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
- Exclude branded traffic (competitor, partner, or your own brands)
- Negative keywords
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.

Go to Campaigns within the Campaignsmenu.
Under “Settings” tab, select the campaign you want to apply the brand list to.
On the "Settings" page, scroll down to Other settings.
Select Brand exclusionsand then on the provided text box, select the brand lists that you want to use for your campaign.
- Note: You can also click + New brand listto create and use a new brand list.
Select Save.

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.

Note:

Performance Max negative keywords are applicable to Search and Shopping inventory only.
You can choose a match type for the negative keyword using the appropriate symbols .

Add negative keywords to campaigns

Go to Keywords within the Campaignsmenu.
Under “Negative keywords”, select the plus icon.
To add negative keywords, you can either create a new list or select an existing list.
Select your Performance Max campaign and then add keywords, one per line.
Check the “Save to new or existing list” box, then enter a name for your new list or select an existing one.
Select Save.

Edit negative keywords to campaigns

Select the keywords you want to modify.
Select Editand then select Change keyword text.
Add keywords, one per line or select an existing list.
Select Apply to finish adding your keywords.

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 .

Go to Account settings within the Adminmenu.
Expand the “Negative keywords" section and then select the plus icon.
Enter or paste your negative keywords, one word or phrase per line.
Select 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.

Note: A limit of 1,000 negative keywords can be excluded for each account.

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 .

Go to Content suitability within the Toolsmenu.
Under “Advanced settings”, select the Excluded content keywordsdropdown.
Select the plus icon and then add or paste your content keywords to exclude.
- Note: While content exclusions are done to the best of our ability, we can't guarantee that all related content will be excluded.
Select Save.

Travel or 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.

Go to Content suitability within the Toolsmenu.
Under “Advanced settings”, select the Excluded content keywordsdropdown.
Select the plus iconand then add or paste your content keywords to exclude.
- Note: While content exclusions are done to the best of our ability, we can't guarantee that all related content will be excluded.
Select Save.

Note: One of the key benefits of Performance Max campaigns is that Google AI enables Performance Max campaigns to adapt and optimize to keywords that are performing well.

Target the right inventory type at the account-level (YouTube, Display, Video Partners)

Use content theme exclusions in the Content Suitability Center to prevent your ads from appearing on videos, websites, or apps that don't align with your brand such as strong profanity, dramatized violence, and sexually suggestive themes. Learn more About content suitability .

Go to Content suitability within the Toolsmenu.
Choose an inventory type for YouTube, Display Network, and Google Video Partners, except App campaigns:
1. Maximum inventory: Show ads across all available inventory, and maximize your reach and performance.
  - All inventory is subject to our content policies and automatically excludes highly sensitive content.
2. Moderate inventory: Show ads across most available inventory.
  - This excludes strong profanity, dramatized violence, and sexually suggestive themes.
3. Limited inventory: Exclude as much sensitive content as possible This excludes moderate profanity and sexually suggestive themes, even in mainstream content like music videos or makeup tutorials.
  - Note: Recommended only for brands with strict suitability requirements. This inventory may limit your reach and performance.
Select Save.

YouTube and Display ads will both default to Maximum inventory. The UI highlights your default selection.
Note that channel exclusions can’t be applied at the ad group or campaign level.
We apply content exclusions to the best of our ability. However, we can’t guarantee that every related placement will be blocked. Learn more About content suitability .

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 .

Go to Content suitability within the Toolsmenu.
Under “Advanced settings”, select the Excluded sensitive contentdropdown.
You can choose from the following categories of content considered sensitive:
- Tragedy and conflict: Excludes graphic footage of war or combat.
- Sensitive social issues: Excludes content designed to provoke a response to controversial topics.
- Profanity and rough language: Excludes content containing mild or infrequent swearing, including in music or comedy.
- Sexually suggestive content: Excludes themes related to sex or sexual products.
- Sensational and shocking: Excludes content from footage of disasters, accidents, or death.
  - Note: While content exclusions are done to the best of our ability, we can't guarantee that all related content will be excluded.
Select Save.

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 .

Go to Content suitability within the Toolsmenu.
Under “Advanced settings”, select the Excluded placementsdropdown.
There are 2 options in which you can add the placements you want to exclude:
- Under “Browse”, search for a word, phrase, YouTube channel ID, or video URL, then check the boxes for the specific content you want to exclude.
- Under “Enter”, paste YouTube channel IDs or video URLs then select Add placements.
  - Note: This will allow you to enter multiple placements at the same time.
Select Save.

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:

Go to the Shared librarywithin the Toolsmenuin your manager account .
Select Exclusion listsand select Placement exclusion liststab.
Under Accounts, select sub-accountsettings.
Select the account you want to add a placement exclusion list to and select Edit.
- Note: Placement exclusion lists need to be created directly within the manager account, not in its child accounts.
Select the placement exclusion list to be applied, and then select Apply.

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.

Go to Content under “Audiences, keywords, and content” within the Campaignsmenu.
In the “Exclusions” table, select Edit exclusions, and then select Account.
There are 2 options in which you can add the placements you want to exclude:
- Under “Browse”, search for a word, phrase, YouTube channel ID, or video URL, then check the boxes for the specific content you want to exclude.
- Under “Enter”, paste YouTube channel IDs or video URLs then select Add placements.
  - Note: This will allow you to enter multiple placements at the same time.
Select Save.

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