Big update from Google: Performance Max campaigns now include actual search term visibility, and yes, you can finally add negative keywords straight from the Search Terms report. This is something advertisers have been asking for since PMax launched, and now it’s officially rolling out.

Via Hana Kobzová

If you’ve ever run a PMax campaign, you know the pain of having to blindly trust that Google knows what it’s doing. You’d get conversions but have no idea which search queries triggered them. That’s over now. With this change, we’re getting more control, less guesswork, and better optimization tools right where they should be.

What’s Happening?

Google is rolling out two major improvements to Performance Max:

• Search terms now show up in the regular Search Terms report: You can finally see what people are actually searching when your PMax ads show.
• Negative keywords can be added directly from that report: No more jumping through hoops, just find the junk terms and block them right away.
• These changes tie into the account-level negative keywords update: Together, they make PMax feel less like a black box and more like a real campaign type you can control.

This is one of the most useful updates we’ve seen for PMax in a long time.

How It Affects Your Campaigns

This is a major win for brands that want more insight and more control without giving up automation.

• Better targeting = better performance: With more visibility, you can cut waste faster and get your budget in front of higher-quality searches.
• More efficient spend: No more wasting money on irrelevant queries that never convert.
• Smarter testing and scaling: You’ll be able to make informed decisions on what to block and what to lean into, no more flying blind.
• Confidence boost: For everyone who’s been hesitant to scale PMax because of its “black box” reputation, this helps a lot.

The TLDR: This gives you the levers we’ve all been asking for.

What You Should Do Next

If you’re running or even considering PMax campaigns, this is your sign to lean in, but do it smart.

1. Start pulling Search Terms reports now: Get a feel for what’s been driving your results, and what’s been burning your budget.
2. Use negative keywords strategically: Don’t just block stuff to block it. Use this to refine, not restrict.
3. Reassess your current campaign structure: Now that we have more data, you might be able to consolidate or scale more aggressively.
4. Watch performance trends closely: Check what happens after you start excluding terms—conversion rates and ROAS should improve.

Google’s finally giving us real tools to clean up PMax, and it’s about time. This update makes it way easier to manage campaigns, cut wasted spend, and actually understand what’s driving performance.

If you’re not already taking advantage of this, or aren’t sure how to use it strategically, let’s talk. We’ll help you clean up your search terms, get more from your budget, and actually make PMax work like it should.