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Google Ads Performance Max

Audience exclusion works differently for Performance Max campaigns. This is because Performance Max doesn't support excluding by audience the same way other campaign types do. You'll need to tell Google to apply a value adjustment to your blocked audience, to optimize your campaigns away from it.

You can use this technique if:

  • Your Performance Max campaign is optimized for conversion value (i.e. Maximise Conversion Value or tROAS)
  • and, your campaign uses top-of-funnel conversions such as page views, button clicks, etc.

It works by applying a 'value rule' of 0.5 to any conversion that happens against a blocked (bad) visit. The maximum value adjustment you can apply is 0.5. So whilst it doesn't cancel out the effect of these conversions entirely, it will help to minimize the effect of poor quality top-of-funnel conversions from unwanted traffic.

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Before you follow the steps below, please make sure your site is connected to a Google account, and that you've followed the steps to create an exclusion audience.

Applying the value rule adjustment​

  1. Sign in to Google Ads and go to your Performance Max campaign Settings page.
  2. Expand the Value rules section.
  3. Click + Create Google Ads value rule.
  4. For Select your rule's primary condition choose Audience segment.
  5. Search for Hitprobe and then select the Hitprobe segment from earlier when you created the exclusion audience.
  6. Scroll down to the Value adjustment section, select Multiply, and enter the value 0.5 (this is the minimum allowed). Click Save.
  7. Finally, back on the Value rules section, click Save.

The Google Performance Max campaign will now apply a lower conversion value to conversions originating from blocked sessions.