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Drill into a campaign

When you click a campaign name on the dashboard table or the All campaigns page, the campaign view opens. It shows the same KPIs as the dashboard, but for that single campaign. It also adds tabs to drill into the campaign's sub-entities.

The tab set depends on the campaign type. Performance Max campaigns have their own tabs. Search, Display, Smart, and other campaigns share one tab set.

Drilldown pages are read-only and free. You cannot add a negative keyword, pause a keyword, or edit an ad on these pages. To act on what you find, ask Hero AI. Hero AI shows each change on an approval card. You can also turn on an automation, for example Block wasting search terms.

Search and other campaigns​

A Search, Display, Smart, or other campaign that is not Performance Max shows four tabs:

  • Ad groups. Every ad group in the campaign with its own row of metrics. Click an ad group name to drill in.
  • Ads. Every ad that the campaign serves. By default, the table shows all ads. Use the Ad group filter at the top to narrow to one ad group.
  • Keywords. Every keyword the campaign bids on. Each row shows match type and quality score (a value from 1 to 10, for example 7/10). Filter by ad group.
  • Search terms. The actual user queries that triggered your ads. This is the most useful view when you look for negative keyword candidates. Filter by ad group. To add a search term as a negative keyword, ask Hero AI. Or turn on the Block wasting search terms automation.

Drill into an ad group​

From the Ad groups tab, click an ad group name. A separate ad group view opens. It has its own KPI cards at the top, and three tabs below: Ads, Keywords, and Search terms. All three are for that ad group.

Drill into an ad​

From the Ads tab (at either level), click an ad name. For a responsive search ad, the ad detail page shows the ad's headlines, descriptions, pins, final URL, display path, ad strength, and approval status. It also shows the ad's own performance over the selected date range. For a responsive display ad, the page shows the business name, long headline, and call to action. Other ad types show "Detailed creative not available for this ad type."

Performance Max campaigns​

Performance Max has a different set of sub-entities, so the tabs change:

  • Asset groups. Each asset group in the campaign with cost, conversions, conversion value, and ad strength. Click a group name to drill in.
  • Assets. Every asset (headline, description, image, video, business name) the campaign uses. Two filters sit at the top. Asset group narrows to one asset group. Field type narrows to one role, for example Headline, Marketing image, or Long headline.
  • Search terms. Performance Max does not show individual queries the way Search does. Instead, Google groups search interest into categories. It reports the volume range and conversion data for each category. Each row is one category.
  • Placements. Where ads ran, across YouTube, Display partners, and other surfaces. Google reports only impressions here, not cost or clicks. Click the external link icon to open the placement URL in a new tab.
  • Network breakdown. Cost, clicks, and conversions by network: Search, Search partners, Display, YouTube, YouTube search, YouTube watch, and Mixed.

Drill into an asset group​

From the Asset groups tab, click an asset group name. The asset group view shows KPI cards for that group. It also shows the Assets table, filtered to this group's assets. Use the Field type filter to narrow further.

Image assets​

When a row is an image asset, put the pointer on the asset name to see a preview of the image. Click the name to open the full-size image in a new browser tab. Text assets (headlines, descriptions, business name) and video assets show their text in the name column, with no preview.

Filters carry across the drilldown​

The date range, comparison setting, and active Google Ads account all carry through automatically. If you change the date range three levels deep, every parent page shows the new range when you go back.

Some filter selections stay in the URL, for example the ad group filter and the field type filter. They stay when you switch tabs or use the browser back button. They reset when you leave the drilldown.

Period comparison​

If comparison is on at the dashboard (Previous period or Previous year), the comparison data shows everywhere in the drilldown:

  • KPI cards. Each card shows the previous value and the percentage change below the current value. Color shows the tone. Green means the metric moved in the direction you want for its kind (impressions up, cost down). Red means it moved the other way.
  • Table rows. Every metric column shows the previous value and the percentage change below the current number.

There are two exceptions. PMax search term insights and PMax placements do not show comparison data. The categories below them change between periods, so a one-to-one comparison can mislead.

Every drilldown page has a breadcrumb at the top, for example Campaigns > Campaign name > Ad group name. Click any segment to go back to that level.

The browser back button also works.

When data is missing​

A few cases to expect:

  • No ad groups, ads, keywords, or search terms. The campaign might not have run in the selected date range, or it might be paused. Make the range wider.
  • No PMax search term insights. Google shows insights only after a campaign gets enough traffic. New PMax campaigns often show nothing here for several weeks.
  • No PMax placements. This is the same case. Placements appear after Google's automation spends enough across surfaces to have data worth reporting.

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