Google AdsThe channel report answers an important question: where did this Performance Max campaign serve, and what outcomes were attributed there? A channel breakdown still needs context before it becomes a reason to change the campaign.
Use this workflow to produce a short review with an identified problem, evidence and next action. Download the channel review worksheet. All numbers below are an invented example for explaining the review, not an advertiser case study.
Open the report and record the view
Google's channel performance guide locates the report under Campaigns, then Insights and reports, then Channel performance. Its views include a campaign summary, channel breakdowns and diagnostics. The report can be segmented by formats such as ads using product data or video.
Record the campaign, date range, conversion action, attribution settings and selected segments. Keep those fields with your export. Two reviewers can get different answers from the same campaign if one looks at purchase value and the other looks at all lead and engagement outcomes.
In particular, check the distinction between the report's “Conversions” and “Results” views. Google's documentation explains their different goal coverage. Do not silently combine them into a single comparison.
Reconcile the total before interpreting the parts
Suppose an export contains the following simplified values. For this exercise, all rows use the same purchase definition and the same date range. Conversion value is attributed revenue, not profit.
| Channel | Cost | Attributed purchase value | Value divided by cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search | $600 | $2,400 | 4.00 |
| YouTube | $250 | $500 | 2.00 |
| Display | $150 | $300 | 2.00 |
| Total | $1,000 | $3,200 | 3.20 |
The campaign ratio is $3,200 divided by $1,000. It is not the unweighted average of 4, 2 and 2. Reproduce the arithmetic with the ROAS calculator, then inspect whether product costs, refunds and fees change the business interpretation using the break-even guide.
If the rows do not reconcile to your campaign view, first compare filters, date ranges and conversion columns. Preserve the mismatch as an open question instead of adjusting an export until it looks consistent.
Check diagnostics before requesting a different mix
When a channel has little or no spend, inspect its status and any diagnostic message. The official report exposes issues such as missing assets or feed problems. A missing requirement is a concrete item to investigate; a quiet channel by itself does not establish a technical failure.
Write the issue in the worksheet with an owner and evidence. For example: “the selected asset group has no approved usable video; creative owner to confirm the relevant diagnostic and prepare an asset.” Do not turn that into “YouTube will receive a specific percentage of next week's budget.”
The same documentation says channel budget is allocated by Performance Max rather than directly assigned through this report. Treat the report as a review surface. The supported campaign controls and their consequences must be checked separately.
Ask what the ratio cannot answer
The example shows a higher attributed ratio for Search. It does not demonstrate what would happen if the entire budget moved there, or which customers would have purchased without advertising. Those are counterfactual questions that this descriptive table does not answer.
Write alternative explanations before making a recommendation. A change in the mix of returning customers, conversion lag or a changed offer can alter the reported ratio. Different interaction types and attribution settings can also affect what a comparison means. Keep these as hypotheses until you obtain evidence.
If the team wants a causal answer, define a suitable experiment with its owner and measurement plan. If it simply needs to fix a broken feed, the next action can be operational and much smaller. The creative testing budget workflow is useful for planning resources, but it does not supply an incrementality design.
Finish with one reviewable action
End the review with the observed issue, the intended change, what will remain comparable, who approves it and when you will check again. Attach the export and any diagnostics. A useful note might request a missing asset and schedule a later review, while explicitly leaving the budget decision open.
Bring that evidence to the campaign owner or a supported AdRails campaign review. Avoid promising a platform outcome from a spreadsheet calculation. The worksheet makes the recommendation inspectable; the account's actual reporting determines what happened afterward.
Source checked October 14, 2026. Interface availability and labels should be verified in the account being reviewed.