Google recently launched brand restrictions for Search campaigns and brand exclusions for Performance Max campaigns, but what does this update mean? The purpose of brand restrictions for broad match keywords and brand exclusions in Performance Max campaigns is to give advertisers more control over where their ads are shown. This update is great for advertisers that only want to serve ads for queries pertaining to certain brands, meaning ads would only show for relevant searches.

Brand Restrictions

Broad match is a great way to reach a high volume of customers and garner more conversions; however, your ads can also serve for unrelated searches with broad match. While broad match is a great option when trying to grow your account, it can impact the performance of your brand campaigns by serving your ads to those searching for unrelated brands or products. This situation could lead to lower click-through rates and a lower conversion rate. Brand restrictions with broad match aims to solve this problem by giving advertisers the opportunity to grow with broad match while also adhering to brand guidelines. Through brand restrictions with broad match, you can ensure your ads will only serve for queries containing your brand name.

Brand Exclusions

Similar to brand restrictions, brand exclusions for Performance Max campaigns give advertisers the option to exclude certain brands. This function would allow advertisers to keep their ads from serving for queries for specific brands on Shopping inventory and Search in a Performance Max campaign. Advertisers can also exclude brand name misspellings and competitor names through brand exclusions. Google Ads does provide a list of brands you can exclude, but advertisers can also request any brands that may be missing from the list.