Google Ads Update: New Brand Controls For Search & Performance Max Campaigns

Brand controls for Search & Performance Max campaigns in Google Ads

To give advertisers greater control over ad placement, Google Ads has launched brand restrictions in Search campaigns and brand exclusions in Performance Max.

Highlights

• Ad placement can now be controlled more easily with Google Ads.
• Broad match ads are limited to brand searches due to brand restrictions.
• A brand exclusion prevents ads from appearing on a particular brand.

Google recognizes that brands need more control over the placement of their ads as AI technology plays an increasingly important role in advertising.

Google Ads is launching two new options to address this challenge:

• Search campaign brand restrictions for broad match keywords
• Performance Max campaigns exclude brands.

Search campaigns with brand restrictions

• Broad keyword match types and Google’s Smart Bidding algorithms can help ads reach relevant audiences and increase conversions.
• In order to avoid non-brand-related traffic and clicks, some advertisers struggle with broad match campaigns.
• Google has launched brand keyword restrictions for broad match globally to assist advertisers.
• Advertisers can use this feature to set brand terms as broad match keywords, but restrict them from showing ads for searches containing the brand name.
• While meeting brand guidelines, the ads can reach more people and perform better.

Performance Max campaigns exclude brands

• Performance Max campaigns will be able to exclude specific brands, as Google previously announced.
• Google has made the feature available to all advertisers after testing it.
• By combining broad keyword match types with Google’s Smart Bidding algorithms, ads can reach a relevant audience and generate conversions.
• The advertiser can exclude competitors’ brands from showing their ads. They can also block misspellings of their brand name or brand names in other languages.
• Advertisers can exclude major brands from Google Ads, and advertisers can request that Google include any brands that are missing from the list.
• By blocking these irrelevant brands, the most relevant ads will be displayed.

Negative keywords are different from positive keywords

• What is the difference between negative keywords and brand exclusions?
• Ads can reach a relevant audience and generate conversions when broad keyword match types are combined with Google’s Smart Bidding algorithms.
• Negative keywords prevent ads from appearing alongside particular search terms or phrases on particular sites or apps.
• While they both assist advertisers in limiting where their ads are displayed, they operate differently and fulfill different purposes