Yes. On September 4, 2026, Google’s Performance Max help documentation added Canada to the 42 countries where Waze ads can serve. Your business appears as a "Promoted Places" pin on drivers’ routes, but only through a Performance Max for store goals campaign bidding on Store Visits, Store Sales or Local Actions – Directions. There is no separate Waze buy.
What exactly changed on September 4?
Google quietly rewrote one line in its Performance Max help centre, and that line now includes Canada.
Barry Schwartz of Search Engine Roundtable spotted the update on September 4, 2026. The old wording said "Waze Ads are currently available only in the United States." The new wording, which you can read on Google’s "About Performance Max for store goals" help page today, says: "Waze Ads are currently available across select global markets through Performance Max for store goals campaigns bidding on Store Visits, Store Sales, or Local Actions Directions."
According to PPC Land’s September 4 breakdown, the "select global markets" are 42 countries: all 27 EU member states, plus the UK, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein in Europe; the United States, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina and Chile in the Americas; Australia and Malaysia in Asia-Pacific; and Israel. There was no blog post or press release. Google simply flipped the availability and updated the documentation.
For context: Google relaunched Waze Ads in the U.S. in July 2025, then on November 6, 2025 folded Waze inventory into Performance Max for store goals for U.S. advertisers, with international expansion "planned for 2026." September 4 is that expansion arriving.
How do Waze ads actually look to a driver?
They are a branded square pin sitting on the driver’s route, not a banner or a video.
Inside Performance Max the placement is labelled "Promoted Places in Navigation." Someone driving down Dundas or the 401 sees your logo as a pin near their route; tapping it opens your details, including location and directions. Google’s help page says Performance Max "will automatically use your existing assets" for this, so you do not build separate Waze creative. Your logo, business name and Business Profile location are what get used.
That format matters for what kinds of businesses benefit. A pin on a route works for an auto shop, a tire centre, a restaurant, an optical store, an appliance parts counter, a showroom or a car wash. It does nothing for a mortgage broker or a plumber who goes to the customer. If people do not physically drive to you, this is not your placement.
Can I just run a Waze-only campaign?
No. Waze is bundled inside Performance Max for store goals and Google decides how much of your budget it gets.
PPC Land put it plainly on September 4: the placement "is not separately buyable, and it arrives as part of a bundle governed by automated allocation." Performance Max for store goals also serves on Google Maps, Search, YouTube, Display, Discover and Gmail, and Google’s own help page states you cannot "serve ads exclusively in Google Maps." You set a radius, a goal and a budget, and Google’s automation spreads it across channels.
The one saving grace is reporting. Since November 6, 2025, channel performance reporting has been available in all Performance Max campaigns, showing clicks, conversions, conversion value and cost by channel. So you can at least see afterward how much went where, even if you cannot control it going in.
What does it take to be eligible?
You need a Performance Max for store goals campaign with a linked Google Business Profile and one of three bidding goals.
Per Google’s help documentation, store locations are defined by "linking your Business Profile or selecting affiliate locations," and the campaign uses radius targeting around those locations that you can set manually or let Google determine. The three eligible bidding goals are Store Visits, Store Sales and Local Actions – Directions. Only Local Actions – Directions is realistic for most single-location small businesses, because Store Visits is a modelled conversion with its own eligibility conditions and Store Sales requires you to upload transaction data.
| Question | Before September 4, 2026 | After September 4, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Countries where Waze ads can serve | United States only | 42 countries, including Canada (Google Ads Help, Sept 4, 2026) |
| How you buy it | Performance Max for store goals (U.S.) | Same. No standalone Waze campaign |
| Ad format | "Promoted Places in Navigation" pin | Unchanged |
| Eligible bidding goals | Store Visits, Store Sales, Local Actions – Directions | Unchanged |
| Creative needed | None beyond existing assets | Unchanged |
| Budget control per channel | None (automated allocation) | None; channel report shows the split after the fact |
| Pricing disclosed | No | No |
Will this lower my cost per lead or just spend more of my budget?
Unconfirmed either way, because Google has published no Canadian performance data and no pricing.
A driver tapping a pin for directions is a real intent signal, but store visits are an estimated conversion, and PPC Land’s September 4 report notes that footfall accuracy "varies by market based on device panel density and privacy rules." Treat early Waze numbers as directional, not as proof of return.
Our ex-Googler founder’s rule for any new Performance Max placement applies here: give it a modest, separate budget, watch the channel report for two weeks, and compare cost per directions click against your Maps and Search results before you decide whether it deserves more.
What to do this week
- Check whether you qualify. Confirm your Google Business Profile is linked in Google Ads. If you have no physical location customers drive to, stop here; this is not for you.
- If you already run Performance Max for store goals, open the channel performance report and look for Waze or Maps line items starting from September 4. You may already be serving there without having done anything.
- If you do not, and you are an auto, restaurant, retail, optical or showroom business in the GTA, create a small Performance Max for store goals campaign with a Local Actions – Directions goal and a tight radius. Keep it separate from your lead-gen campaigns so it cannot eat their budget.
- Make sure your Business Profile hours, address and pin location are correct. That is what a Waze driver sees when they tap.
Frequently asked questions
Are Waze ads available in Canada now?
Yes. Google’s Performance Max help documentation was updated on September 4, 2026 to say Waze ads are available "across select global markets," and Canada is one of the 42 listed countries, according to Search Engine Roundtable and PPC Land reports from that date. Before this update the same page said Waze ads were available only in the United States.
How much do Waze ads cost through Google Ads?
Google has not disclosed Waze pricing. Because Waze inventory is bought inside Performance Max for store goals, you pay according to that campaign’s bidding goal, and Google’s automation decides how much budget goes to Waze versus Maps, Search, YouTube and Display. The channel performance report, available in all Performance Max campaigns since November 2025, shows the cost split afterward.
Do I need to create separate ads for Waze?
No. Google’s help page for the November 2025 launch says Performance Max "will automatically use your existing assets" to serve the Promoted Places pin. What drivers see is your business name, logo and location pulled from your linked Google Business Profile, so keeping that profile accurate matters more than any new creative.
Which small businesses should bother with Waze ads?
Businesses customers drive to: auto repair and tire shops, restaurants, retail stores, optical shops, showrooms and car washes. The ad is a pin on a driver’s route that opens directions, so it only pays off when a physical visit is the goal. Service businesses that travel to the customer, such as plumbers, HVAC contractors or mortgage brokers, should keep their budget in Search and Local Services Ads instead.
Want to know whether a store-goals campaign makes sense for your location before you spend a dollar on it? Request a free 48-hour Google Ads audit and we will tell you.
Sources: Google Ads Help – About Performance Max for store goals (updated Sept 4, 2026); Search Engine Roundtable – Google Expands Waze Ads To More Countries (Sept 4, 2026); PPC Land – Waze ads gain 41 countries (Sept 4, 2026); Google Ads Help – Access new inventory and channel performance reporting in Performance Max (Nov 6, 2025); PPC Land – Google adds Waze inventory to Performance Max (Nov 6, 2025).