# See where Performance Max actually serves

> Tier: recipe. Operating recipe: real tool sequence, core rules, known traps.

PMax placement data read for the spend map: Search-like, Shopping, Display, YouTube shares.

**Intent.** The placement distribution PMax does not volunteer.

## When to use

- Monthly on PMax-heavy accounts.
- When brand teams ask where the ads appear.

## When not to use

- Expecting completeness: PMax placement reporting is partial by design, and the readout says so.

## Sources

Required: Google Ads

## Preconditions

- The account is ticked in the dashboard, confirmed via list_accounts.

## Inputs

- `window`: Analysis window. Default: last 30 days.

## Procedure

1. Pull PMax placement data. — tools: `google_ads_get_pmax_placements`
2. Summarise by surface and flag anything brand-inappropriate.

## Decision rules

- **When** Display or app placements dominate impressions while conversions sit in Search-like → **conclude** Impression share is not spend share: report both before anyone panics about 'display waste'.

## Evidence requirements

- Every figure carries its account, metric and window.
- Anything below a readable sample size is reported as unjudged, not as zero.

## Human approval boundary

- The readout changes nothing. Any change it motivates goes through Safe Writes: preview, human confirmation, then apply.

## Failure modes

- Placement impressions are reported without their spend: inferring cost distribution from impressions alone overstates cheap surfaces.

## Output

- **Readout**: The figures, with windows and accounts named.
- **Flags**: What deserves a deeper skill or a human decision.

## Related

- Skill: [pmax-diagnostics](https://www.getmcpads.com/skills/pmax-diagnostics.md)