New Capabilities in Performance Max Campaigns – SEM News #2 January 2026

Sponsored ads appear directly in image search results, allowing users to see products while browsing images. This serves as an extension of your product campaign reach.

What does this mean for you?

• Ability to reach new audiences earlier in the purchase journey.
• Complementary use of available ad inventory alongside existing Shopping and Performance Max campaigns.
• More efficient use of ad budget through an additional user touchpoint.

Google is rolling out a new feature – the ability to exclude remarketing lists and Customer Match lists directly within Performance Max campaigns.

Source: Google Ads panel

What does this mean for you?

• You can more effectively target campaigns toward new customers, without retargeting audiences already familiar with your brand.
• You can use your budget more efficiently, increasing the potential for new conversions.
• It’s easier to maintain strategic consistency across different Google Ads campaigns.

Google is increasing the limit of video assets in a single Performance Max asset group – from the previous 5 to up to 15 videos.

Source: Google Ads panel

What does this mean for you?

The higher video limit provides greater flexibility in managing creatives and optimizing campaigns:

• more assets can be included in a single group, reducing the need to create additional groups,
• easier testing of different video variants and formats, which can improve the algorithm’s learning efficiency.