Google Ads keeps leaning harder into automation, and it’s not slowing down. That’s not necessarily a bad thing! AI Max for Search and Performance Max (PMax) can find new demand pockets that traditional Search campaigns would miss. But if you want control, you’re going to need exclusions.
Think of negatives – keywords and URLs – as the guardrails on your campaign. They don’t stop the car, but they do keep it from veering into ditches full of wasted spend. However, negatives don’t work in AI Max and PMax the same way they do in standard Search campaigns. Knowing the difference is key to running profitable and efficient campaigns.
Why Negatives Are Critical for AI-Max and PMax Success
Broader targeting by design
AI Max and PMax use Google’s AI to expand reach beyond your keyword lists, matching to competitors and related terms. That’s fantastic for scale, but without those guardrails, your ads can start showing for junk queries.
Smarter pruning with insights
AI Max doesn’t just expand queries; it also decides which landing page to send users to. That’s powerful and helpful, but sometimes AI might pick a page that burns budgets without converting. Negatives let you prune those dead-end URLs.
The risk of being “too broad”
Without exclusions, you may pay for:
- Off-category queries (like “pens” when you only sell stationery and notebooks).
- Pure research/informational traffic with no intent to buy.
- Visitors landing on sitemaps, FAQs, or shipping pages that never convert.
Where to Find Search Terms (and Negatives)
You’ll find search terms for AI Max and PMax under Insights & reports → Search terms.
For AI Max, you have two options.
- Add a filter for “Match type” and select AI Max.
- Or, choose “Search terms and landing pages from AI Max” from the drop-down menu on the right, above the search terms. This option shows not just the search query, but also the landing page Google chose, as well as the AI-generated ad headline.
Additionally, AI Max allows ad group or campaign-level negatives, while PMax only allows campaign-level.
For AI Max, you can also exclude URLs directly in the search term view by checking the box next to a landing page and choosing ‘Add as negative URL’.
What to Exclude (and What to Keep)
When deciding what to negative, use this framework in both AI Max and PMax:
Irrelevant categories
Exclude terms that don’t fit your product catalog. Example: If you sell high-end fireplaces, negative out “affordable outdoor firepits” or, even better, add just the term “affordable” as a negative. But be careful, terms like “fireplaces online” might still be relevant if you sell gas fireplaces, even if the search didn’t specify “gas.” Keep in mind that we’re going after the intent of a user.
Competitors (case-by-case)
Competitor terms can work in PMax and AI Max. But if the spend is high and conversions are zero, it’s time to negative them or add a brand exclusion. For example, if your campaign focuses on mountain bikes, but queries for road bike competitors keep surfacing, add them as negatives.
If you see a specific competitor consistently spending and not converting, you can even exclude them via brand exclusions or simply negative them on the campaign level or add them as a brand exclusion on the campaign level (you can add up to 20 brand exclusions).
Informational queries (case-by-case)
Not all high-funnel research terms are bad. Say you are a stationery company called Top Stationery Online. The search term, “what size envelope do I need for a brochure?” is probably wasteful. However, “is Top Stationery Online a good company?” might be worth keeping if it’s performing well.
Pages that never convert
If AI has decided to send notecard traffic to your shipping page or your “About Us” section, and it never converts, exclude those URLs directly from the “Search terms and landing pages from AI Max” page. For chronic offenders, you can create URL exclusion rules in campaign settings based on commonalities in the domain structure.
- Go to Settings in the Campaigns tab.
- Choose the Search campaign you want to update.
- Scroll down to Asset Optimization.
- Under “Final URL,” select the pencil.
- In the “Add URL exclusions,” you can enter the URLs that you want to exclude in the URLs tab, or select Rules to exclude URLs. Then select Add.
- Select Save.
Pro Tips for Smarter Negatives
- Sort by cost first. Cut big spenders with no conversions.
- Next, sort by impressions. Catch terms that attract views but no clicks. If a search term is getting an excessive amount of impressions and no one is clicking, obviously, it means something isn’t resonating with searchers.
- Be on the lookout for “near me” terms. If you’re online-only, these are usually duds.
- Check no-space search queries. Super-vague one-word terms (like “bikes”) may be too broad, but always evaluate on a case-by-case basis.
- Mine winning search terms for new asset groups. If folded note cards are being converted in your stationery campaign, put those products into their own asset group.
Final Thoughts
AI Max and PMax are built to discover new and hopefully profitable opportunities. But expanding the horizon without direction can quickly turn into waste. Negatives, whether keywords or URLs, are your way of teaching Google where not to go.
In Search campaigns, negatives act like stop signs. In AI Max and PMax, they’re more like guardrails. Both are necessary, but the guardrails matter more when Google’s automation is in the driver’s seat.
AI expands your reach, negatives define your lane. Use them correctly, and you’ll turn Google’s broader matching campaigns into qualified conversions instead of dead-end clicks.
Read our previous blog, Why and How to Use Negative Keywords & Landing Page Exclusions in Google Ads.
