Google quietly updated its Performance Max help documentation on November 3, 2026, adding a new section that says PMax campaigns may filter out navigational and brand-specific search queries. Instead of serving those queries through PMax, Google will try to route them through your dedicated Search campaigns.
If you are running PMax alongside brand Search campaigns, this change affects how your budget gets spent and how much control you have over brand traffic. Here is what changed, why it matters, and what to check in your account this week.
What Google’s Documentation Now Says
The new paragraph, added to the How Performance Max interacts with other campaigns help document, reads:
Performance Max campaigns may also filter out navigational or brand-specific search queries to prioritize serving them through dedicated Search campaigns. This ensures brand-related queries are handled by campaigns offering more precise control. To capture this traffic, ensure your dedicated brand Search campaigns have sufficient budget and high-quality, eligible ads, and consider adding Search Themes to the Performance Max campaign.
The change was spotted by Hana Kobzova, who posted about it on PPC News Feed. The archived version of this page from June 2026 does not contain this paragraph, so it is a recent addition.
In practical terms, Google is telling us that PMax will step aside when someone searches for your brand name, letting your dedicated Search campaigns handle those clicks. This is generally a good thing, but only if your brand Search campaigns are ready to pick up the traffic.
Why This Change Makes Sense for Advertisers
Performance Max is a black-box campaign type. You give Google assets and a budget, and it figures out where to show them across Search, Shopping, YouTube, Gmail, and Display. That is great for discovery, but not great for brand queries, where you want tight control over messaging, bidding, and landing pages.
Brand queries typically have high conversion rates and low CPCs, but only if you bid on them explicitly. When PMax serves brand queries, it can cannibalize your Search campaigns and make it harder to measure the true performance of each channel. By filtering brand queries out of PMax, Google is giving advertisers clearer separation.
However, this only works if your dedicated brand Search campaigns are healthy. If your brand campaigns are paused, underfunded, or have disapproved ads, you could lose that traffic entirely. This is why the documentation specifically says to ensure sufficient budget and high-quality, eligible ads.
What to Check in Your Google Ads Account Now
Here is a step-by-step checklist for advertisers running PMax:
- Review your brand Search campaigns. Make sure they are active, have sufficient budget, and all ads are approved and showing. If you paused them because PMax was handling brand traffic, turn them back on.
- Check budget allocation. If your brand Search campaigns were underfunded because PMax was picking up brand queries, increase their budgets. Google is now expecting them to handle that traffic.
- Add Search Themes to PMax. Google recommends adding Search Themes to your PMax campaign to help it understand what queries it should still capture. This is a newer PMax feature that lets you signal intent without using exact keywords.
- Monitor search term reports. Over the next few weeks, watch your PMax search term reports for a drop in brand-related queries. If you see brand queries disappearing from PMax, that is the filter working as intended.
- Compare performance before and after. Track your brand Search campaign metrics (CTR, CPC, conversion rate) over the next two weeks against the previous two weeks. You should see an increase in impressions and clicks if the filter is redirecting traffic.
If you need help auditing your PMax and Search campaign setup, our SEM and paid ads services cover full account reviews and budget optimization.
Other Google Ads Changes from November 2026
The PMax documentation update is part of a broader set of Google Ads changes rolling out in late October and early November 2026:
- AI Mode ads expanded to 10 more countries: Google expanded to India and nine others on October 28. Search, Shopping, and PMax campaigns are auto-enrolled with no opt-out. Google says CTR for sponsored product listings in AI Mode is already similar to organic results.
- Multiturn ads in the US: Ads can now appear in follow-up questions within AI Mode conversations, not just the first query.
- Channel prioritization and budget controls: New controls help you guide how budget flows across Search, Shopping, PMax, and Demand Gen campaigns.
- BFCM guidance from Google: Google’s Ads Product Liaison Ginny Marvin shared that changing tCPA and budgets will not reset campaign learning, which is useful for Black Friday adjustments.
The AI Mode ads expansion is particularly relevant for businesses in India. Your Search, Shopping, and PMax campaigns now automatically appear in AI Mode answers, and you cannot opt out. This means your ads are showing in a new surface without any action on your part. Monitor performance to see if AI Mode traffic converts differently from standard search traffic. Our management packages can help you stay on top of these changes.
Should You Keep PMax Running for Brand Queries?
With Google filtering brand queries out of PMax, you might wonder if PMax still has value for brand traffic. The answer is: not directly, but PMax still drives discovery and non-brand queries effectively. The change actually makes PMax better at its core job, which is finding new customers across Google’s surfaces, rather than competing with your own brand campaigns.
Our recommendation is to let the filter do its job. Keep your brand campaigns in dedicated Search with exact and phrase match, and let PMax focus on broader intent. Use Search Themes in PMax to guide it toward the queries you want it to capture, and use negative keywords to keep it away from queries it should not be touching.
If you are spending a significant portion of your budget on PMax and want a second opinion on whether that spend is working, talk to us about an account audit.
Want help reviewing your PMax setup and brand campaign budget? Book a meeting and we will walk through your account together.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the PMax brand query filter do?
Google’s Performance Max campaigns may now filter out navigational and brand-specific search queries, routing them to your dedicated Search campaigns instead. This gives advertisers more precise control over brand traffic and prevents PMax from cannibalizing brand Search campaigns.
Do I need to change my PMax campaigns after this update?
You should ensure your dedicated brand Search campaigns are active, well-funded, and have approved ads. Google also recommends adding Search Themes to your PMax campaign to help it capture relevant non-brand traffic. No campaign restructuring is required, but budget allocation should be reviewed.
Will PMax still show ads for brand queries at all?
Google says PMax may filter out brand queries, not that it always will. The filtering likely depends on whether you have a dedicated brand Search campaign that can serve the query. If you do not have one, PMax may still serve brand queries, but relying on that is risky.
How does the AI Mode ads expansion affect Indian advertisers?
As of October 28, 2026, Search, Shopping, and Performance Max campaigns in India are automatically eligible to appear in AI Mode answers. You cannot opt out. Google says CTR for sponsored product listings in AI Mode is already similar to organic results, but you should monitor performance to see if conversion rates differ.
What are Search Themes in Performance Max?
Search Themes is a PMax feature that lets you signal the types of search queries you want your campaign to capture, without using exact keywords. Google recommends adding Search Themes to help PMax find relevant traffic now that brand queries may be filtered out.