There are rising concerns about Google’s lack of transparency regarding Performance Max campaigns. Google has confirmed that it purposely does not display channel-specific data because it could be “misleading.”
There has been much speculation online that Google is doing this to promote various automation features. As we know, Performance Max campaigns are sort of a black box. There are not many settings that you can control.
When users asked on Google Ads Help Center why is that here’s what a Google spokesperson replied:
“It intentionally doesn’t show channel-specific KPIs because looking at aggregate ROAS or CPA for a single channel within Performance Max can actually be misleading and doesn’t accurately represent the value of a given channel.”
And:
“One channel may seem better than another with stronger ROI on average. However, this doesn’t account for the marginal cost of the next conversion on that channel. The ‘best’ channel in one auction isn’t the best option in another auction.”
Let’s translate what it actually means.
We don’t want you to see channel-specific performance metrics, because you can get a wrong idea if you saw them. Leave it to us. We know better.
I don’t want to be a party pooper, but sorry if I want to see where my money goes and what generates revenue. I’m sure AI is great, but it’s not perfect. And I also know that whatever tools Google builds benefit Google, not advertisers.
It’s no surprise advertisers want a lot more transparency. Everyone, including me, would feel more comfortable seeing more data. I really hope that in the near future we will see more data available in the account to analyze Performance Max campaigns.