Negative Keyword Limit Increase and Its Impact on Google Performance Max
“Explore how restrictive negative keyword limits impact Google Performance Max campaigns and why flexibility is essential for AI-driven optimization.”
Negative Keyword Limit Increase and Its Impact on Google Performance Max
Restrictive Negative Keywords in PMax Campaigns
Although it has long been requested to be able to add negative keywords in PMax directly in Google Ads without going through Support or an account representative, people found that 100 negative keyword cap to be excessively restrictive.
By its very nature, AI depends on adaptability to real-time data and human behaviour.
Performance Max (PMax) is an AI-powered, goal-based campaign type that is designed to find conversions based on the goals you set. When launched in 2021, the vision was to give advertisers a streamlined way to tell Google what they want to optimize for and then allow the system to learn and find those desired customers across all of Google’s inventory.
Why Negative Keywords are Critical in PMax?
Unlike Search campaigns, where you choose keywords, PMax uses Google’s AI to find audiences across Search, Shopping, YouTube, Display, and Discover.
The flexibility comes with risk: your ads may show up for irrelevant queries, low-intent searches, or placements that don’t align with goals. This is where negative keywords act as safeguard. They help advertisers:
- Eliminate wasted spend on irrelevant or low-value clicks
- Improve conversion efficiency by steering traffic toward higher-intent queries
- Protect brand safety by blocking unwanted associations
- Give AI better signals so it can optimize around the right audience.
Why Cap in the First Place?
The intention of capping negative keywords in PMax at 100 was to give advertisers additional control while still giving PMax the flexibility to achieve your campaign’s stated goal – a limit of 100 negatives felt like a reasonable starting point.
Negative keywords are just one way to control where your ads show on Search. Other controls, such as brand exclusions, account-level negative keywords and keyword prioritization are also available.
The initial cap of 100 negative keywords aimed to preserve AI optimization and prevent accidental traffic exclusion. The initial cap of 100 negative keywords was tested in beta and seemed to provide a reasonable level of control while still allowing the AI the necessary flexibility.
Google Ads is significantly increasing the negative keyword limit for PMax campaigns, raising the cap from 100 to 10,000 per campaign, aligning with Search campaigns.
The update provides greater flexibility while maintaining campaign effectiveness, and is a significant milestone in the evolution of paid media. It not only offers marketers unprecedented control over ad placements, but it also helps improve lead quality while maximizing the effectiveness of AI-driven automation.
The initial cap of 100 negative keywords was tested in beta and seemed to provide a reasonable level of control while still allowing the AI the necessary flexibility. The initial assessment was not sufficient for many advertisers, and that’s why we listened to your feedback and made a significant increase to 10,000.
Now, with the expanded 10,000 keyword limit, businesses can directly influence their campaigns by filtering out irrelevant searches, leading to a more refined, efficient strategy.
Why is this change important?
The expanded negative keyword limit allows marketers to avoid wasting budget on keywords that drive low-value or irrelevant traffic, which has historically been a significant concern for PMax campaigns. This change ensures that the focus remains on targeting high-quality, high-conversion leads, which in turn can increase return on ad spend (ROAS) and reduce the risk of overpaying for clicks that are unlikely to convert.
Best Practices for leveraging Negative keywords in PMax Campaigns
- Targeting non-brand keywords
- Keyword grouping and segmentation
- Testing and iteration
While the increased limit provides greater control, it’s crucial to use negative keywords strategically exclude truly irrelevant traffic, enabling AI to continue exploring and finding valuable conversions within the defined boundaries set.
Several things to consider while applying negative keywords in PMax:
- Judicious application
- Match type precision
- Performance monitoring
- Conflict resolution
- Beyond negative keywords
- Regular audits
As for the long-term impact of negative keywords on campaign optimization, it’s important to strike a balance.
While negative keywords provide crucial control, an overly restrictive approach could limit the system’s ability to learn and adapt to new opportunities.
Using negative keywords strategically for excluding truly irrelevant traffic, enable the AI to continue exploring and find valuable conversions within the defined boundaries you set.
Looking Ahead. What’s Next?
- Deeper negative keyword integration: Expecting Google to expand controls owing to advertiser demand.
- Better audience exclusion options: Advertisers are pushing for more control over demographics and placements.
- AI-driven negative suggestions: Tools, including third-party ones like Karooya, may begin recommending negatives automatically, based on wasted spend trends.
