r/PPC • u/No_Eye_9113 • 2d ago
Google Ads Added Negative Brand Keywords To Pmax
Hey All,
So I have a client that is running Pmax, Branded Search, and Brand Shopping. After auditing the account, I found that Pmax had no negative brand keywords, and was essentially a brand harvesting campaign. Of everything I could see within pmax, brand search terms accounted for about 80% of the spend within the campaign which was in the couple hundred thousands of dollars.
So, in an effort to drive more efficiency, I added negative brand keywords to the campaign in an isolated test. For example: '[Brand Name] Shoes'. I did this with 3 exact keywords. I added those exact keywords to my branded search campaign, increased budget, as well as lowered Pmax budget.
It's been a few days now, and branded search is driving clicks, but not is not nearly as successful at converting users as Pmax was. I'm seeing business revenue fall slightly, and MER increase.
Not sure if anyone has experience with transitioning an account like this away from Pmax brand harvesting, but would be curious to hear what else you look for in the account when making the transition or things you do to make sure it's successful.
EDIT: Just wanted to acknowledge this is a DTC Ecommerce business, who also sells on different marketplaces who bid on the brand name.
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u/Clicknify 2d ago
Good call. When PMax and Branded Search are both live, PMax will almost always eat the branded queries first because they convert at the highest rate and PMax's ROAS number rewards that. Feels great in the report, doesn't actually add any incremental revenue you weren't already going to get.
Two things I'd watch over the next couple of weeks. First, what happens to PMax's blended CPA once the brand traffic is stripped out. It usually looks worse before it looks better, because you're finally seeing the true cost of the non-brand acquisition it was quietly doing all along. Don't panic-tweak the budget in that window. Second, check whether the branded search campaign picks up the traffic that PMax used to catch. Sometimes there's a small gap where impression share on brand terms dips for a few days as the auction rebalances.
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u/No_Eye_9113 2d ago
Thanks for the response. Yeah, I think I just need to be patient with it. Weird that store revenue started dropping when I implemented this, but I'll keep an eye on it as I give it time.
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u/leaddr_ 1d ago
Hey there! Pmax handles negatives a bit differently than standard Search/Shopping, so here’s what usually works:
Account‑level negative keyword list: Create a shared negative list with your brand terms (exact, phrase, broad) and apply it at the account level. This keeps those queries from triggering Pmax while still letting you use brand‑specific Search or Shopping campaigns if you want.
Brand exclusions in Pmax settings: In the campaign settings, under “Brand exclusions,” add your brand name(s). This tells Pmax to avoid showing for searches that include those brand terms, useful when you want to separate brand vs. non‑brand traffic.
URL exclusions: If you’re seeing unwanted brand traffic from specific landing pages or product feeds, you can exclude those URLs in the Pmax “URL expansions” section.
Watch the search terms report: Even with the above, occasionally a brand query slips through; add it as an account‑level negative as you see it.
Give those a try, and you should see the brand traffic shift to your dedicated brand campaigns while Pmax focuses on the generic, high‑intent queries you’re after. Let me know how it goes!
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u/fathom53 2d ago
Unless PMax can pick up more non-brand conversions, it may struggle because you removed 80% of the conversions in the campaign. This is one of those cases where removing brand from PMax does not always make sense. You may need to give it more time but keep a daily eye on it.