How to separate branded demand from Performance Max
Branded queries inside Performance Max inflate ROAS and hide weak generic efficiency. This is the framework I use to isolate them and read the account more honestly.
One of the fastest ways to overestimate account quality is letting branded demand sit inside Performance Max unchecked. If the account is harvesting brand-heavy demand, the reported ROAS looks cleaner than the actual scale opportunity.
What I look for first
I start by comparing search term patterns, brand-query behavior, and the relative role of brand Search versus PMax. If branded traffic is being absorbed into the wrong place, every downstream decision gets distorted.
The goal is not just to improve reporting clarity. The goal is to understand whether non-brand demand can actually scale profitably once brand inflation is removed from the picture.