The Hidden Budget Drain You’re Likely Missing

In today’s digital marketing landscape, optimizing Google Ads goes beyond crafting compelling copy. In fact, knowing where not to show your ads is equally crucial. Many advertisers overlook this powerful technique for Performance Max campaigns.

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Are your campaigns suffering from disappointing conversion rates? Perhaps you’re dealing with frustratingly high CPAs? You’re certainly not alone.

Surprisingly, Google’s algorithm often distributes your budget across various placements. These frequently include gaming apps like Candy Crush or casual apps like Talking Tom. While these apps have massive user bases, they rarely deliver quality leads for most businesses. This is because users playing games aren’t in a buying mindset. Instead, they’re focused on passing difficult levels or beating high scores.

Step-by-Step Guide to Excluding App Placements

Fortunately, removing these budget-draining placements is straightforward. Here’s how to exclude low-quality app placements from your Performance Max campaigns:

1. Navigate to the Tools Section in your Google Ads account
2. Select Content Suitability from the dropdown menu
3. Scroll down to find all available options at the bottom of the page
4. Click on “Excluded Placements” to access placement controls
5. Choose “App Categories” (there are about 140 categories available)
6. Open the App Store Section and select all irrelevant categories
7. Similarly, repeat this process for Google Play Store
8. Save your changes and monitor the improved campaign performance

As a reminder, review these exclusions regularly. This is because Google occasionally updates their categorization system.

Why This Strategy Works So Well

Performance Max campaigns aim to optimize for conversions. However, they need proper guidance to succeed. By excluding irrelevant app placements, you’re essentially telling Google’s algorithm: “Focus my budget where it matters most.”

As a result, this refinement helps in multiple ways:

• Improved Quality Score: Removing low-performing placements boosts your overall campaign quality
• Enhanced Budget Allocation: Your daily budget flows to placements more likely to convert
• Better Data Collection: Consequently, the algorithm learns from more relevant interactions
• Lower Overall CPA: Therefore, with fewer wasted clicks, your cost per acquisition naturally decreases

Beyond App Exclusions: Additional Optimization Tips

Although excluding app placements is a powerful first step, consider these additional strategies:

• Regularly Review Placement Reports: Check ad placements at least every two weeks
• Utilize Negative Keywords: Despite being limited in Performance Max, they still help refine targeting
• Optimize Asset Groups: Create specific, targeted groups rather than generic ones
• Set Clear Conversion Goals: In this way, the algorithm understands exactly what success means

Putting It All Into Practice

One of the best things about this optimization technique is its simplicity. It requires no special skills or deep Google Ads knowledge. Instead, it simply demands attention to where your budget goes.

Especially for beginners just starting with Google Ads, this approach offers an immediate win. Rather than getting overwhelmed by complex strategies, start by ensuring your ads appear in effective locations.

Conclusion

In summary, knowing where to exclude your ads can be just as crucial as knowing where to place them. By taking control of app placements in Performance Max campaigns, you make a smart choice that protects your budget.

Finally, I encourage you to implement this strategy today. Afterward, share your results in the comments. How much did your CPA improve? Did you find surprising app placements where your ads appeared? Your insights might help fellow marketers improve their campaigns.

If you want to learn more about advanced Google Ads techniques or need personal guidance, feel free to contact me for a consultation.

Download my comprehensive guide to Google Ads placement exclusions – Complete with additional categories to consider and performance benchmarks from various industries.