Google raises negative keywords limit to 10,000 for Performance Max campaigns

Google today announced it will increase the negative keywords limit for Performance Max campaigns from 100 to 10,000, addressing a significant constraint that advertisers have faced since the campaign type's introduction. The update, which will roll out over the next couple of weeks, aligns the negative keyword capabilities of Performance Max with those already available in Search campaigns.

According to Ginny Marvin, Ads Product Liaison at Google, the change comes in direct response to advertiser feedback that the previous cap felt too restrictive. "We heard your feedback loud and clear that while negative keywords are welcomed, the cap of 100 felt too restrictive," Marvin stated in the announcement.

The negative keywords feature for Performance Max campaigns was initially introduced to help advertisers avoid having their campaigns show for queries containing specific terms on Search and Shopping inventory. With this expanded limit, advertisers gain substantially more control over where their ads appear.

Technical implementation details

The negative keywords functionality in Performance Max applies specifically to Search and Shopping inventory. When advertisers add negative keywords to their Performance Max campaigns or account, they can prevent their campaigns from showing for queries that contain those terms.

Advertisers should note the following technical specifications:

• Performance Max negative keywords are applicable to Search and Shopping inventory only
• Negative keyword lists are not currently available for use in Performance Max campaigns
• Account-level negative keywords automatically apply to all Search and Shopping inventory, including Performance Max campaigns

To implement negative keywords in Performance Max campaigns, advertisers must:

1. Navigate to Keywords within the Campaigns section
2. Click the Negative keywords tab
3. Click the plus button to add negative keywords
4. Select the specific Performance Max campaign
5. Add keywords, one per line, with appropriate match type symbols if desired
6. Click Save to complete the process

For editing existing negative keywords, advertisers can select the keywords they wish to modify, click Edit, select Change keyword text, add their keywords, and click Apply.

Impact on campaign performance

Google has emphasized that the increased cap still aims to provide sufficient control while maintaining the system's flexibility to achieve campaign goals. "The cap aimed to ensure the system has the flexibility to achieve your campaign's goal while providing additional control," Marvin explained. "With this increase, we still strongly recommend using negative keywords judiciously, keeping match type behavior in mind."

The company advises advertisers to monitor campaign performance closely as they add negative keywords, to ensure they aren't limiting the system's ability to find valuable conversions.

It's important for advertisers to understand how negative keywords function in Google Ads:

• Negative broad match: Ads won't show if the search contains all negative keyword terms, even if they appear in a different order
• Negative phrase match: Ads won't show if the search contains the exact keyword terms in the same order, though additional words may be present
• Negative exact match: Ads won't show if the search contains the exact keyword terms without extra words

Additional control options

Beyond the expanded negative keywords limit, Google reminds advertisers of other tools available for controlling ad placements:

• Brand exclusions
• Account-level negative keywords
• Keyword prioritization

The company has also indicated that support for negative keyword lists in Performance Max will be coming later in 2025, providing even more streamlined management options.

"Lastly, we will also have more to share on support for negative keyword lists in PMax later this year," Marvin noted in the announcement.

Industry reception

The increase in the negative keywords limit has been well-received by industry professionals. According to posts responding to the announcement, many digital marketers viewed the previous 100-keyword cap as a significant bottleneck, particularly for brands dealing with high volumes of irrelevant searches.

Some industry experts have noted that while the increased cap represents progress, advertisers would also benefit from greater visibility into search terms that trigger Performance Max ads, to better identify which terms should be excluded.

Timeline of negative keywords evolution in Performance Max

• Prior to March 2025: Performance Max campaigns limited to 100 negative keywords
• March 10, 2025: Google announces increase of negative keywords limit to 10,000
• Late March 2025: Expanded limit expected to be fully rolled out to all Performance Max advertisers
• Later in 2025: Planned support for negative keyword lists in Performance Max campaigns

This development represents one of several recent enhancements to Performance Max campaigns as Google continues to evolve the campaign type based on advertiser feedback and performance data.