As part of the v23 Ads API launch, Performance Max campaigns can now be reported by channel, including Search, YouTube, Display, Discover, Gmail, Maps, and Search Partners. Previously, performance data was largely grouped into a single mixed category.
The change under the hood. Earlier API versions typically returned a MIXED value for the ad_network_type segment in Performance Max campaigns. With v23, those responses now break out into specific channel enums — a meaningful shift for reporting and optimization.
Why we care. Google Ads API v23 doesn’t just add features — it changes how advertisers understand Performance Max. The update introduces channel-level reporting, giving marketers long-requested visibility into where PMax ads actually run.
How advertisers can use it. Channel-level data is available at the campaign, asset group, and asset level, allowing teams to see how individual creatives perform across Google properties. When combined with v22 segments like ad_using_video and ad_using_product_data, advertisers can isolate results such as video performance on YouTube or Shopping ads on Search.
For developers. Upgrading to v23 will surface more detailed reporting than before. Reporting systems that relied on the legacy MIXED value will need to be updated to handle the new channel enums.
What to watch:
Channel data is only available for dates starting June 1, 2025.
Asset group–level channel reporting remains API-only and won’t appear in the Google Ads UI.
Bottom line. The latest Google Ads API release quietly delivers one of the biggest Performance Max updates yet — turning a black-box campaign type into something advertisers can finally analyze by channel.
Search marketing is still as powerful as ever. Google recently surpassed $100 billion in ad revenue in a single quarter, with more than half coming from search. But search alone can no longer deliver the same results most businesses expect.
As Google Ads Coach Jyll Saskin Gales showed at SMX Next, real performance now comes from going beyond traditional search and using it to strengthen a broader PPC strategy.
The challenge with traditional Search Marketing
As search marketers, we’re great at reaching people who are actively searching for what we sell. But we often miss people who fit our ideal audience and aren’t searching yet.
The real opportunity sits at the intersection of intent and audience fit.
Take the search [vacation packages]. That query could come from a family with young kids, a honeymooning couple, or a group of retirees. The keyword is the same, but each audience needs a different message and a different offer.
Understanding targeting capabilities in Google Ads
There are two main types of targeting:
Content targeting shows ads in specific places.
Audience targeting shows ads to specific types of people.
For example, targeting [flights to Paris] is content targeting. Targeting people who are “in-market for trips to Paris” is audience targeting. Google builds in-market audiences by analyzing behavior across multiple signals, including searches, browsing activity, and location.
The three types of content targeting
Keyword targeting: Reach people when they search on Google, including through dynamic ad groups and Performance Max.
Topic targeting: Show ads alongside content related to specific topics in display and video campaigns.
Placement targeting: Put ads on specific websites, apps, YouTube channels, or videos where your ideal customers already spend time.
The four types of audience targeting
Google’s data: Prebuilt segments include detailed demographics (such as parents of toddlers vs. teens), affinity segments (interests like vegetarianism), in-market segments (people actively researching purchases), and life events (graduating or retiring). Any advertiser can use these across most campaign types.
Your data: Target website visitors, app users, people who engaged with your Google content (YouTube viewers or search clickers), and customer lists through Customer Match. Note that remarketing is restricted for sensitive interest categories.
Custom segments: Turn content targeting into audience targeting by building segments based on what people search for, their interests, and the websites or apps they use. These go by different names depending on campaign type—“custom segments” in most campaigns and “custom search terms” in video campaigns.
Automated targeting: This includes optimized targeting (finding people similar to your converters), audience expansion in video campaigns, audience signals and search themes in Performance Max, and lookalike segments that model new users from your seed lists.
Building your targeting strategy
To build a modern targeting strategy, you need to answer two questions:
How can I sell my offer with Google Ads?
How can I reach a specific kind of person with Google Ads?
For example, to reach Google Ads practitioners for lead gen software, you could build custom segments that target people who use the Google Ads app, visit industry sites like searchengineland.com, or search for Google Ads–specific terms such as “Performance Max” or “Smart Bidding.”
You can also layer in content targeting, like YouTube placements on industry educator channels and topic targeting around search marketing.
Strategies for sensitive interest categories
If you work in a restricted category such as legal or healthcare and can’t use custom segments or remarketing, use non-linear targeting. Ignore the offer and focus on the audience. Choose any Google data audience with potential overlap, even if it’s imperfect, and let your creative do the filtering.
Use industry-specific jargon, abbreviations, and imagery that only your target audience will recognize and value. Everyone else will scroll past.
Remember: High CPCs aren’t the enemy
Low-quality traffic is the real problem. You’re better off paying $10 per click with a 10% conversion rate than $1 per click with a 0.02% conversion rate.
When evaluating targeting strategies, focus on conversion rate and cost per acquisition, not just cost per click.
Search alone can’t deliver the results you’re used to
By expanding beyond traditional search keywords and using content and audience targeting, you can reach the right people and keep driving strong results.
Watch: How to build a modern targeting strategy like a pro + Live Q&A
Google is experimenting with showing third-party endorsement content directly within Search ads.
The test places short endorsements from external publishers under the ad description, including the third party’s name, logo, and favicon.
What’s showing up. The test was first spotted by Sarah Blocksidge, Marketing Director at Sixth City Marketing, who shared a screenshot on Mastodon. In the example, a Search ad included the line “Best for Frequent Travelers,” attributed to PCMag, complete with the publication’s favicon.
The endorsement appears directly beneath the ad copy, visually separating it from standard advertiser-written text.
Why we care. If rolled out more broadly, the change could make Search ads feel more like product reviews — and potentially give advertisers with strong third-party validation a new advantage in crowded auctions.
What Google says. A Google Ads spokesperson confirmed the test, calling it “a small experiment” –
“This is a small experiment we are currently running that explores placing third-party endorsement content on Search ads.”
Google did not provide details on eligibility, sourcing, advertiser controls, or how endorsements are selected.
What we don’t know yet. It’s unclear whether advertisers can opt into the feature, request specific endorsements, or influence which third-party sources appear. Google also hasn’t said whether the test is tied to existing review extensions, publisher partnerships, or broader trust and safety initiatives.
What to watch. If Google expands the experiment, third-party credibility could become a more visible factor in ad performance — shifting emphasis from advertiser claims to external validation at the point of search.
For now, the test appears limited, but it offers a glimpse at how Google may continue blending ads, trust signals, and editorial-style context in search results.
Google released v23 of the Google Ads API, the first update of 2026. It marks the start of a faster release cadence.
What’s new. The update adds deeper Performance Max reporting, more granular invoicing, AI-powered audience tools, expanded campaign controls, and more:
Performance Max transparency: Ad network type breakdowns are now available for PMax campaigns.
More detailed invoices: Campaign-level costs, regulatory fees, and adjustments can be retrieved via InvoiceService.
More precise scheduling: Campaigns can now use start and end date-times instead of date-only fields.
Local data access: Store location details are available through PerStoreView, matching the Stores report.
New audience dimension: LIFE_EVENT_USER_INTEREST enables life-event-based audience building in Insights tools.
Smarter Demand Gen planning: Conversion rate forecasts now vary by surface (e.g., Gmail, Shorts).
Generative AI audiences: Free-text audience descriptions can be translated into structured audience attributes.
Expanded Shopping metrics: New competitive and conversion metrics are available by conversion date.
Why we care. A faster update cycle lets advertisers and developers access new capabilities sooner, especially as Google pushes deeper into automation, AI-driven planning, and cross-campaign visibility.
Plan for upgrades. Some updates require upgrading client libraries and code, so teams may need to plan development time to fully benefit from v23.
Welcome to the first full season of Ads Decoded, a podcast hosted by Ads Product Liaison Ginny Marvin to bring questions from advertisers straight to the people designin…
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