How to Use Google Ads Brand Exclusions to Stop Budget Waste

If you're running Google Ads campaigns with broad match keywords or Performance Max, there's a good chance your non-branded campaigns are quietly spending budget on branded search terms. This is one of the most common and most overlooked sources of wasted ad spend in modern Google Ads accounts.

Brand exclusions are the fix. They prevent your non-brand campaigns from serving ads on searches that include your brand name — ensuring that branded traffic is handled by your dedicated brand campaign (or your organic listing), and your non-brand budget goes exclusively towards acquiring new customers.

This guide covers what brand exclusions are, why they matter, how to set them up step by step, common mistakes to avoid, and how to verify they're working.

What are brand exclusions?

Brand exclusions are a Google Ads feature that prevents specific campaigns from showing ads on searches that contain your brand name. They work differently from negative keywords, which match against specific search terms. Brand exclusions use Google's understanding of brand concepts to block a broader set of branded queries, including misspellings, abbreviations, and variations that negative keywords might miss.

Google introduced account-level brand exclusions in 2023, initially for Performance Max campaigns, and has since expanded the feature to broad match campaigns in Search. The feature uses Google's brand recognition technology to identify branded searches rather than relying solely on keyword matching.

There are two types of brand exclusions:

Campaign-level brand exclusions apply to a specific campaign. You might exclude your own brand from a non-branded search campaign while keeping your dedicated branded campaign unaffected.

Brand lists are reusable lists of brand names that you can apply across multiple campaigns. You create the list once and apply it wherever needed.

Why brand exclusions matter

The need for brand exclusions has grown significantly over the past two years, driven by two changes in how Google Ads works.

Broad match has become the default

Google has been pushing advertisers towards broad match keywords, and in many cases, broad match is now the default for new campaigns. Broad match gives Google significant latitude in matching search queries to keywords — and Google's algorithm frequently matches non-branded keywords to branded searches because branded searches convert well.

This means your non-branded campaign targeting "project management software" might start showing ads for "Acme project management" or even just "Acme." Your non-branded budget is being spent on people who were already searching for you by name.

Performance Max bids on everything

Performance Max campaigns bid across all Google surfaces, including Search. By default, PMax will compete for branded search terms alongside your dedicated branded campaign. Because branded terms have high conversion rates, PMax's algorithm actively gravitates towards them — it's the easiest way for PMax to hit its performance targets.

Without brand exclusions, PMax becomes a branded traffic siphon. It captures easy branded conversions, reports excellent ROAS, and leaves your actual non-branded acquisition efforts underfunded. Your reporting becomes unreliable because PMax's performance is inflated by branded traffic, and you can't accurately assess how well it's performing at its actual job — reaching new customers. We cover this problem in depth in our article on how Performance Max cannibalises brand traffic.

The financial impact

The cost of not using brand exclusions can be substantial. Consider a mid-sized ecommerce business spending GBP 20,000 per month on Google Ads across branded search, non-branded search, and Performance Max. Without brand exclusions:

PMax might be capturing 30-40% of branded search queries
Non-branded broad match campaigns might be picking up another 10-15%
Combined, GBP 4,000-6,000 per month of "non-branded" budget could actually be going to branded traffic

That's GBP 4,000-6,000 per month that isn't reaching new customers. Over a year, it amounts to tens of thousands of pounds in misallocated budget. The brand bidding cost calculator can help you estimate the specific impact for your account.

Step-by-step setup: creating a brand list

Before applying brand exclusions to individual campaigns, you need to create a brand list. Here's how.

Step 1: Navigate to brand lists

In your Google Ads account, click on Tools in the left navigation menu, then select Brand lists under the Shared Library section. If you don't see this option, ensure your account is updated to the latest Google Ads interface.

Step 2: Create a new brand list

Click the blue + button to create a new brand list. Give it a clear, descriptive name — something like "Own Brand - Exclusions" so it's obvious what the list is for and how it's being used.

Step 3: Add your brand names

Search for your brand name using Google's brand search tool. Google maintains a database of recognised brands, and you should find yours if it has any meaningful search volume. Select your brand from the results.

If Google doesn't recognise your brand, you can request to add it. This process takes a few days for Google to review.

Add all relevant brand variations:

Your primary brand name
Common abbreviations (e.g., "M&S" for Marks & Spencer)
Sub-brands or product brands that you want to exclude
Parent company names if applicable

Step 4: Save the brand list

Click Save to create the list. You can now apply this list to any campaign in your account.

Step-by-step setup: applying brand exclusions to campaigns

With your brand list created, you need to apply it to the right campaigns.

For Performance Max campaigns

Navigate to your PMax campaign
Click on Settings (the gear icon)
Scroll down to Brand exclusions
Select your brand list from the dropdown
Click Save

Once applied, your PMax campaign will no longer bid on searches containing your brand name. This is the single most impactful brand exclusion you can make — PMax's tendency to capture branded traffic is aggressive, and excluding it forces PMax to actually work on non-branded acquisition.

For Search campaigns (broad match)

Navigate to your non-branded search campaign
Click on Settings
Find Brand exclusions (available for campaigns using broad match)
Select your brand list
Click Save

Apply this to every non-branded search campaign in your account. Do not apply it to your dedicated branded search campaign — that campaign should obviously continue bidding on your brand terms.

For Dynamic Search Ads campaigns

DSA campaigns are particularly prone to capturing branded traffic because they target based on your website content, which naturally contains your brand name. Apply brand exclusions to all DSA campaigns, or use them alongside negative keyword lists.

Common mistakes to avoid

Brand exclusions are straightforward in concept but easy to get wrong in practice. Here are the most common errors.

Mistake 1: Forgetting to exclude sub-brands and product names

Your brand list should include not just your main brand name but also product names, sub-brands, and any other branded terms that identify your business. If you sell "Acme Pro" and "Acme Enterprise" as product tiers, those need to be in your exclusion list as well.

Mistake 2: Applying brand exclusions to your branded campaign

This sounds obvious, but it happens. When applying brand exclusions across multiple campaigns, double-check that your dedicated branded search campaign is not included. Excluding your brand from your brand campaign will tank its performance overnight.

Mistake 3: Relying solely on brand exclusions instead of negative keywords

Brand exclusions work at the brand concept level, which is powerful but not always precise. For maximum control, use brand exclusions alongside negative keyword lists that include your brand name and variations. The two approaches complement each other — brand exclusions catch the broad concept, while negative keywords catch specific terms that the brand exclusion might miss.

Mistake 4: Not checking back after setup

Brand exclusions are not a set-and-forget feature. Google's brand recognition can change, your brand might acquire new variations over time, and campaign restructures can undo previous exclusions. Schedule a quarterly review of your brand exclusions to ensure they're still applied correctly.

Mistake 5: Excluding competitor brands when you shouldn't

Brand exclusions are primarily for excluding your own brand from non-brand campaigns. While you can also add competitor brands to exclusion lists, think carefully before doing so. If you're deliberately running a competitor brand bidding strategy, you don't want to accidentally exclude those terms from the campaigns that target them.

How to verify brand exclusions are working

After setting up brand exclusions, you need to confirm they're actually doing what they should. Here's how to verify.

Check search terms reports

Wait 7-14 days after implementing brand exclusions, then pull the search terms report for each campaign where exclusions are applied. Filter for your brand name and variations. If brand exclusions are working correctly, you should see zero branded search terms in these campaigns.

If branded terms are still appearing, check:

Whether the brand list is properly applied to the campaign
Whether the specific brand variation is included in your brand list
Whether the traffic is coming from a search partner network (brand exclusions may not apply to search partners in all cases)

Compare before and after metrics

Pull campaign-level data for the 30 days before and 30 days after implementing brand exclusions. For your non-branded campaigns, you should see:

Conversion rate decrease — this is expected and healthy. You've removed the high-converting branded traffic, so the remaining non-branded traffic will naturally have a lower conversion rate. This is now a more accurate reflection of your non-branded performance.
CPA increase — again, expected. Your non-branded CPA was artificially low because branded conversions were mixed in.
More accurate ROAS — your non-branded ROAS will drop, but it's now showing you the real return from new customer acquisition.

For your dedicated branded campaign, you should see:

Impression share increase — with PMax and non-branded campaigns no longer competing for brand terms, your branded campaign should capture a larger share of branded auctions.
CPC decrease or stabilise — less internal competition means lower auction pressure on your brand terms.
Conversion volume increase — branded conversions that were previously split across multiple campaigns should consolidate into your branded campaign.

Monitor ongoing with auction insights

After implementing brand exclusions, check auction insights for your branded campaign periodically. Your impression share should have increased. If it hasn't, or if it drops again later, investigate whether new external competitors have entered the auction or whether a new campaign in your account is missing the brand exclusion.

The relationship between brand exclusions and brand bidding defence

Brand exclusions solve an internal problem — your own campaigns competing with each other for branded traffic. But they don't address external competitors bidding on your brand name.

These are two separate issues that require separate solutions. Brand exclusions optimise your internal campaign structure. Monitoring and defending against competitor brand bidding requires active surveillance of your brand keywords — tracking who is bidding on your brand, what ad copy they're using, and how their presence is affecting your costs and traffic.

In practice, implementing brand exclusions often makes competitor brand bidding more visible. When your own campaigns are no longer cannibalising each other, changes in branded CPC and impression share become easier to attribute to external competitors. This cleaner data makes it simpler to detect when a new competitor enters your brand auction and to measure the actual cost impact.

Advanced considerations

Brand exclusions and smart bidding

If you're using smart bidding strategies (Target CPA, Target ROAS, Maximise Conversions), removing branded traffic from non-branded campaigns will change the performance data that the algorithm optimises against. Expect a learning period of 1-2 weeks as the algorithm adjusts to the new, lower-converting traffic profile.

During this adjustment period, you may see performance fluctuations. Avoid making other changes to the campaign simultaneously — let the algorithm stabilise with the new data before introducing additional variables.

Brand exclusions for agency accounts

If you manage multiple brands within an MCC (My Client Centre), create separate brand lists for each client. Apply them systematically across all non-branded campaigns. This is particularly important for agencies managing competing clients — you need to ensure that each client's branded traffic goes to the correct account.

New brand variations

When your business launches new products, sub-brands, or undergoes a rebrand, update your brand exclusion lists immediately. New brand names won't be automatically captured by existing brand exclusions until you add them.

Key takeaways

Brand exclusions prevent non-branded campaigns and Performance Max from wasting budget on branded searches
Create a brand list in the Shared Library that includes your brand name, abbreviations, sub-brands, and product names
Apply brand exclusions to all Performance Max, broad match, and DSA campaigns — but never to your dedicated branded campaign
Use brand exclusions alongside negative keyword lists for maximum coverage
Verify the setup by checking search terms reports 7-14 days after implementation
Expect non-branded metrics (conversion rate, ROAS) to change — this is the data becoming more accurate, not performance deteriorating
Review and update brand exclusions quarterly as your brand and campaigns evolve

Getting brand exclusions right is one half of the equation. The other half is deciding how to split your budget between branded and non-branded keywords so your account structure works as a whole.

Brand exclusions are one of the highest-impact, lowest-effort optimisations available in Google Ads today. If you're running broad match or Performance Max without them, you're almost certainly misallocating budget that should be going towards new customer acquisition. The setup takes fifteen minutes. The budget savings compound every month.