How do you read the where ads showed report and turn it into list changes?
Part of Google Ads placements
The short answer
The where ads showed report lists the websites, apps, YouTube channels and videos where a Google Ads campaign served, whether targeted or reached through other settings. Read it for brand fit, not for fine optimization: tag each row as approved, new and suitable, or unsuitable, then update the inclusion list or add exclusions at the right level.
Key takeaways
- The report sits under Campaigns, then Insights and reports, then When and where ads showed, at account, campaign or ad group level.
- YouTube rows cover only the Watch page; ads elsewhere, such as the Home feed, appear as youtube.com.
- Google says the report is not an exhaustive list or a basis for billing, and only shows placements above minimum thresholds.
- Every row should end in one of a few decisions: keep, add to the approved list, exclude, or leave alone for lack of data.
- Performance Max placements have a separate report that shows impressions, and Google says it is a brand safety tool.
What does the where ads showed report include?
Google's help page about the where ads showed report (opens in a new tab) says it shows where ads appeared, such as channels, videos and websites, and that it can help an advertiser understand if the content that includes its ads is a good fit for its brand message. It covers placements the advertiser targeted and placements reached through other targeting, so it is the one place where a planned list and actual delivery meet.
| Surface | What a row can be | Reading note |
|---|---|---|
| Display Network | A website, a page or an app | Compare domains with the approved list first |
| YouTube | A channel, or a video after View details | Only ads on the Watch page are reported by channel and video |
| YouTube outside the Watch page | youtube.com | Home feed and similar placements are grouped under this one row |
| App campaign ads | YouTube videos, webpages and mobile applications | App rows with odd names can be new, delisted or test apps |
| Discover and Gmail | The website and app on the Discover feed or on Gmail | Read these as surfaces, not as publishers |
Google notes that ads cannot actually appear on YouTube channel pages: a channel placement serves on that channel's videos when they are watched on the Watch page. YouTube image posts are also reported in placement reports without being separated from video ads, so a channel row can mix both.
What does the where ads showed report leave out or blur?
| What you see | What Google says it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown Channel | The video was deleted or removed after it served | Nothing to exclude; note it and move on |
| One view and zero impressions | An impression was removed as invalid traffic and later reviews found the view valid | No action; the impression is not restored |
| An app with an unformatted name | Apps with invalid names, such as new, delisted or test apps | Check the app ID before excluding it |
| Content in an unexpected language | Language targeting reads the user's language mainly from browser settings | Judge the page itself before excluding the site |
| Total: Other | Delivery not broken out into listed placements | Do not treat it as a placement |
How do you work through the report row by row?
Reading the where ads showed report in six steps
- Open the right level. Go to Campaigns, then Insights and reports, then When and where ads showed, and choose the campaign or ad group that ran the approved list.
- Use a period long enough to mean something. A few days of data gives a handful of impressions per row and invites reactions to noise.
- Sort by impressions, not by clicks or conversions. The question is where the money went, and Google says the report's performance data is generally not statistically significant.
- Open YouTube channels to video level. Tick the channel rows and select View details to see the individual videos behind each channel.
- Tag every row above a floor of impressions. Use four tags: on the approved list, new and suitable, unsuitable, or too few impressions to judge.
- Export the tagged rows. Keep the file beside the approved list version it was compared with, so the next review starts from the same baseline.
Teams that review many accounts can pull the same data through the Google Ads API. Google's placement views documentation (opens in a new tab) says the group placement view shows where ads actually served on the Display Network and YouTube and matches Content then Where ads showed, while the detail placement view gives details beyond the domain or channel level, equivalent to View details.
How do you turn report findings into list changes?
| Tag | Change to make | Where to make it | Who signs off |
|---|---|---|---|
| On the approved list and fits | Keep it; note the date it was confirmed | No change in Google Ads | Planner |
| New and suitable | Propose it for the inclusion list after the same review as any other site | A new version of the approved list, then the ad group | Client or list owner |
| Unsuitable for this brief only | Exclude it for this campaign | Campaign or ad group exclusions on the Content page | Planner |
| Unsuitable for the brand anywhere | Exclude it for the account | Account level exclusions, or a manager account list | Brand or agency policy owner |
| youtube.com or a Google domain | Do not try to exclude the domain | Review YouTube surface and inventory settings instead | Planner |
| Too few impressions to judge | Leave it alone | Nowhere; revisit at the next review | Nobody |
Exclusion entries follow Google's format rules: a domain without www. covers its subdomains, apps use their store IDs, and Google's account level exclusion page (opens in a new tab) says URLs associated with a Google domain cannot be added as placement exclusions directly. The placement exclusions guide covers the levels, formats and list limits in detail.
Where do Performance Max placements show up?
Performance Max has its own placement report. Google's page on Performance Max placement reports (opens in a new tab) says to open the Report editor from Insights and reports and select the predefined Performance Max campaigns placement report, which shows where ads served and how many impressions they received. Search partner network sites show alongside Display and Google owned and operated placements, and Search itself is not considered a placement.
The same page says placement reports should not be used to evaluate performance and should be used as a brand safety tool. Since Google describes no placement targeting for Performance Max, findings from this report become account level exclusions, which Google's account level exclusion page (opens in a new tab) says apply to all campaigns in the account, including Performance Max.
What does a where ads showed review look like on a real campaign?
Fictional example
A home pest control company in Minnesota and Wisconsin
A fictional Minneapolis pest control company runs a Display campaign on an approved list of home improvement, gardening and local news sites in Minnesota and Wisconsin, plus a Demand Gen campaign for its spring ant and wasp treatments. After a month, the planner opens the where ads showed report for the Display campaign.
Most rows match the approved list. Three new domains appear because one ad group had kept a gardening topic from an old build. Two are regional gardening magazines that pass the planner's review, so they go into a new version of the approved list for the client to sign off. The third is a page of copied listicles, so it is excluded for the account.
A YouTube row reads youtube.com, which the planner leaves alone, and an Unknown Channel row is noted without action. The planner removes the gardening topic from the ad group, exports the tagged file beside the list version, and books the next review.
How does PlacementGraph handle list changes after a report review?
What should a where ads showed review record?
Record of a where ads showed review
- The campaign, ad group and date range reviewed, and the approved list version compared.
- The impression floor used to decide which rows were tagged.
- Every new domain, app or channel found, with its tag and the reason.
- Exclusions added, with the level chosen and the date they were entered.
- Sites proposed for the approved list, and who was asked to sign off.
- Settings that let unplanned placements in, such as a topic or an Observation setting, and how they were fixed.
- Rows left alone for lack of data, so the next review checks them again.
For choosing the Display sites that the report checks against, see the guide to Display Network placements. For the wider picture of placement controls by campaign type, see the Google Ads placement targeting hub.
Frequently asked questions
Why does youtube.com appear as a placement in my report?
Google reports YouTube channels and videos only for ads on the YouTube Watch page, meaning in-stream and watch next ads. Ads that ran elsewhere on YouTube, such as the Home feed, are grouped under youtube.com. It is a surface label, not a site to exclude, and Google domains cannot be excluded directly in any case.
Why do placement impressions not add up to the campaign total?
Google only lists placements that meet minimum thresholds of impressions or interactions. The difference between the listed placements and the account, campaign or ad group total is shown in a Total: Other row. Google also says the report is not an accurate representation of billing, so reconcile spend with billing reports instead.
What does Unknown Channel mean in the report?
Google says a video that was deleted or removed after the ad served shows as Unknown Channel, with its impressions still counted. There is nothing left to exclude. If many impressions sit under Unknown Channel, review the remaining channels in the same plan for the kind of content that tends to be taken down.
Should I exclude placements with poor conversion numbers?
Not on this report alone. Google says its performance data is generally not statistically significant, that conversions are very unlikely to be despammed, and that over-optimizing on it can limit available inventory. Exclude sites for fit and brand reasons, and judge performance on larger groups of placements over longer periods.
Sources
- About the "Where ads showed" report (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- Find or create placement reports for your Performance Max campaigns (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- Track ad placement and performance (opens in a new tab)Google Ads API documentation
- Exclude placements at the account level (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
Researched and written by PlacementGraph Research. Read how we research, source and update these pages. Corrections: diana@placementgraph.com.