More Control for Advertisers as Negative Keyword Cap Increases
Google Ads has announced a significant expansion to the negative keyword limit for Performance Max (PMax) campaigns, increasing the cap from 100 to 10,000 per campaign. This long-awaited update aligns PMax campaigns with traditional Search campaigns, giving advertisers greater control over where their ads appear.
Key Changes to PMax Negative Keyword Limits
- Previous limit: 100 negative keywords per PMax campaign
- New limit: 10,000 negative keywords per PMax campaign
- Rollout timeline: Expanding to all PMax advertisers over the next few weeks
According to Google Ads Liaison Ginny Marvin, the higher cap balances flexibility with control while ensuring that campaign performance remains optimized.
Why This Matters for Advertisers
For many advertisers, the previous 100-keyword cap was a major frustration, limiting their ability to exclude irrelevant searches and improve targeting. With the new 10,000-keyword limit, advertisers can:
- Filter out low-quality traffic more effectively
- Refine audience targeting for better ROI
- Reduce wasted ad spend on irrelevant queries
However, Google warns that excessive use of negative keywords may impact conversions, so advertisers should apply them strategically.
What’s Next for PMax Negative Keywords?
Support for Negative Keyword Lists:
Later this year, Google plans to introduce negative keyword list support for PMax, further streamlining campaign management.
Additional Control Tools:
Advertisers can also use brand exclusions and account-level negative keywords to enhance targeting.
Related Reading:
If you’re looking for ways to maximize control over PMax campaigns, check out our in-depth guides:
- How to Control Performance Max Campaigns
- How to Get Rid of Performance Max Spam Leads
- Using Google Ads Scripts to Improve PMax Campaigns
Key Takeaways
- Google Ads is increasing the negative keyword limit for PMax from 100 to 10,000 per campaign.
- The update aligns PMax campaigns with Search campaigns, giving advertisers greater control.
- More updates are coming, including support for negative keyword lists later this year.
