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A while back I asked you if you're going to use negatives now that they're available for PMax - an overwhelming majority of you said yes. Some were surprised at the question.... Negatives are a useful tool, however if used incorrectly they block profitable traffic. Here's a checklist to go through when considering whether to add a keyword as a negative: 1. Is it eliminating waste? Wasteful traffic should always be blocked. However it's really important to keep a dynamic perspective on what we consider waste. Search trends shift all the time and assuming that the way people searched 10 years ago is the same way they're searching now is a mistake. For example, it used to be a golden rule to make all question words negatives. Now, you might lose out on really transactional traffic that leans into conversational search. Bonus tip: use single words on phrase match to exclude waste in bulk and have it be applicable to Microsoft Ads (they don't have broad match negative). 2. Is it directing traffic? I have always been team "ad group level negatives" because they allow me to protect the themes I'm going after as well as lean into broad match and DSA. However, asset groups don't support negatives, so the only direction you'll be able to provide is pushing budget towards your search campaigns. This has utility, but it's worth remembering that search themes will only "steal" traffic if they're the same as the keywords you're bidding on. 3. Is it keeping you compliant? Sometimes we absolutely can't have our ads serve on SERPs. It might be due to a reseller deal, competitor agreement, or some other factor. These negatives are always going to have a place, and it's worth remembering that Google added the brand exclusion feature to help with this. If you're not allowed to serve for someone else's brand name, include it in the brand exclusion as an extra layer of protection. If a negative keyword passes these checks, it gets to stay. If it doesn't, it's worth testing removing it. Optmyzr will have some fresh data on this, but I'd like to share our study from last year to drive the point home: performance was better for brands who didn't include exclusions (negative keywords, placement exclusions, audiences, or topics). I'm not saying to get rid of negatives all together, just to be as methodical about them as your active targets. Do you regularly audit your negatives? If not, why not?

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There are fundamentally three levers you can pull within your ad account: ?? Targets ??? Creative ?? Budget Most search first marketers lean into targets first, budget second, and creative when they get around to it. Social first marketers almost always are the opposite (looking at creative first, targets second, and budget if they have to). This is in large part due to how the platforms work, but also due to how we've learned to structure tests. Here are a few scenarios for search and social where I'd focus on one lever over the others: Scenario #1: Brand is constantly going over budget. While the ROAS is "positive", the actual profit is in the black or in the red. Search: ?? + ?? Social: ?? + ?? Rationale: If budget is the core issue, the brand needs to address this first, and then address the targets/exclusions. Search budgets need to account for averaging out the daily budget across 30.4 days and seeing daily budgets up to double. Social budgets can be either lifetime or based on a daily/monthly pace. Depending on your settings you may be happier with lifetime or an ongoing campaign. Scenario #2: Ads get high CTR but the conversion rate is terrible. Conversions are coming through but they're junky. Search: ???, but if junk persists, address ?? Social: ??, but if junk persists, address ??? Rationale: In search, it can be tempting to change the targets before addressing the creative, however if the creative isn't prequalifying leads or establishing who you want to help, the targeting work will be wasted. This is why I like to confirm the creative is doing the best job it can before adjusting targets (location, time, keywords, etc.). Exclusions would happen at the same time as creative tests. On the other hand, social ads with high CTR and low quality are almost always a targeting issue. When the ad is a problem in social, it doesn't get clicked. Scenario #3: Brand is trying to scale, but every time they raise the budget they just increase the CPA. Search: Expand into social Social: Expand into search Rationale: Sometimes you've captured the "gettable" market on a channel and need to be willing to expand to a new one. Sometimes this means borrowing budget to test, while tests might get net new budget. Video is a great way to expand (on both search and social). Whatever the case might be, Optmyzr has you covered with Optmyzr Core, Pro, and Optmyzr for Social. Never watch a campaign over spend again, while getting the benefit of search and social thinking in one tool! What's your default lever to pull when solving an account problem?