Google’s Performance Max (PMax) campaigns are getting a new creative format: vertical 9:16 image ads. As reported by Search Engine Land, the update was spotted by Google Ads specialist Thomas Eccel, who noticed that “Story Image Ads” are now available in PMax.

According to the report, the new image ads follow a minimum dimension of 600×1067 pixels, with Google recommending 1080×1920 for better quality. File sizes can go up to 5 MB.

How the vertical format could fit into Performance Max

Performance Max is Google’s fully automated campaign type that runs across Search, YouTube, Display, Discover, and Gmail. It allows advertisers to upload multiple creative assets, and Google’s system determines how and where to serve them.

The new vertical image option expands how advertisers can display visuals in the platform’s fully automated campaign type. Instead of relying on landscape or square formats, advertisers can now upload vertical images that suit mobile environments.

Connection to previous updates

Earlier this year, Google introduced “Story Image Ads” in Demand Gen campaigns, its campaign type built for social-style creative and video discovery. That move gave advertisers a way to use static vertical images that look native in short-form feeds.

Extending this same feature to PMax suggests that Google aims to align its ad formats with how users consume content on mobile platforms. It also mirrors what advertisers are already doing on platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts, where the 9:16 aspect ratio dominates engagement.

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