Here’s a question that popped up in the God Tier Ads community recently: “As far as I understood, it is only exact match keywords that take priority over PMax. Right?”
My answer: “Yes, exact match keywords take prioriy. BUT there’s more to the story…”
It is my current understanding that Performance Max takes preference if and only if:
1. You do not have a keyword in your search campaign whose keyword text exactly matches the search term from the user query and the campaign is not limited by other targeting and/or budget constraints (note that the keyword does not need to be an exact match type keyword)
AND
2. The user query is not matched to another matching keyword in your search campaigns that has a higher ad rank for that search.
As per Google:
“Performance Max ads are equivalent to keywords that don’t exactly match the search term or the spell-corrected search term for selection preference.” (*)
“If a keyword isn’t preferred based on the above rules, Performance Max ads are selected based on the highest Ad Rank in comparison to other keywords in the account.”
SOURCE: https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/2756257?hl=en
(*) The set of preferences detailed in the Google support doc determines which keyword/campaign is used to enter an ad into an auction. Once the ad enters the auction, it’s then compared with ads from other advertisers, and your cost-per-click is what’s minimally required to clear the Ad Rank thresholds and beat the Ad Rank of the competitor immediately below you, if any.
– Nils
PS:
If you join God Tier Ads, you’ll also become part of an online community of PPC freaks like Ed and me, where all members help you answer questions like the one above.
If you want to simplify account management, take back control, and improve results (or your money back) -> sign up for Ed’s God Tier Ads. (https://app.godtierads.com/gta-bonus-bundle/apnnu).
Use my discount code “NILS100” at checkout for $100 off. Pay once, get lifetime access to everything.
I’d still share these tips without the kickback… Ed’s pro tips have made me way more money than I’ll ever see from commissions, but a few extra bucks is nice!
Here’s the link again: https://app.godtierads.com/gta-bonus-bundle/apnnu