How to use brand suitability features in Performance Max

Performance Max campaigns have many brand suitability features at the campaign or account-level to ensure that your ads are served to the right users for your business, while maximizing performance.

This article explains how to use the targeting and brand suitability features that are available in Performance Max.

On this page

• Campaign-level features
• Account-level features

Campaign-level features

Exclude branded traffic (competitor, partner, or your own brands)

To exclude branded traffic from serving in individual Performance Max campaigns, use brand exclusions. To use brand exclusions, first build a brand list, then apply it to campaigns in your account.

1. Go to Campaigns within the Campaigns menu .
2. Below the "Campaign" page heading, click Settings tab.
3. Select the campaign you want to apply the brand list to.
4. On the "Settings" page, scroll down to click Additional settings.
5. Click Brand exclusions and select the brand list to apply to the campaign.
6. Click Save.

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Negative keywords

Negative keywords can be used in your Performance Max campaigns to stop ads from serving for queries you may not find brand safe or suitable.

Add negative keywords to campaigns

1. Go to Keywords within the Campaigns menu .
2. Click the Negative keywords tab.
3. To add negative keywords, click the plus button .
4. Select your Performance Max campaign.
5. Add keywords, one per line.
6. Click Save to finish adding your keywords.

Edit negative keywords to campaigns

1. Select the keywords you want to modify.
2. Click Edit.
3. Select Change keyword text.
4. Add keywords, one per line.
5. Click Apply to finish adding your keywords.

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Account-level features

Exclude brand unsuitable terms at the account-level

To ensure your ads aren’t serving alongside unsafe search terms, you can use account-level features.

Search and Shopping inventory

To prevent ads from serving for search terms which are considered not suitable for your brand on Search or Shopping inventory in all relevant Google Ads campaign types (including Performance Max), you can use the account-level negative keywords feature. Learn more About account-level negative keywords.

1. Go to Account settings within the Admin menu .
2. Click to expand the "Negative keywords" section.
3. Click the plus button and enter your negative keywords with one word or phrase per line.
4. Click Save.

To change the match type for the negative keyword, click the drop down in the "Match type" column and select the specified match type between broad, phrase, or exact match types.

Display and Video inventory

To prevent ads from serving search terms which are considered not suitable for your brand on Display or Video inventory in all relevant Google Ads campaign types (including Performance Max), you can use the excluded content keywords setting in the content suitability center. Learn more about excluded content keywords.

1. Go to Content suitability within the Tools menu .
2. Click the Advanced settings dropdown.
3. Click to expand “Excluded content keywords”.
4. Click the plus button to add new content keywords.
5. Click Save.

Travel / Hotel inventory

The Hotel Ads campaigns (Free booking link, Travel Promotion Ads) on Performance Max for travel goals campaign doesn't support negative keywords or brand exclusions. Outside of Hotel Ads, negative keywords and brand exclusions can be applied to the Performance Max for travel goals campaign just like regular Performance Max.

1. Go to Content suitability within the Tools menu .
2. Click the Advanced settings dropdown.
3. Click to expand “Excluded content keywords”.
4. Click the plus button to add new content keywords.
5. Click Save.

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Exclude sensitive content categories at the account-level (Display)

If you want to prevent ads from serving on certain types of content in your Performance Max campaign, such as tragedy and conflict or sensitive social issues, use excluded sensitive content categories in the content suitability center. Learn more About content suitability.

1. Go to Content suitability within the Tools menu .
2. Click the Advanced settings dropdown.
3. Click to expand “Excluded sensitive content”.
4. Mark one or more of these checkbox options:
   • Tragedy and conflict
   • Sensitive social issues
   • Profanity and rough language
   • Sexually suggestive
   • Sensational and shocking
5. Click Save.

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Exclude specific placements at the account-level (Display, Search Partners, and Video)

Placement exclusions allow you to exclude your ads from serving on placements for specific pages, sites, mobile apps, and videos for brand suitability purposes. Performance Max campaigns will respect all account-level and MCC-level placement exclusions. Learn how to Exclude placements at the account-level.

1. Go to Content suitability within the Tools menu .
2. Click the Advanced settings dropdown.
3. Click to expand “Excluded placements”.
4. Click the “Browse” tab to add existing placements or click “Enter” tab to add a new placement link.
5. Click Save.

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Apply placement exclusion lists at the account-level

Placement exclusion lists can only be created in manager accounts and then applied to individual accounts that have been linked to the manager account. When an exclusion list is applied to a child account, the exclusions will impact all relevant campaigns, including Performance Max, within that account.

To apply placement exclusion lists from within a manager account:

1. Go to the Shared library within the Tools menu in your manager account.

2. Click Exclusion lists and click Placement exclusion lists tab.

3. Under Accounts, click on sub-account settings.

4. Select the account you want to add a placement exclusion list to and click Edit.

• Note: Placement exclusion lists need to be created directly within the manager account, not in its child accounts.

5. Select the placement exclusion list to be applied, and then click Apply.

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Exclude branded traffic at the account-level (competitor, partner, or your own brands)

To exclude branded traffic from serving in individual Performance Max campaigns at the account-level, use brand exclusions. To use brand exclusions, first build a brand list, then apply it to campaigns in your account.

1. Go to Content within the Campaigns menu .
2. In the “Exclusions” table, click Edit exclusions, then click Account.
3. Click the “Browse” tab to add existing placements or click “Enter” tab to add a new placement link.
4. Click Save.

Related links

• About negative keywords
• About account-level negative keywords
• About content exclusions for Video campaigns