Summary
URL exclusions are the feature that prevents Performance Max from sending traffic to Careers pages. They sit in the campaign's final URL expansion settings and block the listed URLs and their subpages from ever being used as landing pages. Expansion keeps running everywhere else, so the marketer still gets the untapped growth they were after.
Nitin Batra is a Google Ads Search certified professional who manages live Performance Max and Search campaigns, including final URL expansion and URL exclusion setups, on a daily basis.
Last updated: August 22, 2026
To keep Performance Max discovering new queries while blocking traffic to specific pages like Careers, use URL exclusions in the campaign’s final URL expansion settings to stop those URLs being served as landing pages.
- Search themes
- URL exclusions
- Ad Strength
- Final URL expansion
The correct answer is: URL exclusions
Key Takeaways
- – URL exclusions are the Performance Max feature that stops final URL expansion from sending traffic to specified pages such as Careers or Jobs.
- – Exclusions are added in the campaign’s Settings under final URL expansion, and they apply to the whole path, so one entry can cover every page in that directory.
- – Final URL expansion exists to find converting queries and pages you have not manually targeted, and exclusions let you keep that discovery while fencing off pages that should never receive paid traffic.
- – A common mistake is turning final URL expansion off instead of using exclusions, which protects the unwanted pages but also removes the incremental traffic the marketer is asking for.
Where do I add URL exclusions in a Performance Max campaign?
Open the campaign, click Settings, and expand the final URL expansion section. There you can add specific URLs or paths that should never be used as landing pages. Account level URL exclusions are also available if you want the same list enforced across multiple campaigns without editing each one.
What does final URL expansion actually do in Performance Max?
It lets Google replace the final URL in your asset group with a more relevant page from your site when the query or user signal suggests a better match. This is how Performance Max surfaces queries and landing pages you never added manually. It stays on by default, and URL exclusions are the guardrail that keeps it inside the pages you are happy to advertise.
Do URL exclusions block a single page or the whole folder?
Exclusions apply to the URL you enter and the pages beneath it, so adding the careers directory covers the individual job posting pages inside it. If your careers content sits on more than one path, for example /careers and /jobs, add both. Check the actual live URL structure in the browser before entering the exclusion rather than assuming the path.
Will URL exclusions reduce my Performance Max reach?
Only for the pages you exclude. The campaign continues to expand to every other eligible page on the site, so the discovery benefit stays intact. Excluding a small set of non commercial pages like Careers, privacy or support login pages usually improves quality, because budget stops going to visits that can never convert.