Google Ads is adding a new conversion type called Branded Searches. This feature tracks the number of users who search for a brand on Google Search or YouTube after viewing an ad.

Google aims to provide advertisers with more insight into how upper-funnel campaigns, such as YouTube ads, impact search behavior. The aim is to help advertisers understand whether their ads are successfully generating brand interest.

Google aims to provide advertisers with more insight into how upper-funnel campaigns, such as YouTube ads, impact search behavior. The aim is to help advertisers understand whether their ads are successfully generating brand interest.

This feature allows advertisers to connect the dots between an ad a user sees (an "awareness" campaign) and the user’s next action of searching for the brand (a "search behavior").

How Branded Searches works

Branded Searches tracks user activity within 30 days of viewing an eligible ad. If a user sees an ad and later searches for the brand on Google or YouTube, the conversion is counted.

For example, a shoe brand runs a video ad on YouTube. A user sees the ad while watching a fashion video. She's not ready to buy right away, but later that day, she searches for the brand on Google. Branded Searches attributes this action to the original ad view, giving the campaign conversion credit.

This shows that the video ad effectively raised brand awareness and influenced the user’s search behavior, even without a click. It could help the marketing team evaluate the ad’s impact beyond views and clicks.

According to Google, the attribution model uses a view-through conversion setup. This means the last ad the user saw before searching receives the credit.

Where it works and what advertisers need to know

Branded Searches is available for campaigns running on YouTube, Discover, and Gmail. It supports Video, Performance Max, and Demand Gen campaigns. However, advertisers can’t yet optimize campaigns based on this metric. Google says optimization features may be introduced in the future.

To ensure accurate tracking, advertisers must properly configure their Brand Mapping. This includes defining the correct spellings and variations of their brand name. Without proper setup, tracking may be incomplete or inaccurate.

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