Performance Max 2026 Updates: New Controls & Features

Performance Max has been Google's flagship automated campaign type since 2021, but advertiser feedback has consistently centered on one theme: the need for more control and transparency. Google listened, and 2026 brings the most significant updates to PMax since its launch. These aren't incremental tweaks—they fundamentally change how advertisers can manage, optimize, and understand their Performance Max campaigns.

This guide covers every major 2026 update to Performance Max, from the long-awaited negative keyword support to comprehensive channel-level reporting. Whether you're already running PMax campaigns or considering migration from legacy campaign types, understanding these new controls and features is essential for maximizing your Google Ads performance.

The Evolution of Performance Max Controls

When Performance Max launched, it represented a bold bet on automation. Google asked advertisers to trust its AI to allocate budget across Search, Shopping, Display, YouTube, Discover, Gmail, and Maps—with minimal visibility into how those decisions were made. Early adopters accepted this tradeoff in exchange for simplified campaign management and AI-driven optimization, but the lack of control created real challenges for sophisticated advertisers.

The original PMax offered almost no negative keyword capability, limited reporting on where ads appeared, and minimal insight into which assets drove performance. Advertisers couldn't exclude competitor brand terms, couldn't see channel-level spend allocation, and couldn't identify which creative combinations performed best. For brands with specific requirements around brand safety, competitive positioning, or creative optimization, these limitations were significant.

Google's 2026 updates address nearly every major concern. The new features don't eliminate automation—PMax still handles the complex work of cross-channel optimization—but they give advertisers the tools to guide that automation more effectively. Think of it as moving from autopilot to assisted driving: the AI still does the heavy lifting, but you have much more control over the destination and route.

New Brand Controls and Exclusions

Brand control has been one of the most requested features since PMax launched. Advertisers wanted to prevent their ads from appearing alongside competitor content, exclude certain brands from triggering their Shopping ads, and maintain consistent brand presentation across channels. The 2026 updates deliver comprehensive brand control capabilities that address all these needs.

The new Brand Exclusions feature lets you specify brands you want to exclude from your campaigns. This works across all PMax placements: your Shopping ads won't appear for searches including excluded brand names, your Display ads won't show on competitor websites, and your YouTube ads won't run before or after competitor content. For competitive industries where brand association matters, this control is transformative.

Brand control capabilities in 2026

• Brand exclusions: Prevent ads from appearing for competitor brand searches or alongside competitor content
• Brand term controls: Choose whether your own brand terms trigger PMax ads or remain in dedicated Search campaigns
• Placement exclusions: Block specific websites, YouTube channels, and apps from your Display and Video placements
• Content suitability: Set inventory type preferences (expanded, standard, or limited) for brand safety
• Category exclusions: Exclude sensitive content categories across Display and YouTube inventory

The brand term control is particularly valuable for advertisers running both PMax and dedicated Search campaigns. Previously, PMax would often capture brand traffic that you wanted handled by your high-converting brand Search campaigns. Now you can explicitly tell PMax to avoid your brand terms, ensuring that traffic flows to your preferred campaigns while PMax focuses on prospecting and non-brand acquisition.

Channel-Level Performance Reporting

Understanding where your budget goes has been one of the biggest PMax pain points. The campaign optimizes across seven distinct channels, but advertisers couldn't see how much was spent on each or which channels drove results. The 2026 channel-level reporting changes this completely, providing granular visibility into performance by network.

The new Channel Insights report breaks down your PMax performance across Search, Shopping, Display, YouTube, Discover, Gmail, and Maps. For each channel, you can see impressions, clicks, cost, conversions, and conversion value. This data helps you understand your campaign's actual media mix and identify which channels deliver your best returns.

Channel reporting metrics available

While you still can't manually allocate budget to specific channels—that remains under AI control—the visibility helps you optimize other campaign elements. If YouTube drives strong performance, you might invest more in video assets. If Display shows poor results, you can add placement exclusions or adjust your audience signals. The data enables informed decisions even within an automated framework.

Full Negative Keyword Support

The most celebrated 2026 update is comprehensive negative keyword support for Performance Max. Since launch, advertisers have been frustrated by PMax showing ads for irrelevant searches with no way to prevent it. Account-level negative keywords helped somewhat, but campaign-level control was absent. That changes completely in 2026.

You can now add negative keywords directly to Performance Max campaigns, just like Search and Shopping campaigns. These negatives prevent your ads from showing on unwanted searches across both the Search and Shopping networks. Combined with the new search term reporting (discussed below), you have a complete workflow for query management within PMax.

Negative keyword implementation in PMax

• Campaign-level negatives: Add negative keywords that apply only to specific PMax campaigns
• Account-level negatives: Continue using account-level negative keyword lists across all campaigns
• Negative keyword lists: Apply shared negative lists to multiple PMax campaigns simultaneously
• Match types: Support for broad match, phrase match, and exact match negative keywords
• Search term integration: Add negatives directly from the search terms report with one click

The practical impact is substantial. E-commerce advertisers can finally exclude informational searches that don't convert. Service businesses can block competitor name searches. B2B advertisers can eliminate consumer-intent queries. The negative keyword capability brings PMax in line with the control advertisers have long enjoyed in Search campaigns.

To maximize the value of negative keywords in PMax, start by reviewing your search terms report (newly available in 2026) and identify queries with high spend but low conversion rates. Add these as negatives, then monitor performance weekly. Building a robust negative keyword list is an ongoing process—plan to review and update regularly as the AI finds new query variations. For more strategies, see our Negative Keywords Guide.

Enhanced Search Terms Reporting

Negative keywords are only valuable if you can identify which queries need blocking. The 2026 updates include dramatically improved search term visibility for Performance Max. While still not as comprehensive as standard Search campaign reporting, you now have much better insight into what searches trigger your PMax ads.

The new search terms report shows queries grouped by theme and intent, along with performance metrics for each group. You can see which query categories drive conversions, which waste budget, and which represent new opportunities. The report also highlights queries that match your search themes versus those the AI selected independently.

Search terms report features

• Query themes: Searches grouped by topic and intent for easier analysis
• Performance metrics: Impressions, clicks, cost, and conversions for each query theme
• Theme matching: Visibility into which queries matched your defined search themes
• Negative suggestions: AI-recommended queries to consider blocking based on poor performance
• Opportunity queries: High-performing queries that could inform new search themes or campaigns

The search terms report integrates directly with negative keyword management. You can select underperforming queries and add them as negatives with a single click, streamlining what was previously a manual export-and-import process. This workflow improvement alone saves significant time for advertisers actively optimizing their PMax campaigns.

Asset-Level Reporting Improvements

Understanding creative performance has been challenging in PMax. The previous asset reporting showed only broad ratings (Best, Good, Low) without specific metrics. You couldn't tell whether a "Best" headline was driving massive volume or just marginally outperforming others. The 2026 updates bring granular asset-level metrics that enable true creative optimization.

Each asset now shows individual performance data: impressions, clicks, click-through rate, and conversion contribution. You can see exactly how often each headline, description, image, and video appears and how it performs relative to other assets. This data supports data-driven creative decisions rather than guessing based on vague ratings.

Asset performance metrics

The new Asset Combinations report reveals which asset pairings perform best together. You might discover that a specific headline combined with a particular image drives 40% higher conversion rates than other combinations. This insight helps you create more winning assets by understanding what resonates with your audience across multiple creative elements.

For more advanced creative strategies using these insights alongside Google's AI generation tools, explore our guide to Google Ads AI Creative Tools.

Search Themes Enhancements

Search themes help guide PMax's Search and Shopping targeting by telling the AI what topics and queries are relevant to your business. The 2026 updates make search themes significantly more powerful and transparent, with better query matching, AI-powered suggestions, and integration with the new negative keyword and search terms features.

The enhanced search themes now show query matching transparency—you can see exactly which searches matched each theme and how well they performed. This visibility helps you refine themes over time, removing ones that attract irrelevant traffic and expanding ones that drive conversions. The feedback loop between themes and performance is now direct and actionable.

Search themes improvements

• Query matching transparency: See which searches matched each theme and their performance
• AI-powered suggestions: Get theme recommendations based on your landing pages and conversion data
• Confidence scoring: View AI confidence levels for theme relevance to help prioritize optimization
• Negative theme integration: Exclude specific themes to prevent unwanted query matching
• Theme performance metrics: Track impressions, clicks, and conversions attributed to each theme

The AI-powered theme suggestions analyze your landing page content, existing conversion data, and industry patterns to recommend themes you might be missing. Early testing shows these suggestions often identify valuable query territories that advertisers overlooked. The suggestions include estimated volume and relevance scores to help you prioritize which to add.

New Automation Features

While much of the 2026 focus is on control and transparency, Google also introduced new automation capabilities that enhance PMax performance for advertisers willing to leverage them. These features build on the existing AI foundation while offering more sophisticated optimization for specific use cases.

Predictive audience signals represent the most significant automation upgrade. PMax now uses predictive modeling to identify users likely to convert based on behavioral patterns, even before they show explicit purchase intent. This prospecting capability helps find customers earlier in their journey, potentially reducing acquisition costs by reaching users before competitors.

New automation capabilities

• Predictive audience signals: AI identifies high-intent users before explicit signals, enabling earlier engagement
• Dynamic budget optimization: Automatic budget shifts between asset groups based on real-time performance
• Cross-campaign learning: Insights from other campaigns inform PMax optimization for faster learning
• Automated asset enhancement: AI-generated variations of your assets tested automatically
• Seasonality prediction: Proactive budget and bid adjustments based on predicted demand patterns

The automated asset enhancement feature deserves special attention. When enabled, Google's AI generates variations of your headlines, descriptions, and images to test alongside your original assets. You maintain approval control—AI-generated content is flagged in reporting and can be disabled if it doesn't meet brand standards. But for advertisers comfortable with AI assistance, this feature dramatically increases creative testing velocity.

Comparison: PMax 2025 vs 2026

The scope of changes between 2025 and 2026 Performance Max versions is substantial. Understanding these differences helps you identify which new features offer the most value for your specific advertising needs and prioritize your implementation accordingly.

Migration Recommendations

If you're running legacy campaign types or older PMax configurations, the 2026 updates provide compelling reasons to migrate or update your approach. The new controls address most historical objections to Performance Max, making it suitable for a broader range of advertisers and use cases than before.

For advertisers still on Smart Shopping or legacy campaign types, migration to 2026 PMax should be a priority. The combination of automation benefits and new controls offers the best of both worlds. Start with a structured migration that allows performance comparison—run parallel campaigns for 4-6 weeks before fully transitioning.

Migration roadmap

1. Audit current state (Week 1): Document existing campaign structure, performance baselines, and negative keyword lists
2. Configure controls (Week 2): Set up brand exclusions, negative keywords, and search themes in new PMax campaigns
3. Launch parallel test (Week 3-4): Run new PMax alongside existing campaigns with 30-40% of budget
4. Analyze and optimize (Week 5-6): Review channel reports, add negatives based on search terms, refine themes
5. Scale transition (Week 7-10): Gradually shift budget to PMax as performance validates
6. Complete migration (Week 11-12): Pause legacy campaigns, maintain monitoring cadence

For existing PMax advertisers, the update process is simpler but still requires active management. Enable the new features systematically: start with negative keywords and brand exclusions for immediate impact, then use the new reporting to guide ongoing optimization. The enhanced transparency means you should review performance more frequently—weekly analysis is recommended during the transition period.

For a complete foundation in Performance Max strategy, review our comprehensivePerformance Max Complete Guide before implementing the 2026 features.

Best Practices for 2026 PMax Success

The new features are only valuable if implemented strategically. Based on early adopter experiences and Google's own recommendations, the following best practices help maximize the value of 2026 Performance Max updates.

Implementation best practices

• Start with negatives: Build a comprehensive negative keyword list before launching—preventing waste is easier than recovering from it
• Configure brand controls early: Set brand exclusions and content suitability preferences as part of initial campaign setup
• Review channels weekly: Use channel reporting to identify optimization opportunities and inform asset strategy
• Iterate on search themes: Treat themes as an ongoing optimization lever, not a set-it-and-forget-it configuration
• Test asset variations: Use asset-level reporting to identify winning creative patterns and create more of what works
• Enable predictive features cautiously: Test new automation features on a portion of campaigns before full rollout

Conversion tracking accuracy becomes even more important with the enhanced PMax features. The AI relies on conversion data to optimize across channels, and inaccurate tracking leads to suboptimal budget allocation. Before implementing 2026 features, ensure your conversion tracking is complete and accurate. Our Conversion Tracking Guide covers the technical requirements.

Integration with AI Max for Search

Google's 2026 product lineup includes AI Max for Search alongside the PMax updates. Understanding how these products work together—and when to use each—is essential for building an effective Google Ads strategy. The two campaign types serve different purposes but can complement each other powerfully.

Performance Max remains the best choice for cross-channel campaigns where you want AI to optimize across all Google inventory. AI Max for Search focuses specifically on Search campaigns with AI-enhanced query matching, bid optimization, and ad customization. For advertisers wanting maximum Search control, AI Max for Search offers more granular management while still leveraging AI capabilities.

Many advertisers will run both: PMax for broad prospecting and remarketing across all channels, AI Max for Search for high-value Search queries where control matters most. The brand term controls in 2026 PMax make this combination more practical—you can confidently keep brand traffic in dedicated Search campaigns while PMax handles the rest.

Learn more about Search-specific AI features in our guide toAI Max for Search Campaigns 2026.

Looking Ahead: PMax Roadmap

Google has signaled continued investment in Performance Max with several features expected in late 2026 and 2027. While not yet confirmed, patterns suggest likely developments that advertisers should prepare for.

Channel-level budget guidance seems probable—not full manual allocation, but the ability to set minimum or maximum spend percentages per channel. This would let advertisers ensure YouTube gets at least 20% of budget or cap Display at 30%, for example. Such controls would address remaining concerns about budget allocation without eliminating AI optimization benefits.

Enhanced cross-account learning is another likely development. Google is clearly investing in AI that learns from aggregated advertiser data while maintaining privacy. Future PMax versions may offer faster optimization by applying insights from similar advertisers in your vertical, reducing the learning period for new campaigns.

The 2026 updates represent a maturation of Performance Max from a black-box automation tool to a sophisticated AI-assisted advertising platform. The new controls and transparency features make PMax suitable for demanding advertisers who previously avoided it due to lack of visibility. For those willing to invest in proper setup and ongoing optimization, 2026 PMax offers compelling performance potential with unprecedented control.

Ready to implement these features? Start with ourPerformance Max Complete Guide for foundational setup, then explore AI Max for Search for complementary Search campaign strategies, or dive intoGoogle Ads AI Creative Tools to maximize your asset performance.