Check priorities before you add search themes to Google Ads Performance Max

According to Google Ads Help documentation, search themes are optional signals that allow advertisers to tell Google AI the query topics relevant to their business. They are useful when directing traffic toward new product lines or seasonal promotions that are not yet sufficiently reflected in your landing pages or product feed data.

In what order do search themes and search campaigns compete?

When a user search query is identical in spelling to an exact match keyword in an existing search campaign, the search campaign will always serve. Even if the Performance Max campaign is calculated to have a higher bid, this exact match priority rule remains unchanged.

In contrast, when a user search query matches phrase match or broad match keywords in a search campaign, the campaign with the higher Ad Rank will serve. If Performance Max demonstrates better ad relevance and expected performance, it may serve instead of the search campaign.

If a search campaign cannot participate in an auction due to budget constraints or targeting restrictions, Performance Max may serve in its place. Therefore, verify your budget exhaustion status to prevent campaigns from unintentionally competing.

What are the priorities and decision criteria by search query type?

When applying search themes, the competitive relationship with existing campaigns is determined according to the criteria below.

Source: Google Ads Help documentation (checked on 2026-10-25).

According to documentation, you can add up to 25 search themes per campaign. Keep in mind that this limit applies across the entire campaign rather than per asset group.

What settings should you avoid when adding search themes?

Avoid copying and pasting core exact match keywords that already deliver strong conversion rates in existing search campaigns into search themes. Because the search campaign already holds priority, adding duplicate keywords to Performance Max does not double your impressions.

Account-level negative keywords and brand exclusions apply directly to search themes as well. To block unwanted traffic, review your account negative keyword list first rather than adjusting search themes.

The official documentation does not provide specific figures on how much impressions or conversions will increase after adding specific search themes. Because the platform does not guarantee performance numbers, compare spend and conversion trends before and after changes directly in your account.

What three things should you check in your account before applying?

Before saving your settings, review these three items in order within your account.

1. Check whether proposed themes overlap with exact match keyword lists in existing search campaigns.
2. Confirm that necessary terms are not blocked in account-level negative keywords or brand exclusion lists.
3. Select up to 25 themes focused on areas with limited data, such as recently added landing pages or new product categories.

After configuring the settings, monitor the Performance Max search terms report to see whether new queries are flowing in, and keep periodic performance logs.