Performance Max negative keyword tool
Performance Max decides where your ads show, and it does not hand you a keyword list to prune. NegativeKeywords reads the search terms it matched, finds queries that spent without converting, proves each exclusion is safe and applies it only after your approval, with one-click undo.
Why Performance Max needs its own search-term routine
In a Search campaign you choose keywords, so wasted queries trace back to a match type you can change. In Performance Max the targeting is automated, so the leak shows up only in the search terms you review after the money is gone.
Typical waste is job seekers, free-intent shoppers, support queries from existing customers and loosely related products. A weekly sweep that ranks these by money lost finds them faster than reading a raw report row by row, and it keeps the same standard from one week to the next.
The risk is the reverse. An exclusion that blocks a phrase which converts costs more than the click it saved, and in an automated campaign that damage is hard to spot. So every proposal here shows the query evidence and is checked against your active keywords, products and converting queries before it can reach the account.
How the review works
Four steps, the same on every account.
- 1. Connect or paste. Connect Google Ads through OAuth, or paste a search terms export and describe what you sell.
- 2. Score the queries. Each query is scored on cost, clicks, conversions and intent against your offer.
- 3. Check for conflicts. Proposals are tested against active keywords, products and converting terms, and the level and match type are suggested.
- 4. Approve and track. You approve in a queue, the change is logged and any exclusion can be undone in one click.
What is and is not covered
Google limits what can be excluded in Performance Max, so the tool states what it can apply and what needs a manual step.
| Task | NegativeKeywords |
|---|---|
| Find wasted search terms | Yes, ranked by money lost |
| Account-level and supported campaign-level negatives | Proposed at the right level where Google supports it |
| Conflict check against converting terms | Before every negative |
| Approval, audit log and undo | Yes, on every plan |
| Asset groups, budgets, bids and creative | Not offered, search terms only |
For the manual side, read how Performance Max negative keywords work. For a wider view, see the Google Ads tool, and for several client accounts the agency plan. Plans start at 49 USD per month, or 24 USD per month billed yearly, on the pricing page.
Who gets the most from it
Teams where Performance Max carries real spend and nobody has time to read the search terms weekly.
Ecommerce brands with Shopping and Performance Max feeds, where loose product matches and coupon seekers eat budget.
Lead generation advertisers who pay for form fills and want job seekers and DIY queries gone.
Agencies that need the same documented routine across many client accounts, with reports clients can read.
Questions about Performance Max negatives
What is a Performance Max negative keyword tool?
It is software that reads the search terms Performance Max actually matched, flags queries that cost money without converting, and proposes exclusions at a level Google supports. NegativeKeywords checks each proposal against your active keywords, products and converting queries, queues unclear ones for approval and logs every change with undo.
Can you add negative keywords to Performance Max?
Yes, within Google's limits. Performance Max accepts account-level negative keywords and supports campaign-level negatives through supported options. Support depends on the account, so a good tool shows which exclusions can be applied and which need a manual step instead of pretending everything is blockable.
Will negatives hurt my Performance Max results?
They can if they block a phrase that converts. That is why each proposal here shows clicks, cost and conversions for the query, is checked against active keywords and converting search terms, and waits in an approval queue on the Starter plan. Every applied negative has a one-click undo.
How do I test it on my own account?
Paste a recent search terms export on the homepage and describe what you sell. You get the queries that burned budget, the reason for each proposed negative and the conflict check result before you connect any account.
Check your Performance Max search terms against what you pay for
Paste a recent export and see which queries spent without converting and which negatives are safe to add.