You might’ve heard the news that Google’s Performance Max campaigns are levelling up once again, introducing new features that pledge to transform how advertisers achieve their goals in 2025 whilst giving them more control, transparency, and creative capabilities than ever before.
As people who spend a lot of time working on Google Ads campaigns for our clients, we are actually excited about these Performance Max updates. So, we thought we’d do our readers a solid by explaining what they should know and why it matters to performance.
So let’s get into it, shall we?
Google Performance Max 2025 Updates – Features & Benefits
Expanded Campaign Controls
The Google Overlords are rolling out several new features to provide advertisers with greater command and control over their campaigns, including:
Campaign-Level Negative Keywords: This feature, previously in beta, allows advertisers to exclude specific queries to maintain brand suitability. It’s now being made available to all advertisers.
High-Value Customer Acquisition Goals: This new mode enables businesses to define high-value customers through Customer Match. Google’s AI will then prioritise acquiring users likely to maximise lifetime value, with detailed reporting at the campaign level.
Brand Exclusions for Retailers: Retail advertisers with product feeds can now apply brand exclusions specifically to Search text ads while retaining branded traffic for Shopping ads, allowing for more nuanced campaign management.
“URL Contains” Rules: Expanding to Performance Max campaigns with product feeds; this feature lets advertisers target traffic based on specific URL patterns, enhancing targeting precision.
Demographic and Device Targeting: New betas for age-based demographic exclusions and device targeting allow for more customised audience engagement. Advertisers can exclude specific age brackets or target users based on their devices, such as computers, mobiles, or tablets.
Enhanced Search Reporting
To provide deeper insights into campaign performance, Google is introducing:
Search Themes Usefulness Indicator: This tool helps advertisers understand the effectiveness of their search themes in driving incremental traffic and offers guidance on optimisation opportunities.
Search Terms Insights Source Column: A new column in search terms insights reveals whether queries are originating from Performance Max’s keyword-less targeting or from added search themes, providing clarity on traffic sources.
Improved Asset Group Reporting
Google is enhancing asset group reporting by enabling advertisers to:
Segment and Download Performance Data: Advertisers can now break down results more granularly, viewing conversions by device, time, and other factors. This data is also downloadable, facilitating deeper analysis and informed decision-making.
What’s in it for UK Advertisers
These updates are particularly beneficial for UK businesses aiming to refine their digital advertising strategies:
Precision Targeting: With enhanced demographic and device targeting, UK advertisers can tailor campaigns to specific audience segments, ensuring messages resonate with the intended demographic.
Optimised Customer Acquisition: The high-value customer acquisition goals feature allows businesses to focus on attracting customers who offer the greatest long-term value, maximising return on investment.
In-Depth Performance Insights: Improved reporting tools provide UK advertisers with a clearer understanding of campaign performance, enabling data-driven adjustments to enhance outcomes.
Next Steps for Advertisers
To maximise the power of these new features, we recommend the following steps:
- Review Current Campaigns: Assess existing Performance Max campaigns to identify areas where new controls can be applied for improved targeting and efficiency.
- Utilise Enhanced Reporting: Use the new reporting tools to gain insights into search performance and asset effectiveness, which will inform strategic adjustments.
- Participate in Betas: If applicable, engage in the new betas for demographic exclusions and device targeting to further refine audience reach.
These Performance Max updates are a significant step forward for advertisers, offering greater control, transparency, and insights. With features like campaign-level negative keywords, high-value customer acquisition goals, and improved reporting tools, businesses can now fine-tune their targeting and optimise campaigns precisely if they have the know-how.
These updates empower advertisers to focus on what truly drives results: reaching the right audience, delivering personalised experiences, and maximising ROI.
Far from being a challenge, these updates are an opportunity for online businesses to refine their strategy, stay ahead of the competition, and achieve even better results in 2025 – and beyond.
We understand that any Google update or change can feel a little daunting, especially when it impacts your digital advertising strategy during precarious times, where budget optimisation and ROI are absolutely paramount. It doesn’t help that, generally speaking, everyone loses their minds whenever one is announced.
But it’s not actually that scary if you have a trusted partner working with you. We’ve successfully guided clients through similar transitions in the past across both SEO and Ads, helping them adapt to change and achieve exceptional results along the way.
With these latest Google Performance Max updates, we’re here to ensure our clients seize the power and insights on offer to gain a competitive edge.
Sound good?
Talk to us today about your Google Ads goals and targets, and we’ll show you how we can help drive better performance and results for your business, as well as why the likes of Mallet London trust us with their global Ads campaigns.