How to Use Brand Exclusions in PMAX Campaigns to Improve ROI

If you’ve spent even a single afternoon poring over the performance of your Google Performance Max (PMAX) campaigns, you’ll know the thrill of hitting those sweet spots where your spend drops and your conversions climb. But you’ll also know the gut-punch of seeing your precious budget eaten up by branded searches, delivering little incremental value. For many digital marketers. Myself included. Brand exclusions have become a lifeline, not just a lever.

Getting Real With Brand Exclusions in PMAX

Let’s start at the heart of it: What are brand exclusions, and why do they matter so much? In PMAX campaigns, brand exclusions let you prevent your ads from appearing for searches that include specific brand names. Picture this: without exclusions, your campaign could spend heavily on searches from people already sold on your brand, cannibalizing organic results or direct traffic you could have earned for free. Even more frustrating, ads can show up for competitor brands, risking wasted spend and possibly stirring up pesky legal headaches.

I’ve been hands-on with PMAX on accounts from luxury hotels to local beauty spas. The story always starts the same: you launch a campaign, watch as branded queries dominate your search term reports, then realize you’re paying top dollar for conversions you already get elsewhere. Once, when piloting new campaigns for high-end spa treatments at Hotel Du Vin Exeter, we saw branded terms swallowing budget that would have delivered greater value if directed at new customer acquisition.

How Do Brand Exclusions Actually Work?

PMAX campaigns are unique because they cross Google’s Search, Display, Maps, Discover, and even YouTube properties automatically. That’s powerful. But it complicates control. Not too long ago, advertisers could only apply broad negative keywords, and the flexibility just wasn’t there. Now, Google’s rolled out refined controls, letting you target brand exclusions specifically for Search or Shopping segments of PMAX.

For Search Ads: You can now exclude your own brand, or even specific competitor brands, from the search inventory in PMAX. That means your ads won’t trigger when someone types in “Hotel Du Vin Exeter spa package” if you set that as an exclusion. Why would you do this? Because many of those users are already poised to convert through organic listings. Or you want to ensure organic dominates those searches.

For Shopping Ads: The calculus is different. Branded queries in Shopping often showcase your actual product feed, serving visual results to shoppers already hunting your inventory. If you exclude your own brand here, you risk ceding valuable ad real estate to resellers or third parties. When running campaigns for exclusive TEMPLESPA and Nimue treatments, allowing branded Shopping campaigns helped us highlight limited-packages or new spa deals, making sure loyal customers spotted our top offers right in the mix.

When Should You Exclude Brand in Search But Keep It in Shopping?

Easier said than done, I know. The general best practice: Exclude branded traffic from Search if your organic results dominate, but keep it in Shopping if you want control over visual representation. I learned this firsthand one busy spring, bracing for our spa’s peak booking period. We noticed branded searches yielding paid clicks that would have come through our organic Hotel Du Vin Exeter listing anyway. By excluding those branded terms on Search but not Shopping, we cut wasted spend dramatically, yet held strong visibility for competitive booking terms on Shopping.

If you’re unsure, test it. Segment your campaigns. Exclude your brand in Search only for a set period. Track how bookings and revenue shift. For us, the key metric wasn’t just bookings, but the cost per acquisition (CPA) and relative volume of new customers, not repeat loyalists.

How to Set Up Brand Exclusions in PMAX

If you’re staring at Google Ads right now, here’s the quick rundown:

• Go to your PMAX campaign.
• Click on “Brand Exclusions” under advanced settings.
• Add specific brands (your own, or competitors’ as needed).
• Choose whether to apply to Search, Shopping, or both.

Bear in mind, reporting can lag and Google’s matching isn’t always perfect, so monitor search terms closely after changes. When we made adjustments, our team kept a hawk’s eye on both volume and search term quality, ready to jump back in if we noticed any high-value queries slipping through the cracks.

Best Practices: Testing and Measuring Impact

Honestly, the golden rule: don’t set and forget. Track your campaign metrics before and after applying exclusions. I keep a detailed log. Backed by both Google Analytics and internal CRM data. Measuring:

• Changes in CPA and ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)
• Volume of new vs returning customers
• Share of voice on key branded queries

The best insights come from looking beyond just Google Ads dashboard data. During a promotion of “luxury day spa” packages, we watched not only ad performance but also the shift in organic traffic for our core branded terms. Spoiler: organic lifted when paid branded traffic dropped, and the overall revenue from new customers went up.

Common Mistakes (Yep, I’ve Made Them Too)

Here are a few traps I. And many marketers. Have stumbled into:

• Adding brand exclusions to both Search and Shopping without testing: You risk losing easy wins on Shopping, where visual real estate can be crucial.
• Not updating exclusions: As competitors rebrand or your company adds new products and package names (think new Nimue facial treatments), your exclusion list may need frequent tweaks.
• Ignoring the share of organic traffic: If you don’t have strong organic presence, excluding branded terms on Search can sometimes backfire.

The Human Touch That Counts

Reflecting on optimizing campaigns for iconic hotels like ours, it’s clear that brand controls aren’t just about saving money. They’re about strategic stewardship. You want your best prospects. Those who don’t know your spa’s heated pool is open till dusk, or haven’t yet dipped into an outdoor hydra jet. Discovering you, not loyal repeat visitors who would have booked no matter what!

Remember, PMAX is always evolving. Keep one eye on the channel. And another on how people actually find, book, and talk about your brand offline. Sometimes the best insight comes not from the platform, but from real-world guests who wander in after spotting your latest “relax and rejuvenate” special on Google Shopping.

Ready to Level Up Your PMAX Game?

Brand exclusions are just the beginning. Find your sweet spot, track performance like a hawk, and always tailor your campaigns to the unique rhythm of your business. Whether you’re marketing spa escapes or something entirely different, don’t let your budget chase its own tail. Take charge, experiment, and watch those incremental gains add up over time.

If you want personalized advice or help setting up brand exclusions for your next campaign, I’m only a message away. Your paid media should work as hard as you do. Let’s make sure it does!

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the risks of excluding branded keywords in Shopping campaigns?

Excluding branded terms from Shopping campaigns can push potential customers toward resellers or third parties who might also be bidding on your products. This can lower your overall visibility while giving competitors or affiliates an opportunity to capture loyal customers who were already in your funnel.

How can I tell if my branded exclusions are working in PMAX?

Monitor your search term reports closely and track shifts in conversion volume, CPA, and organic traffic. Improvements in ROAS and drops in paid branded conversions are good signs, but always cross-reference with web analytics and CRM data to ensure you’re not losing valuable leads.

Should I exclude competitor brands in my PMAX campaigns?

Excluding competitor brands can help you avoid irrelevant ad spend and prevent your ads from showing up on competitor queries where conversion likelihood is low. However, this depends on your strategy. Sometimes bidding on competitors can be part of a broader conquest approach, but always test and check legal implications.

How often should I review and update my brand exclusion list?

Best practice says review monthly, though higher-volume or fast-changing industries may require more frequent checks. New product launches and market shifts can impact which terms are appearing and whether they still align with your goals.

What if I don’t have strong organic presence for branded searches?

If your brand doesn’t rank well organically, excluding branded terms may mean missing out on key conversions. In these situations, keep branded terms active but work on improving your SEO so you can confidently shift spend to more incremental, non-brand opportunities down the line.