Account-Level Placement Exclusions: A Brand Safety Checklist for Multi-Location Businesses

Hook: Stop wasting time chasing bad placements — enforce brand safety from one place

If you run a retail chain or manage marketing for multiple locations, the last thing you need is ad spend leaking to toxic or irrelevant inventory while you juggle dozens of campaigns. Fragmented exclusions, campaign-by-campaign lists, and the rise of automated formats like Performance Max make it easy for unsafe placements to slip through. The good news: in 2026 you can stop firefighting and start governing. This guide gives a practical, field-tested brand safety checklist and a reusable governance template to block bad placements at the account level, protect your reputation, and keep local teams aligned.

Why account-level placement exclusions matter in 2026

Early 2026 saw a pivotal change: Google Ads launched account-level placement exclusions, letting advertisers block unwanted inventory across Performance Max, Demand Gen, YouTube, and Display from a single setting. That shift matters because:

• Scale: Multi-location accounts run dozens to thousands of campaigns. Centralized exclusions reduce duplication and human error.
• Automation compatibility: Automated campaigns (Performance Max, Demand Gen) increasingly allocate spend dynamically — account-level exclusions are the best way to set guardrails without disabling automation.
• Speed: When a new risky placement appears, a single update prevents spend across all campaigns instantly.

"Google Ads is adding account-level placement exclusions, letting advertisers block unwanted inventory across all campaigns from a single setting." — Google Ads announcement, Jan 15, 2026

What multi-location marketers should know right now

• Account-level exclusions apply to core Google channels (Display, YouTube, Performance Max, Demand Gen). They are not a universal panacea — you still need controls for programmatic SSPs, CTV, in-app inventory, and social platforms.
• For businesses with manager/agency accounts, decide whether the Manager (MCC) should host the master list or whether each sub-account enforces localized exceptions.
• Use a process-oriented approach: checklist, CSV blacklist, approval workflow, automated monitoring, and quarterly audits.

Brand Safety Checklist for Multi-Location Businesses

This is a practical, prioritized checklist you can use immediately. Each item includes the action, the owner, and a short rationale.

1. Inventory audit (Owner: Marketing Ops; Frequency: 30 days)

   Action: Run placement reports for Display, YouTube, and Performance Max. Export domains, app IDs, and YouTube channel IDs with spend, impressions, and CTR.

   Why: Baseline visibility identifies where past spend landed and surfaces repeat offenders.

2. Create a master placement blacklist (Owner: Brand Safety Lead; Frequency: Ongoing)

   Action: Build a canonical CSV or shared sheet containing domains, app IDs, YouTube channels, and category tags. Tag rows with reason codes (e.g., "adult content", "fake news", "low quality", "apps - gambling").

   Why: A single source of truth avoids fragmented blocklists across local markets.

3. Apply account-level exclusions (Owner: Paid Media Specialist; Frequency: Immediate)

   Action: Use Google Ads account-level exclusions to upload the master blacklist. Confirm it applies to all eligible campaigns (Performance Max, Demand Gen, Display, YouTube).

   Why: Centralized enforcement prevents accidental spend in automated campaigns.

4. Local override policy (Owner: Regional Ops; Frequency: Quarterly)

   Action: Define when a location can request a placement exception (business case, approval workflow, time-limited). Keep exceptions logged in the central sheet.

   Why: Local markets sometimes need flexibility; a controlled exception process prevents ad-hoc, unvetted placements.

5. Third-party verification integration (Owner: Programmatic Lead; Frequency: Setup + Monthly checks)

   Action: Integrate verification vendors (e.g., IAS, DoubleVerify) to receive quality scores and to automate flagging of risky inventory. Configure alerts for sudden drops in viewability or spikes in suspicious placements.

   Why: Platforms surface signals (fraud, brand safety incidents) that ad platforms don’t expose directly.

6. Automated monitoring & scripts (Owner: DevOps/Analyst; Frequency: Daily)

   Action: Deploy scripts or API routines that detect new domains or channels appearing in spend reports and automatically flag them for review. Integrate with Slack/email alerts for rapid action.

   Why: Real-time detection minimizes exposure and supports fast blocking.

7. Content & contextual rules (Owner: Creative Lead; Frequency: Quarterly)

   Action: Use contextual targeting controls to avoid sensitive topics (e.g., politics, health conditions) and apply content exclusion labels available in platforms.

   Why: Contextual risk is growing; blocking placements isn’t always enough if content alignment is poor.

8. CTV and in-app strategy (Owner: Media Planner; Frequency: Ongoing)

   Action: Maintain separate supply path controls and whitelists for CTV and in-app buys. Use publisher lists and connected TV inventory filters.

   Why: CTV and apps have different risk profiles and often require publisher-level whitelists rather than wide blacklists.

9. Documentation & training (Owner: Head of Local Marketing; Frequency: Bi-annual)

   Action: Publish a clear brand safety playbook and run training for local franchisees/marketing teams covering the blacklist process and emergency escalation.

   Why: Governance only works if local teams understand the rules and how to request exceptions.

10. Audit and compliance (Owner: Internal Audit; Frequency: Quarterly)

    Action: Quarterly audits of placement exclusions, exception logs, and campaign reports. Review for policy drift and update the master list accordingly.

    Why: Regular audits keep lists relevant and prevent legacy rules from stifling performance.

Step-by-step: Implementing account-level placement exclusions in Google Ads

Follow these steps to deploy a centralized blacklist across your Google Ads account(s).

1. Export historical placements: In Google Ads, go to placement reports for Display and YouTube, and the asset/placement data for Performance Max. Export domains, app IDs, channel IDs, spend, and metrics for the last 90 days.
2. Classify and prioritize: Tag every placement with a risk category (High/Medium/Low) and a reason code. Prioritize high-risk and high-spend placements for immediate inclusion.
3. Create the master CSV: Columns to include: Placement Type (domain/app/youtube), Identifier, Risk Category, Reason Code, First Seen (date), Last Seen (date), Owner, Approval Status, Notes.
4. Upload to account-level exclusions: In Google Ads, navigate to the new account-level placement exclusions area and upload your CSV. Confirm that the list is applied to all supported campaign types.
5. Test and monitor: After upload, monitor the next 7–14 days for anomalies. Check whether automated campaigns compensate by shifting spend to other risky inventory — if they do, iterate on exclusions and contextual targeting rules.
6. Document exceptions: Log any approved exceptions with a sunset date. If a location requires a publisher for a local sponsorship, permit it only through a short-term exception and track performance.

For manager accounts and agencies

If you operate via Manager (MCC) accounts, there are two common patterns:

• Central master list in the manager account: Apply the canonical blacklist from the manager level where possible. This enforces uniform protections and simplifies updates.
• Sub-account local lists: When local markets require tailored exceptions (e.g., regional publishers), maintain sub-account addendums that reference the master list and include local overrides with governance approvals.

Governance template: Roles, processes, and CSV schema

Below is a compact governance template you can copy into your operations manual or project management tool.

Roles & Responsibilities

• Head of Brand Safety: Owns master blacklist, final approvals, quarterly audits.
• Paid Media Specialist: Uploads exclusions, verifies application, monitors spend.
• Regional Marketing Lead: Requests exceptions, documents local business cases.
• Programmatic Lead: Integrates third-party verification and manages non-Google platforms.
• Analyst/DevOps: Runs automated detection scripts and alerts.

Exclusion approval workflow

1. Detection or request submitted via shared form (includes placement identifier and reason)
2. Paid Media Specialist performs triage within 24 hours
3. High-risk placements automatically added to the master blacklist (pending Head of Brand Safety review)
4. Regional exceptions require 2-step approval (Regional Lead + Head of Brand Safety) with defined expiry

CSV schema (master blacklist)

Columns to include – copy this into your spreadsheet or CSV generator:

• placement_type (domain/app/youtube)
• identifier (example: example.com / com.publisher.app / UCx12345ChannelID)
• risk_category (high/medium/low)
• reason_code (adult, hate, fake_news, low_quality, gambling, privacy_risk)
• first_seen (YYYY-MM-DD)
• last_seen (YYYY-MM-DD)
• owner (team/person)
• status (active/pending/exception)
• exception_expiry (if applicable)
• notes

Advanced strategies to reduce false positives and protect local marketing effectiveness

Brand safety isn’t just about blocking. It’s about balancing protection with performance.

• Use an allowlist for high-value local publishers: For local sponsorships or community partners, maintain a curated allowlist so local teams can advertise without friction.
• Contextual signals: In a cookieless, privacy-first world (2026 reality), contextual targeting is more powerful. Favor contextual controls over broad negative lists where possible.
• Automated enrichment: Enrich placement lists with third-party risk scores via API and automate high-risk blocking. This reduces manual review burden.
• Performance guardrails: If a blocked placement historically delivered high conversions, use the exception process to test safer alternatives rather than permanently banning similar inventory.

Monitoring, KPIs, and reporting

Set a straightforward set of KPIs that align to risk and business impact. Track these weekly and report monthly to stakeholders:

• Percent of spend blocked by account-level exclusions
• Number of newly flagged placements per week
• Average time to block a newly flagged placement (goal: < 48 hours)
• Number of active exceptions and their ROI
• Viewability, invalid traffic rates, and brand-safety scores from verification vendors

2026 trends and future-proofing your approach

Plan for these trends so your governance stays ahead:

• More platform-level guardrails: Expect other ad platforms to follow Google’s lead with account-level controls and more granular content labels.
• Real-time automated exclusions: Brands will increasingly adopt real-time API-driven exclusion updates using verification signals.
• Contextual rather than cookie-based targeting: As privacy laws tighten and first-party data strategies mature, contextual controls will be central to safe reach.
• CTV growth with new risk vectors: Connected TV will keep expanding, and publisher whitelists will become more common for CTV buys.
• Local reputation risk: Multi-location brands will need localized monitoring for reputational incidents (e.g., local controversies) that require immediate, region-specific blocking.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

• Pitfall: One-size-fits-all blacklist: Avoid blanket bans that harm local performance. Use exceptions and allowlists for high-value local publishers.
• Pitfall: No ownership or cadence: Without a designated owner and routine audits, blocklists become stale. Assign owners and schedule reviews.
• Pitfall: Ignoring automation impacts: Automated formats may reallocate spend to other risky inventory. Monitor after changes and iterate quickly.
• Pitfall: Failing to document exceptions: Untracked exceptions create compliance and reputational risk. Log every exception with an expiry.

Quick-start action plan (first 30 days)

1. Export placement reports and assemble the master CSV.
2. Apply account-level exclusions in Google Ads for high-risk placements.
3. Set up a Slack/email alert for new placements above a spend threshold.
4. Integrate one verification vendor and configure daily quality reports.
5. Publish the governance template and run a one-hour training with regional leads.

Final checklist (one-page summary)

• Inventory audit complete
• Master blacklist created and uploaded
• Local override policy published
• Third-party verification integrated
• Automated monitoring in place
• Quarterly audit schedule set

Call to action

Ready to lock down brand safety across every store and campaign? Download our free governance CSV template and step-by-step upload guide, or contact our onboarding team for a 30-minute audit of your account-level exclusions. Implement the checklist this week and cut exposure across automated formats like Performance Max and Demand Gen — because protecting the brand should scale as fast as your marketing.

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