Google Ads New Brand Restrictions For Search & Brand Exclusions For Performance Max

Google Ads announced that new brand settings are rolling out for Search and Performance Max campaigns. Specifically, brand restrictions for broad match in Search campaigns and brand exclusions in Performance Max campaigns are rolling out.

Ginny Marvin, the Google Ads Liaison, said on Twitter, We’re rolling out 2 new brand controls in Search and in PMax. As previously announced, one lets you target only branded queries & the other lets you exclude branded queries."

Brand Restrictions For Search Campaigns

This will allow advertisers to use broad match but also ensure it only matches to relevant brand traffic that you’ve specified. Please note that access this feature is when you enable the new broad match campaign-level setting. Brand restrictions will restrict your broad match traffic to only serve on searches that include the brands you select or products that are related to those brands, Google explained. "If you have historically used exact match and phrase match to adhere to specific brand needs, you can now use brand restrictions with broad match for additional reach and performance―while still meeting those brand needs," Google wrote.

Add brand restrictions to an existing Search campaign:

• In your Google Ads account, click the Campaigns icon.
• Click the Campaigns drop down in the section menu.
• Click Campaigns.
• Below the "Campaign" page heading, click Settings tab.
• Select the campaign you want to apply the brand list to.
• On the "Settings" page, scroll down to click Additional settings.
• Click Brand restrictions and select the brand list to apply to the campaign or click + New brand list and enter the brands you wish to restrict to this campaign.
• Brand restrictions and broad match keywords setting feature availability is actively being launched and not yet available for all users.
• If you haven’t yet applied the broad match keywords setting, you'll be able to do so when saving your brand restrictions
• Click Save.

Brand Exclusions In Performance Max Campaigns

Google is also rolling out brand exclusions for Performance Max campaigns to all advertisers. Brand exclusions let you choose which brands to exclude, rather than choosing which brands you want to serve ads on, Google explained. "These exclusions provide added control so your Performance Max campaigns won’t serve for branded queries you want to avoid on Search and Shopping inventory. Applying these exclusions will also help block traffic from brand misspellings and brand searches in a foreign language. You’ll be able to choose from a list of brands to exclude, including your own brand terms or third-party terms," Google wrote.

Google will show you an option to request additional brands that do not show up in the list. When you add a new brand, the brand will automatically be available for you to use, but it will need to be verified before other advertisers can see it in the list.

Here is how to add a brand list to an existing Performance Max campaign:

• In your Google Ads account, click the Campaigns icon.
• Click the Campaigns drop down in the section menu.
• Click Campaigns.
• Below the "Campaign" page heading, click Settings tab.
• Select the campaign you want to apply the brand list to.
• On the "Settings" page, scroll down to click Additional settings.
• Click Brand exclusions and select the brand list to apply to the campaign.
• Depending on product release timelines, Performance Max campaigns will have brand exclusion functionality.
• Click Save.

Here is more from Ginny Marvin:

Brand restrictions for broad match: This allows you to restrict/limit your ads to searches that include the brands and products related to those brands that you want to show for. This enables you to use broad match to reach more, relevant brand traffic.

— AdsLiaison (@adsliaison) June 29, 2023

Brand exclusions for PMax: This allows you to exclude/block your ads from showing on branded searches in Search and Shopping – including brand misspellings & foreign language brand searches.
You can control PMax from serving on your own or other brand traffic you want to avoid.

— AdsLiaison (@adsliaison) June 29, 2023

Find more details on both brand restrictions for broad match and brand exclusions for PMax here: https://t.co/sIGJ8Kh4oX

— AdsLiaison (@adsliaison) June 29, 2023

It seems PPCers are happy with this, I think. :)

Forum discussion at Twitter.