In Performance Max campaigns you cannot choose which channels you want to appear on. In some accounts, it is possible to choose the value you assign to conversions from each channel, as this feature is currently in alpha phase. It is expected to be available across all accounts in the coming months.
How it works: Displays text ads or product listings (Shopping) directly on the search engine when a user searches for terms related to your business.
Formats: Dynamic text ads, assets/headlines, and product listings from Google Merchant Center.
Funnel role: Captures direct purchase intent (bottom of the funnel).
Also available in Search campaigns for text ads and Standard Shopping for product listings.
How it works: Places visual banners across millions of websites and apps associated with the Google network.
Formats: Responsive display ads with rectangular, square, and vertical images targeted at remarketing or visual prospecting.
Funnel role: Brand awareness and re-engaging users who previously visited the website.
Also available in Demand Gen and Display campaigns.
How it works: Displays video assets before, during, or alongside content, as well as placements within the Shorts feed.
Formats: Skippable In-Stream videos, contextual ads, and vertical formats tailored for mobile devices.
Funnel role: Demand generation, consideration, and driving action through storytelling.
Also available in Demand Gen and Video campaigns.
How it works: Reaches users on the personalized Google app feed on Android and iOS mobile devices, based on their recent interests.
Formats: Engaging image cards with short text natively integrated among suggested news stories.
Funnel role: Passive discovery and capturing premium interest. Performance often declines if assets are not very persuasive.
Also available in Demand Gen campaigns.
How it works: Displays personalized ads directly within users' "Promotions" and "Social" tabs.
Formats: Expandable ads featuring images, product catalogs, and direct calls to action.
Funnel role: Direct response right inside the user's inbox.
Also available in Demand Gen campaigns.
How it works: Highlights your business location when users search for nearby products, services, or directions.
Formats: Promoted pins and highlighted results in local searches. Funnel role: Local conversions and physical store visits.
Also available in Demand Gen campaigns.
Very residual channels:
How it works in PMax: When your customers search for relevant terms on these external sites, PMax automatically serves text ads and product listings (Shopping). Why it matters: Expands the reach of your Traditional Search without limiting presence solely to the main Google page, capturing users with high commercial intent across other corners of the web. They usually underperform; it is recommended to disable them in Search campaigns and in PMax if permitted (not always possible).
8. Google TV and Connected TV The ecosystem for screen viewing, encompassing the YouTube app on Smart TVs, Chromecast devices, Android TV, and the Google TV interface.
How it works in PMax: If you upload video assets to your asset group, PMax optimizes and distributes those landscape videos to show as skippable or non-skippable ads while the user consumes content on their TV at home. Why it matters: Gives your brand massive visual impact similar to a "TV commercial", but with the targeting, measurement, and smart bidding capabilities offered by the Google Ads algorithm.
9. Cross-Network (in GA4) It is not a physical ad channel in itself, but rather an analytical concept / attribution metric. It is how Google Analytics 4 (GA4) labels and groups traffic coming from automated multi-channel campaigns like Performance Max or Demand Gen.
10. Google Owned & Operated Channels: These are all the platforms, websites, and applications directly owned by Alphabet / Google. Unlike the Display Network (which includes third-party external websites) or Search Partners (third-party search engines), O&O channels are exclusively owned by Google.
If you want to see the channel distribution of your PMax campaigns and analyze the performance of different KPIs, you can review it in a more comprehensive and visual way in your PMax report under the Channels section, and for eCommerce businesses, under the Channels subsection in the Products area.
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