For years, Google’s Performance Max (PMax) campaigns have offered powerful automation, but with one major frustration for advertisers: limited visibility into the actual search terms driving traffic. Around April 2025, Google began rolling out search term insights to a small subset of accounts. At the time, availability was inconsistent and unpredictable, with most of its attention given to million-dollar advertisers, leaving many marketers unsure when full visibility would be available.
Recently, we’ve seen Google significantly expand access to search term reporting across Performance Max campaigns. Even accounts spending as little as $50 per day can now view detailed search-term data that was previously hidden. This marks a major step toward improved transparency and greater control for advertisers leveraging Performance Max.
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Where to Find Search Term Visibility Data
Inside Google Ads, navigate to the Search Terms report. You’ll now be able to select a Performance Max campaign and view a list of search terms that triggered your ads in Google Search. This insight allows advertisers to finally understand how Google’s automation matches campaigns to real user search queries.
What You Can Do With This Information
With visibility comes more control. Advertisers can now:
- Identify irrelevant or brand-damaging search queries
- Monitor alignment between Google’s automation and strategic objectives
- Better understand audience behavior and campaign reach
Most importantly, you can now add negative keywords to Performance Max campaigns without sending spreadsheets to Google and requesting permission. This allows advertisers to fine-tune targeting without dismantling Performance Max’s automated structure. However, you still cannot add negative keywords at the Asset Group level.
Another note: advertisers still cannot add or manage individual keywords within Performance Max. Keywords remain fully dynamic, and Google’s AI continues to determine which queries campaigns match products and website landing pages.
Important Limitations to Know
While this is a welcome advancement for those of us who love effective marketing tactics, there are still boundaries to keep in mind:
- Search term data is not yet supported in automated reporting scripts. For now, meaningful analysis will need to be completed manually.
- Data visibility may still evolve as Google refines functionality.
- Expect continued constraints compared to traditional Search campaigns.
Negatives in Performance Max Campaigns? Think Strategically
Greater control is exciting, but it also comes with responsibility, especially when it comes to negative keywords. Google’s AI sometimes allows lower-performing terms to run because they can indirectly support higher-value conversions by learning and identifying audiences. Over-applying negatives could unintentionally restrict performance.
Only deploy a negative keyword if the search query:
- Is completely irrelevant to your business offerings.
- Holds absolutely no realistic conversion value.
- Directly conflicts with your brand compliance or positioning.
- Rakes up ad spend costs that completely outweigh the benefits.
Thoughtful management will help advertisers shape Performance Max behavior without interfering with the system’s ability to optimize.
Need Help Making the Most of It?
When used correctly, this update has the potential to significantly improve the efficiency and strategic value of Performance Max campaigns. If you’re unsure how to leverage this new visibility or want expert guidance, the Brandography paid search team can help you audit your PMax data, strategically deploy negative keyword lists, and maximize your digital advertising ROI.
Get in touch with our Brandography team to learn more!
Performance Max Search Terms FAQs
Who actually has access to these new PMax search term insights?
All advertisers now have access. When Google first began testing search term insights, availability was erratic and heavily skewed toward massive, million-dollar accounts. Now, the rollout has expanded significantly; even small- to midsize accounts spending as little as $50 per day can view this detailed data
How do I find the new Performance Max search term data in Google Ads?
You can find this data inside your standard Google Ads dashboard:
- Navigate to the Insights and reports > Search terms report.
- Select your active Performance Max campaign from your campaign list dropdown.
- View the real-time list of search queries that triggered your search and shopping ads.
Does this update allow me to add and target individual keywords in PMax?
No, you can’t add and target individual keywords; keywords remain fully dynamic.
