Brand vs Non-Brand Google Ads Split: The Ecommerce Guide

Why Brand and Non-Brand Must Be Separate

Mixing brand and non-brand traffic in the same campaign is one of the most common mistakes I see in ecommerce Google Ads accounts.

They're completely different intents, with completely different CPCs and conversion rates. Treating them the same is leaving money on the table.

What's the Difference?

Brand traffic: Someone searches "Nike store" or "[your brand name] shoes". They already know you.

Non-brand traffic: Someone searches "running shoes UK" or "best trainers for gym". They're still deciding.

Why Separate Matters

Brand traffic typically converts 3-10x higher than non-brand. CPCs are usually 50-80% lower.

When mixed:

• Your data becomes muddy
• Smart Bidding can't optimise properly
• You can't allocate budget effectively
• ROAS reporting is inflated

How to Structure the Split

In Shopping Campaigns:

Use campaign priority settings:

1. Low priority campaign (brand): Only branded search terms
2. High priority campaign (non-brand): Everything else

Add your brand terms as negatives in the high priority campaign.

In Search Campaigns:

Create separate campaigns:

1. Brand campaign: Exact and phrase match brand keywords
2. Non-brand campaign: All other keywords with brand negatives

In Performance Max:

This is trickier — PMax bundles everything. Options:

• Use brand exclusions (now available in PMax settings)
• Run a separate brand Search campaign alongside PMax
• Accept some brand traffic will flow through PMax

The Benefits of Clean Separation

• Accurate ROAS by traffic type
• Proper budget allocation (non-brand usually needs more)
• Better Smart Bidding performance
• Clearer incrementality analysis

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