How do placement exclusions work in Performance Max?
Part of Google Ads placements
The short answer
Performance Max accepts no placement targets, but it respects placement exclusions saved at the account level and exclusion lists applied from a manager account. Those block named websites, apps, YouTube channels and videos on the Display Network, YouTube watch pages, Google video partners and Search partners. Brand exclusions and negative keywords, set per campaign, control Search and Shopping queries instead.
Key takeaways
- Placement exclusions for Performance Max live in the account's Content suitability page or in a manager account list, never inside one campaign.
- Brand exclusions and campaign negative keywords stop queries on Search and Shopping inventory; they do not block any website, app or video.
- Google's coverage table, checked October 22, 2026, leaves Shorts placement and theme exclusions out of Performance Max.
- The Performance Max placement report lists webpages, mobile apps and YouTube videos, and Google calls it a brand safety tool.
Can you exclude placements inside a single Performance Max campaign?
No. Google's account level exclusion page (opens in a new tab) says Performance Max placement exclusions are managed at the account level, and that lists built in a manager account (MCC) are inherited by linked accounts. The Performance Max brand suitability guide (opens in a new tab) adds that channel exclusions cannot be applied at the ad group or campaign level. Both pages were checked October 22, 2026.
That makes a Performance Max exclusion a decision about the whole account. An entry saved under Content suitability reaches Display, Video and Performance Max campaigns alike, and Google says account level exclusions override campaign and ad group placement settings.
| Control | Where it is set | What it touches |
|---|---|---|
| Placement exclusions | Account Content suitability page, or a manager account list | Pages, sites, mobile apps, YouTube channels and videos on Display, video and Search partner inventory |
| Excluded content keywords | Account: Content suitability | Display and video inventory, exact match only, up to 1,000 keywords |
| Negative keywords | Per campaign, or account wide in Account settings (up to 1,000) | Search and Shopping queries only |
| Brand exclusions | Campaign settings, Other settings, using an account level brand list | Queries about the listed brands on Search and Shopping inventory |
| URL exclusions | Campaign settings, Asset optimization | Pages of the advertiser's own site that Final URL expansion may send people to |
How do you add an account level placement exclusion for Performance Max?
Add placement exclusions that Performance Max will respect
- Open Content suitability. In the Google Ads account, select Tools, then Content suitability, then Advanced settings. Google's help pages gave two paths when checked in October 2026, Tools > Content suitability and Admin > Account settings; confirm in the account.
- Open Excluded placements. Choose Browse to search by word, phrase, YouTube channel ID or video URL, or Enter to paste a list in one pass.
- Format each entry. Leave off www. so subdomains and paths are covered, add each country domain separately, and use mobileapp::1- or mobileapp::2- for apps.
- Save and confirm. Select Save, then look for the change in the account's Change history. Google says new placement exclusions typically take effect within 12 hours.
- Record the reason. Write down why each placement was excluded and who approved it, because the entry now governs every campaign in the account.
Two format rules matter more for Performance Max than for Display. Google says subdomain, subsite and subpage exclusions do not work on the Search Partner Network, so enter the whole domain. Any URL tied to a Google domain, such as mail.google.com, cannot be excluded at all.
How do brand exclusions and content exclusions work in Performance Max?
Brand exclusions are a query control. Google's brand settings page (opens in a new tab) says a brand list is built at the account level and applied to individual campaigns, and that for Performance Max the exclusions apply to Search and Shopping inventory. Brand lists match the brand in other languages and spellings, so variants do not need to be typed one by one.
Content exclusions are an inventory control, and all of them are account level. The inventory type (Maximum, Moderate or Limited) applies to YouTube, the Display Network and Google video partners. Sensitive content, content keywords and content themes sit on the same Content suitability page.
| The request | Control to use | What it will not do |
|---|---|---|
| Stop ads on one news site or app | Account placement exclusion | Change which search queries the campaign matches |
| Stop showing for a rival's brand name | Brand exclusion on the campaign | Keep ads off that rival's own website |
| Avoid a kind of content, such as mature games | Excluded content theme or inventory type | Block a specific site the client named |
| Stop sending visitors to a careers page | URL exclusion in Asset optimization | Exclude the campaign's own Final URL |
Which surfaces do Performance Max exclusions cover?
Performance Max serves on YouTube, Display, Search, Discover, Gmail and Maps, per Google's Performance Max overview (opens in a new tab). Exclusions do not reach those surfaces equally. The table condenses Google's content suitability coverage table (opens in a new tab) for three controls.
| Surface | Excluded placements | Excluded content keywords | Excluded content themes |
|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube in-stream and watch next | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| YouTube Shorts | No for Performance Max (footnote excludes it) | No | No for Performance Max (same footnote) |
| YouTube Home and Subscriptions feeds | No | No | No |
| Display Network | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Google video partners | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app inventory | Yes | Yes | Yes, except News themes |
| Search and Search Partner Network | Yes | Yes, set in Account settings | No |
| Discover | No | No | Yes |
| Gmail | No | No | No |
Google adds that content exclusions may give limited coverage of YouTube in-feed ads, Shorts, Discover, and mobile and connected TV inventory. For YouTube, Google's account level exclusion page offers one more lever: not providing video assets "can reduce serving on YouTube". That is a reduction, not a block, and auto generated videos are a separate campaign setting to check.
Google's overview also describes channel prioritization: Search partners and the Google Display Network can be given separate priority tiers and optional daily budget allocations. It steers budget; it does not remove a named site.
What can Performance Max still not exclude?
- youtube.com as a whole. Google says the entirety of youtube.com cannot be excluded at the campaign level, especially for Performance Max; only specific channels and videos can be excluded.
- Google owned domains. Any URL associated with a Google domain cannot be added as a placement exclusion directly.
- The Final URL. Google's URL exclusion page (opens in a new tab) says the campaign's Final URL cannot be excluded through URL expansion exclusions and will still receive traffic.
- The homepage in feed campaigns. With a Merchant Center feed, Google says the homepage may still serve on some inventory, such as Shopping ads on Gmail, even when excluded.
- Hotel Ads. Google's guide says Hotel Ads campaigns within Performance Max for travel goals support neither negative keywords nor brand exclusions.
How do you check where Performance Max ads ran?
Google's Performance Max placement report page (opens in a new tab) offers a predefined report or a custom one. Since March 2024 it also lists Search partner sites. Google says to use it as a brand safety tool, because it does not include performance from every channel.
Open the Performance Max placement report
- Go to Report editor. Select Campaigns, then Insights and reports, then Report editor.
- Pick the predefined report. Select Performance Max campaigns placement, or create a report with Performance Max placement as the row and Impr. as the column.
- Add the type column. Add Performance Max placement type, which is hidden by default, to split rows into Webpage, Mobile App and YouTube Video.
- Filter and download. Keep the file with the exclusion record.
Definition
- Google Owned & Operated
- A single row in the Performance Max placement report that combines impressions on some YouTube formats, Discover, Gmail and other Google properties. It cannot be broken down further in that report.
Three other rows need care. Anonymous.google covers publishers that hide their site name, so there is no domain to exclude. Video no longer available means the video went private or was deleted after the ad served. Search never appears, because Google does not treat it as a placement.
What does a Performance Max exclusion setup look like on a real brief?
Fictional example
A Texas used truck dealer group prepares Performance Max
An unnamed fictional dealer group with lots in Dallas and Houston plans a Performance Max campaign for used pickup trucks. The same account already runs a Display campaign for its service department. The brief asks for no ads on 40 apps and sites a previous agency flagged, no traffic from searches for two rival dealer names, and no ads beside mature video games.
Because Performance Max takes placement exclusions only at the account level, the 40 entries will also apply to the service campaign, so the service manager reviews and agrees. Apps go in with the mobileapp:: prefixes and websites without www.
The rival names go into a brand list on the Performance Max campaign. The games request becomes the Games (mature) content theme, and the approval notes that theme exclusions do not reach Shorts in Performance Max. Two weeks after launch, the buyer checks every Mobile App row in the placement report against the excluded list.
How does PlacementGraph help decide what a Performance Max account should exclude?
What should a buyer check before a Performance Max campaign goes live?
Performance Max exclusion checklist
- Every placement exclusion sits in the account's Content suitability page or in a manager list applied to the account.
- Websites are entered without www., country domains are listed separately, and apps use the mobileapp:: prefixes.
- Brand exclusions and negative keywords are attached to the campaign for Search and Shopping queries.
- The client has been told which YouTube surfaces placement exclusions do not reach in Performance Max.
- Exclusions were saved at least 12 hours before launch and appear in Change history.
For the wider mechanics of exclusion lists and formats, see the placement exclusions guide. For reading placement reports across campaign types, see where ads showed, and for how campaign types differ on placements, start at the placement targeting hub.
Frequently asked questions
Do Performance Max placement exclusions also block Search partner sites?
Yes, for whole domains. Since March 2024, Google says account and manager level placement exclusions also apply to the Search partner network, for Performance Max and other campaign types. Subdomain and subpage exclusions do not work there, so enter the root domain.
Do Performance Max negative keywords keep ads off YouTube or Display?
No. Google says Performance Max negative keywords apply to Search and Shopping inventory only. To keep ads away from pages and videos about a word, use excluded content keywords on the account's Content suitability page. They are exact match only and capped at 1,000.
Does removing video assets keep Performance Max off YouTube?
Not entirely. Google says that not providing video assets can reduce serving on YouTube, which is weaker than a block. Auto generated videos are a separate campaign setting worth checking. For specific channels and videos, an account level placement exclusion is the documented control.
Can a brand exclusion keep Performance Max off a rival's website?
No. A brand exclusion stops the campaign from serving on queries associated with that brand, on Search and Shopping inventory. It does not touch the rival's website, app or YouTube channel. To keep ads off those, add them as account level placement exclusions.
Sources
- How to use brand suitability features in Performance Max (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- Exclude placements at the account level (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- Use placement exclusion lists across your accounts (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- About content suitability (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- About brand settings for Search and Performance Max (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- About URL exclusion in Performance Max (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- About Performance Max campaigns (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- Find or create placement reports for your Performance Max campaigns (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
Researched and written by PlacementGraph Research. Read how we research, source and update these pages. Corrections: diana@placementgraph.com.