Performance Max (PMax) lets advertisers reach audiences across all Google properties—Search, Shopping, Display, YouTube, Gmail, Discover, and Maps—through Google’s automation and machine learning. This approach is powerful but comes with trade-offs. Most notably, you have limited control over keyword selection, making it difficult to separate branded from non-branded traffic.

The Challenge of Branded Searches in PMax

Branded searches in PMax can significantly inflate performance metrics due to their high intent and low CPC. Users searching for your brand are already more likely to convert, making the campaign performance look better than it actually is for broader audience targeting.

This blurs your understanding of campaign effectiveness. While branded traffic is valuable, blending it with generic traffic can mask inefficiencies and skew data-driven decisions.

To truly understand and optimize your PMax campaigns, it’s essential to separate branded from non-branded performance.

Fueling PMax with Enhanced Data

Google recommends enhancing your data inputs to help its algorithms make smarter decisions. Here’s how:

Enhanced Conversions

Enhanced conversions use hashed first-party data (like emails from form fills or purchases) to give Google a better understanding of who is converting. This improves audience targeting without compromising user privacy.

Google Analytics Import

Import conversion events from GA4 to provide a fuller picture of your customer journey. Keep in mind that GA4 uses event-based and data-driven attribution by default—this is aligned with how PMax optimizes performance. Still, data from earlier touchpoints (e.g., social media or video views) might be underrepresented if not properly integrated.

How to Exclude Brand from Performance Max

1. Use Brand Exclusions

Brand Exclusions are now the most effective self-serve method to remove branded queries from your PMax campaign. To apply them:

• Go to your campaign settings > Additional Settings > Brand Exclusions.
• Select or create a brand list via Tools & Settings > Shared Library > Brand Lists.
• If your brand isn’t listed, request it via Google’s form (takes 4–6 weeks).

2. Campaign-Level Keyword Exclusions (Still Limited)

While Google still hasn’t made self-serve campaign-level negative keywords available in the PMax UI for most accounts, you can request specific non-brand keyword exclusions via your Google rep.

Reminder: Account-level negatives still apply across all eligible campaigns, so use with caution. Brand terms, however, are best handled via the dedicated Brand Lists/Exclusions feature.

3. Brand Restrictions for Brand-Only Campaigns

Google now offers Brand Restrictions in PMax. This lets you run brand-only PMax campaigns—useful if you want a separate PMax campaign focused exclusively on your branded search terms. It complements Brand Exclusions by offering the opposite functionality.

4. Mention: Search Themes (Optional)

While newer features like Search Themes help guide PMax targeting on Search, they don’t replace the need for explicit controls like Brand Exclusions or Restrictions for managing specific brand traffic.

5. Maintain Separate Branded Search Campaigns

Don’t drop your branded Search campaigns. They offer detailed insights, full control, and help you measure true brand performance.

6. Optional: Branded Shopping Campaigns

If you run Shopping ads, you may want to isolate brand-focused queries in a Standard Shopping campaign. This is helpful when you need tighter control over Shopping inventory than PMax allows.

BrightBid Tools for Brand Protection

Spot and Stop Brand Term Infringements

BrightBid’s Infringement Detector protects your brand by:

• Automated Monitoring: Continuously scans Google search ads for unauthorized brand use.
• Infringement Alerts: Detects competitor ads using your brand name.
• Effortless Reporting: Generates and submits formal complaints directly to Google.

Get Full Control with Competitor Insights

The Competitor Monitoring feature gives you:

• A breakdown of who bids on your brand.
• Frequency and average rank over time.
• Share of top-of-page impressions.

Save Budget with Smart Activation

Smart Activation saves ad spend by:

• Pausing your branded campaigns when no one is bidding.
• Reactivating them automatically when competition resumes.
• Providing transparent logs on saved budget and campaign status.

Optimize with Keyword Autopilot

BrightBid’s Keyword Autopilot:

• Adds/removes/adjusts keywords automatically.
• Prioritizes conversions, not just clicks.
• Offers full transparency and user-controlled automation.

Avoiding Branded Traffic: Success Lies in Strategic Management

PMax is powerful—but without careful segmentation, it can mislead. Use Brand Exclusions, Brand Restrictions, and separate campaigns to regain control and improve reporting accuracy.

Use BrightBid’s tools to monitor competitors, pause unnecessary spend, and automate keyword decisions. This way, your PMax campaigns will not only drive growth but do so efficiently.

Further Reading:

• How to Analyze Performance Max Campaigns with Reports and Insights
• How to Fix and Avoid Low Ad Performance on Google Performance Max
• 10 Tips for Optimizing Google Performance Max Shopping Campaigns
• How to Exclude Products from Performance Max Campaigns and Why

FAQ: Branded Traffic Exclusion in Performance Max