Google revised its Performance Max documentation on November 2, 2026, indicating the campaign type may filter out navigational and brand-specific search queries. The change matters because advertisers who relied on Performance Max for brand traffic must now ensure separate Search campaigns can capture those queries.
What happened
Google’s Help Center now states that Performance Max campaigns may skip searches for brand names and navigational queries, directing that traffic to dedicated Search campaigns. The wording appears on the page "How Performance Max interacts with other campaigns in your account" and was first reported by PPC News Feed on November 2, 2026, after Hana Kobzová spotted the change. The page does not provide a date, definition of a brand query, or guidance for accounts without a dedicated brand Search campaign.
Why it matters
Performance Max has been popular because it can serve across Google Shopping, Images, YouTube and other properties, often capturing brand-related clicks without a separate Search campaign. By potentially filtering those queries, Google is shifting brand traffic to campaigns where advertisers have tighter control over budget, ad copy and bidding. The new rule adds a second exception to the existing hierarchy that already prefers exact-match keywords over Performance Max. Now, even without an exact-match keyword, a brand query could be routed away from Performance Max simply because it is identified as navigational or brand-specific. Marketers risk losing brand visibility if their Search campaigns lack sufficient budget or high-quality ads.
What this means for marketers
- Review your account structure. If you rely on Performance Max for brand traffic, create or boost a dedicated Search campaign that targets your brand terms.
- Allocate enough budget to those brand Search campaigns. Google’s guidance stresses that the campaigns must have "sufficient budget and high-quality, eligible ads" to capture the filtered traffic.
- Consider adding Search Themes to your Performance Max campaign as a safety net, but remember the primary control now lies with the Search campaign.
- Monitor performance closely. Because the wording uses the verb "may," the behavior could vary by account, so track impression share and cost-per-click for brand queries.
- For agencies like ADFLU, offering verified lead generation can help protect the quality of leads that still flow through Performance Max while the brand Search campaigns pick up the core traffic.
"Performance Max campaigns may also filter out navigational or brand-specific search queries to prioritize serving them through dedicated Search campaigns." Google
The bottom line
Google’s updated documentation signals a possible shift in how brand searches are allocated across campaign types. Advertisers should not assume Performance Max will automatically capture all brand-related clicks. Instead, they need dedicated Search campaigns with proper budget and ad quality to safeguard brand traffic and maintain cost efficiency.
Sources
- 1.ppc.land