Sometimes, but Search wins when it has the exact query: if a search term is identical to an exact match keyword in your Search campaign, Google prioritizes that campaign over Performance Max. For other searches the two compete on relevance and Ad Rank, so Performance Max can win queries your phrase and broad keywords would also match.
Performance Max and Search campaigns can both be eligible for the same search. They don't bid against each other: Google picks one campaign from your account to enter the auction, using a fixed order of priority.
How does Google decide which campaign serves?
Google's help page on ad group and asset group prioritization lists the order (as of November 2026):
- Exact match keywords identical to the search term. Google also counts a spell-corrected query, so
[plumbers]wins for "plumbrs". - Phrase and broad match keywords (including AI Max) or Performance Max search themes identical to the search term. These share the same priority.
- Relevance. When nothing is identical, Google's AI picks the most relevant ad group or asset group.
- Ad Rank. If there is still a tie, the higher Ad Rank serves.
Google adds that Dynamic Search Ads, AI Max ad groups without keywords and Performance Max asset groups without search themes are selected on Ad Rank.
So exact match is your only firm guarantee. A phrase or broad keyword only beats Performance Max when it is an exact copy of the query, and even then an identical search theme shares priority with it.
When does Performance Max take the traffic?
Mostly on searches that don't exactly copy any of your keywords: long-tail variations, questions and the wider queries that broad match would also catch. Google says that when no keyword exactly matches the query, the campaign with the higher Ad Rank serves, and that can be Performance Max.
Brand searches are a partial exception. Google says Performance Max may filter out navigational or brand-specific queries so they serve through dedicated Search campaigns. Its advice is to give your brand Search campaign enough budget and high-quality, eligible ads.
How do you check for overlap and fix it?
- Open the Performance Max search terms report: Campaigns, Search terms, then choose "Search terms and landing pages for Performance Max" in the dropdown.
- Look for queries you already target, or want to target, in Search.
- Add the important ones as exact match keywords in your Search campaign. That puts them at priority 1.
- Block queries Performance Max should never take with campaign-level negative keywords or brand exclusions. See whether you can add negative keywords to Performance Max.
- If you use search themes, avoid copying your Search keywords into them one to one, since identical themes share priority with phrase and broad keywords.
What I do: if you would be unhappy to see Performance Max serve a query, that query belongs in Search as an exact match keyword. I treat Performance Max as the net for demand I haven't mapped yet, not as a replacement for a keyword list I already know converts. For a deeper look at running both, read how to integrate Performance Max and Search and what search themes do in Performance Max.
Sources
- Google Ads Help: About ad group and asset group prioritization within a Google Ads account - https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/2756257
- Google Ads Help: How Performance Max interacts with other campaigns in your account - https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/13810170
- Google Ads Help: About the search terms report in Performance Max - https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/16327396
- Google Ads Help: About Performance Max campaigns - https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/10724817