‍Video Breakdown

The Critical Campaign Structure Mistake Most Brands Make

Here's what's happening in 90% of the Google ad accounts we audit (even for eCommerce brands spending 5-6 figures per month):

Your campaigns show solid performance metrics, maybe a 4 ROAS, and you feel confident about your Google Ads strategy.

But this is actually blended data.

Branded keywords deliver an average ROAS of 1299%, while non-branded keywords average just 68% ROAS, roughly 19 times higher performance for branded traffic. Branded search terms convert at 2 to 4 times higher rates than generic terms, with some studies showing branded terms achieving 4.6% conversion rates compared to less than 1.15% for generic terms.

When you blend these dramatically different performance levels, you can't see what's actually working.

Google's algorithm sees these easy brand conversions and thinks your entire campaign performs well, so it keeps bidding aggressively on expensive generic terms that actually deliver poor returns.

Here’s an example from a client we recently audited:

Branded Vs. Non-Branded are fundamentally different

Understanding this difference is crucial for any serious Google Ads optimization. Branded traffic represents users who already know your company, they're searching specifically for your products.

Generic searchers are still shopping around, comparing options, and need more convincing. New customers. This is what we call prospecting.

Here's what typically happens in blended campaigns:

• Brand searches convert at 15-25% rates
• Generic searches convert at 2-5% rates
• Blended data shows 8-12% conversion rates

How to Identify Branded vs Non-Branded Traffic

Before fixing your campaign structure, analyze your search terms data.

Export the last 60 days of search terms from Google Ads and look for five specific types of branded queries:

• Exact brand name and variations - Your company name, abbreviations, alternate spellings
• Brand plus product combinations - "Nike running shoes" or "Apple iPhone cases"
• Common misspellings - People frequently misspelled brand names
• Domain names and app names - Searches for your website URL or mobile app
• Proprietary product names - Model numbers, exclusive product lines, trademarked terms

Create a spreadsheet with columns for Search Term, Volume, Conversions, and Classification. Mark each term as either "Brand" or "Non-Brand" using this framework:

Mark as "Brand" if:

• Contains your company name in any form
• Includes proprietary product names
• References your domain or app
• Shows clear brand intent

Mark as "Non-Brand" if:

• Describes generic product categories
• Uses competitor names instead of yours
• Focuses on general problems your product solves
• Shows research intent without brand preference

Search Campaign Segmentation Strategy

Let’s start with Search campaigns because this is the easiest place to start. You have granular control over keywords and bids.

The setup is as follows: You need two separate search campaigns with different bidding strategies.

Branded Search Campaign Setup

Use Manual CPC bidding, not target impression share. Target impression share forces Google to overbid for brand terms just to capture impressions. You don't need aggressive bidding for searches containing your brand name.

Configure branded campaigns:

• Use manual CPC as your bidding strategy
• Start with conservative bids (50-70% lower than generic terms)
• Monitor impression share to ensure you're not missing brand traffic
• Focus on protecting your territory efficiently, not competing aggressively

Non-Branded Search Campaign Configuration

Use target ROAS or target CPA based on your actual non-branded performance data, not inflated blended campaign numbers.

Configure non-branded campaigns:

• Set target ROAS or target CPA using only non-branded historical data
• Allow Google's algorithm 2-3 weeks to optimize for true performance
• Monitor search terms weekly to catch brand queries slipping through
• Adjust targets based on actual profitability, not blended metrics

Negative Keyword Implementation

Create a shared negative keyword list called "Brand Negatives" and apply it to all non-branded campaigns. Include:

• Exact brand name and common variations
• Brand plus product combinations
• Common misspellings of your brand
• Domain names and app names
• Proprietary product names unique to your brand

Shopping Campaign Priority System

Shopping campaigns require a different approach using Google's priority system combined with negative keywords.

Shopping campaigns don't use keywords, so most people think you can't segment them. 

They're wrong. And this technique will blow your mind.

You can't control keywords in Shopping, but you can use Google's campaign priority system combined with negative keywords to create an intelligent filter.

High-Priority Non-Branded Shopping Setup

Set your non-branded shopping campaign to high priority and add your brand terms as negative keywords. This campaign tries to serve first for every shopping query but blocks itself when searches contain your brand name.

Low-Priority Branded Shopping Configuration

Set your branded shopping campaign to low priority with no brand negatives. This campaign only serves when the high-priority campaign blocks itself on branded searches.

The system works like an intelligent traffic director:

• Generic search "wireless headphones" → High-priority campaign serves
• Branded search "Apple wireless headphones" → High priority blocks itself, low priority serves

Performance Max Campaign Optimization

Performance Max campaigns can quietly capture branded conversions while appearing profitable, interfering with your segmentation strategy.

Brand Exclusions Feature Setup

Use Google's brand exclusions feature:

1. Open your Performance Max campaign settings
2. Find "Brand exclusions" under "Additional settings"
3. Add your brand terms
4. Leave "Allow shopping ads on searches that mention excluded brands" unchecked

Studies show that applying brand exclusions in Performance Max campaigns can increase new customer acquisition rate by at least 5%, reduce acquisition costs by around 7%, and boost ROAS by up to 31%.

Monitoring and Maintenance System

Campaign segmentation requires ongoing attention. When negative keyword lists are not updated regularly, brand terms can frequently appear in non-branded campaigns, leading to inefficient spend and skewed performance data.

Weekly Reviews (first month):

• Export search terms from all campaigns
• Flag brand terms in non-branded campaigns
• Add new negatives immediately

Monthly Reviews (ongoing):

• Comprehensive search term analysis
• Budget performance assessment
• Negative keyword list updates

Budget Allocation Strategy

Based on performance data, adjusting to approximately a 20/80 branded/non-branded budget split can improve overall ROAS significantly. Obviously this would depend on your budget and brand. But this reflects that branded traffic converts easily at lower costs, while non-branded traffic needs more investment for profitable growth.

Budget monitoring essentials:

• Brand campaigns should maintain 95%+ impression share
• Non-branded campaigns can operate at 70-80% impression share
• Adjust budgets when impression share drops below targets

Implementation Roadmap

Week 1: Start with search campaign segmentation using manual CPC for branded campaigns and target ROAS/CPA for non-branded campaigns.

Week 2: Implement shopping campaign priority system with high-priority non-branded and low-priority branded campaigns.

Week 3-4: Optimize Performance Max with brand exclusions.

Month 2: Implement monitoring system and optimize budget allocation.

Transform Your Google Ads Performance

Proper branded vs non-branded segmentation fundamentally transforms how your Google Ads account performs. When you can see true performance by traffic type, you bid appropriately, allocate budget effectively, and scale the parts of your account that actually drive profitable growth.

The brands that implement this system properly transform their Google Ads performance within weeks. They finally see where their money actually makes money—and they scale accordingly.