefits for businesses running store goals campaigns and agencies managing campaigns through manager accounts. Teresa Chen, Director of Product Management for Local Ads, and Irem Erkaya, Senior Product Manager for Performance Max, posted the announcement.

What: Two primary updates to Performance Max campaigns: Waze ads inventory integration for Performance Max for store goals campaigns showing businesses as "Promoted Places in Navigation" pins on user maps, and expanded channel performance reporting that extends to all campaigns with upcoming search partner metrics and manager account access.

When: Announced November 6, 2025, with Waze ads immediately available for U.S. advertisers using Performance Max for store goals campaigns. Search partner reporting and manager account access roll out in coming weeks. International Waze expansion planned for 2026.

Where: Waze inventory currently available only for U.S. advertisers, with plans for additional markets in 2026. Channel performance reporting applies to all Performance Max campaigns globally. Ads appear as "Promoted Places in Navigation" pins on Waze navigation maps during user drives.

Why: Updates address advertiser feedback throughout 2025 regarding Performance Max transparency and reach. Waze integration targets consumers during active navigation and shopping journeys, particularly relevant for holiday shopping periods. Channel reporting expansion provides visibility into ad placement and performance across Google's network, addressing long-standing transparency concerns about automated campaign optimization. Features optimize for Store Visits, Store Sales, or Local Actions Directions for store goals campaigns while maintaining automated asset optimization.