The main issue with Performance Max data is that it is heavily inflated with branded search conversions, which makes the data appear better than it actually is. Performance Max tends to take credit for conversions that would have likely happened regardless of the campaign, due to people searching for the brand directly. This can lead to incorrect decision-making and hinder the scalability of the account.

To exclude branded traffic from Performance Max (pMax) campaigns, you can follow a 3-step process:

1. Analyze your share of brand in pMax using tools like the script from Smarter Ecommerce (SMEC) to see the share of brand within pMax over time.
2. Exclude brand from pMax using either Brand Exclusions or Negative Keyword Lists. Brand Exclusions can be set up directly in the pMax campaign settings, while Negative Keyword Lists can be added by filling out the 'Performance Max Campaign Modification Request Form' and having a Google Support Rep add them to your campaigns.
3. Catch brand traffic in Branded Search and Branded Shopping campaigns to ensure that branded searches are captured in dedicated campaigns, allowing for better visibility and impression share on branded searches.

Having a Branded Standard Shopping campaign is important because it allows you to:

• Maximize visibility (impression share) on branded searches on Google Shopping, which is crucial for knowing how visible you are for branded searches on the Shopping network.
• Ensure that your Performance Max campaigns are not taking credit for conversions that would occur from branded searches, making the pMax data more reliable and scalable.
• Defend your brand effectively on the Shopping network, as you can monitor the Search Impression Share and make adjustments as needed.

To set up and manage a Branded Standard Shopping campaign, consider the following best practices:

• Use one campaign and possibly one ad group, unless you need to segment by products/categories.
• Create multiple product groups split by category or product ID for easier CPC management.
• Select the appropriate feed and location targeting.
• Use Manual CPC or target ROAS (tROAS) bidding strategies, with Manual CPC preferred for branded traffic to keep costs low.
• Set the campaign priority to low.

Pro tip: Regularly exclude non-branded search terms from your Branded Shopping campaign by creating a negative keyword list and adding it to the campaign. Monitor the search term report and filter out non-branded terms, adding them as negatives to refine the campaign over time.

Two common misconceptions about using Performance Max alongside Branded Standard Shopping campaigns are:

1. Misconception 1: Some believe that Performance Max will always take priority over Standard Shopping, making it impossible to run them together effectively. However, if branded search terms are excluded from Performance Max, there won't be any overlap for it to take priority over.
2. Misconception 2: There's a concern that excluding branded search terms from Performance Max might limit the campaign by removing valuable conversion signals. But this isn't an issue because conversion data is shared across campaigns when using data-driven attribution, ensuring that Performance Max still benefits from the conversion signals.