Performance Max negative keywords are exclusions you apply at the account level, through shared lists, or via Google support requests to prevent your PMax campaigns from spending on irrelevant, low-intent, or brand-cannibalizing search queries. Unlike standard Search campaigns, Performance Max does not offer a native campaign-level negative keyword interface, which means the workflow for applying exclusions is different, less intuitive, and easy to get wrong. This guide walks you through the exact steps to set up negative keywords in Performance Max campaigns in 2026, covering every layer where exclusions actually work, how to avoid common mistakes, and how to manage this process across multiple accounts at scale.
By the end, you will have a repeatable system for pulling PMax search term data, building account-level and shared negative keyword lists, requesting placement and URL exclusions, and iterating weekly so your budget stays focused on queries that convert.
Prerequisites: You will need a Google Ads account with at least one active Performance Max campaign, access to the Search Terms report (or Insights tab), and editor-level permissions. If you manage multiple accounts through an MCC, you will also need MCC-level access to create shared negative keyword lists.
Why Performance Max Negative Keywords Are Different From Search
Performance Max campaigns do not give you the same negative keyword controls that Search campaigns do. Understanding where exclusions actually apply, and where they do not, is the first step before you start adding anything.
What PMax Actually Controls (And What It Ignores)
PMax runs across Search, Shopping, Display, YouTube, Discover, Gmail, and Maps inventory. Google's automation decides which queries trigger your ads, which placements to show on, and how to allocate spend across channels. You cannot add negative keywords at the campaign level through the standard Google Ads interface the way you would with a Search campaign. This is by design: Google wants PMax to have maximum signal flexibility. The result is that advertisers lose granular control over query-level targeting.
Why Asset Group Exclusions Are Not True Negatives
Some advertisers confuse asset group signal refinements (audience signals, listing group filters) with negative keywords. They are not the same thing. Audience signals in PMax are suggestions, not restrictions. Even if you narrow your audience signals, Google can still serve your ads to queries and placements outside those signals. Listing group exclusions in Shopping-focused PMax campaigns let you remove specific product categories but do not block search queries. There is no asset-group-level negative keyword option.
The Three Layers Where Negatives Can Be Applied In PMax
You have three real mechanisms for applying negatives to Performance Max: (1) account-level negative keywords, which block queries across all campaigns including PMax; (2) shared negative keyword lists applied at the account or MCC level; and (3) placement and URL exclusions requested through Google support or set in account-level placement exclusion settings. Each layer serves a different purpose, and a solid negative keyword system uses all three.
Step 1. Audit Your Current PMax Search Term Report
Before adding any negatives, you need to see what PMax is actually spending on. The search term report is your starting point.
How To Pull The PMax Search Term Report In 2026
Navigate to your Performance Max campaign, then go to Insights > Search terms. Google has expanded PMax search term visibility over the past two years, but the data is still less granular than what you get from standard Search campaigns. You will see categorized search themes and individual queries that triggered impressions. Export this data for the last 30 to 90 days. If you are working across multiple client accounts, pull this for each account individually. There is no MCC-level aggregate view for PMax search terms.
What To Look For: Irrelevant Queries, Brand Cannibalization, Low-Intent Terms
Flag three categories immediately. First, clearly irrelevant queries: searches that have nothing to do with your product or service. Second, brand terms: if you are running a separate branded Search campaign, PMax will often cannibalize those queries, inflating PMax's reported ROAS while your Search brand campaign loses volume. Third, informational or low-intent queries where the searcher is not in a buying mindset. Queries starting with "what is," "how to," or "reddit" are common offenders.
Prioritizing Which Terms To Exclude First
Sort by spend descending. The queries burning the most budget with zero or poor conversions should be your first exclusions. Do not try to exclude every imperfect query on the first pass. Focus on the top 10 to 20 wasteful terms by spend, then iterate weekly. Agencies running negative keyword systems across multiple accounts will want to build a master exclusion list that applies across client verticals.
Step 2. Apply Account-Level Negative Keywords
Account-level negative keywords are the most straightforward way to block unwanted queries from triggering your PMax campaigns.
Account-Level Negatives Still Work In PMax
Google introduced account-level negative keywords as a feature available to all advertisers. These apply across every campaign in the account, including Performance Max. Navigate to your Google Ads account, click on "Account settings" in the left navigation, then select "Negative keywords." From here, you can add individual negative keywords that will block matching queries across all campaigns.
How To Add Them Without Breaking Search Campaigns
The risk with account-level negatives is that they also affect your Search, Shopping, and other campaign types. Before adding any term as an account-level negative, cross-reference it against your Search campaign search term reports. If a query is converting well in a standard Search campaign but wasting money in PMax, an account-level negative would block it everywhere, which is not what you want. In that case, the better approach is to request a campaign-level exclusion through Google support (covered in Step 3) or accept the PMax overlap and manage it through budget control techniques.
Which Match Types To Use For PMax Negatives
Use exact match negatives for specific queries you want to block precisely. Use phrase match negatives for patterns you want to catch broadly, like [free] or [jobs] or [salary]. Avoid broad match negatives in most cases because they can inadvertently block relevant variations you have not considered. Start with exact match for your highest-spend wasteful queries, then layer in phrase match for recurring patterns.
Step 3. Request Google Support Exclusions For Brand And Content
Some exclusions cannot be applied through the self-serve interface and require a request to your Google Ads representative or support team.
How To Request URL Exclusions From Google Support
If PMax is serving your ads on specific websites, apps, or YouTube channels that are irrelevant or brand-unsafe, you can request URL-level exclusions. Contact your Google Ads support representative (or submit a request through the Help center) and provide a list of URLs or placements you want excluded from your PMax campaigns. Google can apply these at the campaign level, which is something you cannot do yourself through the standard interface for PMax.
Placement-Level Exclusions In The Display And YouTube Inventory
In your Google Ads account, go to "Content" and then "Exclusions." Here you can set account-level placement exclusions for Display and YouTube inventory. Add specific websites, YouTube channels, apps, and app categories that you do not want PMax serving ads on. This does not require a support request and is available in the self-serve interface. Review your PMax placement report (under Insights > Placements) to identify low-quality or irrelevant placements consuming spend.
When To Use Brand Safety Lists
If you are managing accounts in regulated industries or for brands with strict placement requirements, apply Google's built-in content suitability settings. Go to "Account settings" > "Content suitability" and configure the inventory type (expanded, standard, or limited). For PMax, standard or limited inventory prevents your ads from appearing next to sensitive content. This is a blunt instrument compared to individual placement exclusions, but it catches the worst offenders at scale.
Step 4. Build A Shared Negative List That Applies Across PMax And Search
Shared negative keyword lists are essential for anyone managing more than one campaign or more than one account.
Setting Up Shared Negative Lists In Google Ads
In your Google Ads account (or MCC), go to "Tools and settings" > "Shared library" > "Negative keyword lists." Create a new list and name it descriptively: "PMax Waste Queries," "Brand Terms - Exclude From PMax," or "Industry Junk Terms." Add your negative keywords to the list, then apply the list to relevant campaigns. For PMax, apply the list at the account level since PMax does not support campaign-level list application through the standard interface.
How To Sync PMax Negatives Without Cannibalizing Search
Create separate negative keyword lists for different purposes. One list should contain terms you want blocked everywhere (completely irrelevant queries, competitor brand misspellings you do not want to bid on). A second list should contain terms you only want blocked from PMax but not from Search. Apply the universal list at the account level. For the PMax-specific list, you may need to use Google Ads scripts or the API to apply it selectively, or request campaign-level application through Google support. The goal is preventing PMax from stealing conversions that your Search campaigns handle more efficiently.
Agency Tip: Managing Shared Lists Across Multiple Client Accounts
If you run an agency managing 20 or more client accounts, build a master negative keyword template at the MCC level. Common exclusions like "free," "jobs," "salary," "reddit," and "what is" apply across almost every client. Create an MCC-level shared negative keyword list and apply it to new client accounts during onboarding. Then layer client-specific exclusions on top. This saves hours of repetitive setup and ensures consistent coverage. Agencies dealing with common PMax mistakes that erode margins will find that a structured negative keyword system is one of the highest-leverage fixes available.
Step 5. Monitor And Iterate Weekly
Negative keyword management is not a set-it-and-forget-it task. PMax's automation constantly tests new queries and placements, which means new waste appears regularly.
How Often To Review The PMax Search Term Report
Review weekly for accounts spending more than a few thousand dollars per month. For smaller accounts, biweekly is sufficient. Each review should take 15 to 30 minutes per account: pull the search term report, sort by spend, identify new wasteful queries, and add them to your negative lists. Over time, the volume of new additions slows as your lists mature, but it never stops entirely.
The One Signal That Tells You A Negative Is Hurting Performance
If you add a negative keyword and see a noticeable drop in conversions within the following seven to ten days without a corresponding drop in spend, you likely excluded a term that was converting. Check your change history, identify which negative was added around the time performance dropped, and remove it. This is especially common when you use phrase match negatives that inadvertently block high-intent long-tail queries you did not anticipate.
When To Remove Negatives You Added Too Aggressively
Revisit your negative keyword lists quarterly. Market language changes, product lines expand, and queries that were irrelevant six months ago may now be relevant. Pull your negative keyword list, cross-reference each term against current conversion data, and prune anything that no longer makes sense. An over-aggressive negative keyword list can quietly starve PMax of volume, which shows up as a gradual decline in impressions and conversions that is hard to diagnose without looking at the exclusion lists directly.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
Adding negatives at the campaign level and expecting them to work in PMax. PMax does not support campaign-level negative keywords through the standard interface. If you add them to a campaign-level list and apply it, it will not affect your PMax campaigns. Use account-level negatives or request campaign-level application through Google support.
Using broad match negatives without testing. Broad match negatives in PMax can block entire categories of queries you did not intend to exclude. Stick to exact and phrase match until you have a mature understanding of your query landscape.
Ignoring brand cannibalization. PMax will happily spend your budget on branded queries and report high ROAS for doing so. If you have a separate brand Search campaign, exclude your brand terms from PMax using account-level negatives or a Google support request. Otherwise, PMax inflates its own performance numbers at the expense of your more efficient brand campaign. For more on this, see our framework on whether to bid on brand keywords.
Setting up negatives once and never revisiting. PMax constantly explores new queries. A negative keyword list from three months ago is already incomplete. Weekly reviews are the minimum cadence for accounts with meaningful spend.
Applying the same negative list to every client without customization. Industry-specific terms that are junk for one client may be high-intent for another. Always layer client-specific exclusions on top of your universal template.
Not documenting why a negative was added. When you revisit the list months later, you will not remember why "installation" was excluded. Use naming conventions or a shared document that records the rationale for each exclusion.
How groas Handles PMax Negative Management At Scale
Everything described above is a manual, ongoing process. For a single account, it is manageable. Across 10, 20, or 50 accounts, it becomes a full-time job. This is where groas changes the math.
The groas engine, trained on over $500 billion in profitable ad spend, continuously monitors PMax search term data, placement reports, and conversion signals across every account it manages. It identifies wasteful queries, flags brand cannibalization, and applies exclusions in real time rather than on a weekly manual review cycle.
For agencies (DIY): groas operates as the execution engine underneath your agency. You connect unlimited client accounts under one subscription, and the engine handles negative keyword management, budget pacing, and query optimization across every PMax campaign. Your media buyers stop spending hours pulling search term reports and start spending that time on strategy and client relationships. Start your 7-day free trial to see how it works across your client book.
For in-house teams (DWY): groas pairs the engine with a senior strategist who works alongside your team. The engine runs the heavy lifting of PMax optimization, including negative keyword management, while you stay in the driver's seat on strategy. Your in-house person gets access to insights and recommendations that would otherwise require hours of manual analysis each week. Get started with self-serve checkout or apply if you manage a large account.
For businesses that want Google Ads fully handled (DFY): groas assigns a dedicated strategist who owns your entire account end to end, including PMax negative management, placement exclusions, brand cannibalization prevention, and every other optimization lever. You do not log in, pull reports, or manage lists. You reach the team on Slack or email whenever you have a question. Apply to get access today.
In every case, there is $0 onboarding, no long-term contract, and you can cancel anytime. groas earns the next month by performing.
The Bottom Line
Setting up negative keywords in Performance Max campaigns requires working across multiple layers: account-level negatives, shared lists, Google support requests for placement and URL exclusions, and a weekly review cadence that catches new waste before it compounds. The process is not complex per step, but it demands consistency, especially across multiple accounts.
If you are an agency operator managing PMax at scale, the manual workflow described above is your baseline. But the real question is whether your team's time is better spent pulling search term reports every week or focusing on strategy and growth. groas puts a proprietary engine trained on hundreds of billions in ad spend underneath your accounts so the execution never stops and the negatives never go stale. Whether you run the engine yourself, work alongside a strategist, or hand over the keys entirely, the gap between manual management and what groas delivers shows up in the numbers within the first few weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions About Performance Max Negative Keywords
Can You Add Negative Keywords Directly To A Performance Max Campaign?
Not through the standard Google Ads campaign-level interface. Performance Max does not support campaign-level negative keywords the way Search campaigns do. Your options are account-level negative keywords (which apply across all campaigns including PMax), shared negative keyword lists applied at the account level, and campaign-level exclusions requested through Google support. Account-level negatives are the most accessible starting point. If you need exclusions that only affect PMax without touching your Search campaigns, contact Google support to request campaign-specific application.
How Do I See What Search Terms Performance Max Is Spending On?
Navigate to your Performance Max campaign, then go to Insights and select Search terms. Google has improved PMax search term visibility significantly, showing categorized search themes and individual queries that triggered impressions. Export the data for the last 30 to 90 days, sort by spend, and look for irrelevant queries, brand cannibalization, and low-intent terms. This report is less granular than standard Search campaign data but contains enough detail to identify your biggest sources of waste.
What Match Types Should I Use For PMax Negative Keywords?
Start with exact match negatives for specific high-spend wasteful queries you want to block precisely. Use phrase match negatives for recurring patterns like "free," "jobs," or "salary." Avoid broad match negatives in most situations because they can inadvertently block relevant query variations you did not anticipate. Build your list starting with exact match, then layer in phrase match as you identify consistent waste patterns across your search term reports.
How Often Should I Review PMax Negative Keywords?
Weekly for accounts spending more than a few thousand dollars per month. Biweekly is sufficient for smaller accounts. Each review should take 15 to 30 minutes per account. PMax constantly explores new queries and placements, so waste accumulates continuously. Additionally, revisit your full negative keyword lists quarterly to remove terms that may have become relevant due to product changes or market shifts.
How Do I Stop Performance Max From Cannibalizing My Brand Campaign?
Add your brand terms as exact match negatives at the account level, or request brand term exclusions specifically for your PMax campaigns through Google support. Without this exclusion, PMax will spend budget on branded queries and report inflated ROAS numbers, while your more efficient branded Search campaign loses volume. This is one of the most common and costly PMax management mistakes.
Can groas Handle PMax Negative Keyword Management Automatically?
Yes. The groas engine, trained on over $500 billion in profitable ad spend, continuously monitors PMax search term data, placement reports, and conversion signals. It identifies wasteful queries, flags brand cannibalization, and applies exclusions in real time rather than relying on a weekly manual review cycle. For agencies, groas operates as the engine underneath your accounts. For in-house teams, a senior strategist works alongside you while the engine handles the heavy lifting. For businesses wanting hands-off management, groas owns the entire process end to end.
How Do I Apply Negative Keywords Across Multiple Client Accounts In PMax?
Build a master negative keyword template at the MCC level containing universal exclusions like "free," "jobs," "salary," and "reddit." Create an MCC-level shared negative keyword list and apply it to new client accounts during onboarding. Then layer client-specific exclusions on top based on each account's search term data. This approach saves hours of repetitive setup while ensuring consistent baseline coverage across your entire client book.
What If A Negative Keyword Is Hurting My PMax Performance?
Watch for a noticeable drop in conversions within seven to ten days of adding a negative, without a corresponding drop in spend. Check your change history to identify which negative was added around the time performance declined, then remove it. This most commonly happens with phrase match negatives that inadvertently block high-intent long-tail queries. Always test new negatives in small batches so you can isolate the impact.
Is There A Way To Add Campaign-Level Negatives To PMax Without Google Support?
Not through the standard Google Ads interface. Campaign-level negative keywords for PMax require a request to your Google Ads representative. Some advertisers use Google Ads scripts or the API to apply shared lists selectively, but the most reliable method remains a support request. groas handles this automatically through its proprietary engine, which applies exclusions at the right level without manual support tickets, making it the most efficient approach for advertisers managing PMax at any scale.
How Do I Prevent PMax From Overspending With Negatives?
Start by auditing your PMax search term report and sorting by spend to find the highest-cost irrelevant queries. Add those as exact match account-level negatives first. Then build shared negative lists for recurring waste patterns, request placement exclusions for low-quality sites, and review weekly. Combine negative keyword management with budget control techniques like setting appropriate campaign budgets and using portfolio bid strategies to cap spend exposure on underperforming queries.
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