Not all Shopping traffic is created equal. Someone searching "Nike running shoes" has very different intent than someone searching "running shoes." The first already knows your brand; the second is discovering options. Treating these the same is a common mistake that inflates your perceived ROAS while hiding true acquisition costs.
This guide explains how to segment Google Shopping campaigns by brand vs. non-brand traffic, why it matters for accurate measurement, and how to optimize each segment for its unique characteristics.
Why Brand vs Non-Brand Segmentation Matters
Different Intent, Different Value
Brand and non-brand searches represent fundamentally different stages in the customer journey:
- Brand searches: User already knows you. They've been exposed to your marketing, visited your site, or purchased before. High intent, low acquisition value.
- Non-brand searches: User is in discovery mode. They're comparing options and may never have heard of you. Lower intent, high acquisition value.
Typical Performance Differences
| Metric | Brand Traffic | Non-Brand Traffic |
|---|---|---|
| Conversion rate | 4-8% | 1-3% |
| Average CPC | Lower (less competition) | Higher (more competition) |
| ROAS | Often 500%+ | Often 200-400% |
| Customer type | Existing/returning | New prospects |
| True acquisition | Defending existing | Growing customer base |
Key Insight
Without segmentation, brand traffic inflates your overall ROAS, making campaigns look more efficient than they really are for customer acquisition. A "500% ROAS" campaign might actually be 800% brand ROAS and 200% non-brand ROAS - very different strategic implications.
Why Separate Budgets Matter
- Accurate measurement: See true acquisition costs without brand inflation
- Appropriate bidding: Bid based on each segment's value, not blended averages
- Budget control: Ensure non-brand gets funded even when brand is more "efficient"
- Growth tracking: Measure customer acquisition separate from brand defense
- Strategic decisions: Understand whether you're growing or just defending
How to Set Up Brand vs Non-Brand Segmentation
Google Shopping doesn't have built-in brand/non-brand separation, but you can achieve it using campaign priorities and negative keywords.
The Campaign Priority Method
This is the most reliable approach for Standard Shopping campaigns:
Step 1: Create Two Campaigns
- Non-Brand Campaign: Set to HIGH priority
- Brand Campaign: Set to LOW priority
Both campaigns should contain the same products. Campaign priority determines which serves first.
Step 2: Add Brand Negatives to Non-Brand Campaign
In your HIGH priority (non-brand) campaign, add negative keywords for all your brand terms:
- Your company name and variations
- Product brand names you sell
- Common misspellings
- Abbreviations and nicknames
Step 3: How It Works
The priority system works like this:
- Non-brand search ("running shoes"): High-priority campaign enters auction, no negative matches, ad serves from non-brand campaign
- Brand search ("Nike running shoes"): High-priority campaign enters auction, negative keyword blocks it, low-priority campaign enters and serves
Example Setup
Campaign 1 (Non-Brand): High priority, all products, negative keywords: [nike], [adidas], [your store name], "nike", "adidas", etc.
Campaign 2 (Brand): Low priority, all products, no brand negatives
What Brand Terms to Include
Your negative keyword list for the non-brand campaign should include:
- Your store/company name: "mystore", "my store", misspellings
- Product brands you sell: Nike, Adidas, Samsung, etc.
- Brand + product combinations: Usually covered by brand term alone
- Domain/URL: "mystore.com" if people search it
Important
Be thorough with brand negatives. Any brand term you miss in the non-brand campaign will be counted as "non-brand" traffic, skewing your data. Review search term reports regularly to find brand queries slipping through.
Bidding Strategy by Segment
Brand Campaign Bidding
Brand traffic typically needs lower bids because:
- Competition is lower (mostly defending against competitors bidding your brand)
- Conversion rates are higher (users already want you)
- The traffic would likely come anyway (organic, direct)
Recommended approach:
- Set bids 20-40% lower than non-brand
- Or use Target ROAS with a higher target (e.g., 600% vs 400%)
- Monitor for competitor brand bidding - increase bids if losing share
- Don't overbid - you're often winning these anyway
Non-Brand Campaign Bidding
Non-brand traffic is where you acquire customers:
- Competition is fierce (everyone wants these searches)
- Conversion rates are lower (discovery phase)
- But lifetime value of acquired customers justifies investment
Recommended approach:
- Accept lower ROAS targets (this is acquisition spend)
- Consider customer lifetime value, not just first purchase
- Bid more aggressively on high-intent non-brand terms
- Use Target ROAS with realistic targets (e.g., 300-400%)
Budget Allocation
| Strategy | Brand Budget | Non-Brand Budget |
|---|---|---|
| Growth focus | 20-30% | 70-80% |
| Balanced | 30-40% | 60-70% |
| Efficiency focus | 40-50% | 50-60% |
| Brand defense priority | 50-60% | 40-50% |
Measuring Brand vs Non-Brand Performance
Key Metrics by Segment
Brand campaign metrics to watch:
- Impression share: Are competitors capturing your brand searches?
- ROAS: Should be high (500%+). If not, something's wrong.
- CPC trends: Rising CPCs may indicate competitor brand bidding
- Conversion rate: Should be stable and high
Non-brand campaign metrics to watch:
- New customer rate: What percentage are first-time buyers?
- ROAS: Accept lower than brand, but ensure profitability
- Impression share: Opportunity for growth if low
- Search term quality: Are you matching relevant queries?
Reporting Setup
Create separate reports/views for each segment:
- Blended report: Overall campaign performance
- Brand report: Brand campaign only - track defense efficiency
- Non-brand report: Non-brand campaign only - track acquisition
- Comparison report: Side-by-side metrics for strategic planning
Tools like SKU Analyzer can help you track product-level performance across campaigns, making it easier to see which products perform differently in brand vs. non-brand contexts.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
1. Incomplete Brand Negatives
Missing brand terms in your non-brand campaign pollutes the data. A single missed variation can route significant traffic to the wrong campaign.
Fix: Regularly audit search term reports for brand queries appearing in your non-brand campaign. Add them as negatives.
2. Setting Identical ROAS Targets
If both campaigns have 400% Target ROAS, you're not acknowledging their different purposes. Brand can achieve much higher; non-brand shouldn't be held to the same standard.
Fix: Set brand ROAS target 50-100% higher than non-brand.
3. Not Using Campaign Priorities Correctly
If you set both campaigns to the same priority, Google may serve either randomly, defeating the purpose of segmentation.
Fix: Non-brand MUST be higher priority than brand for the negative keyword method to work.
4. Ignoring Brand Defense
Some advertisers decide not to bid on brand terms, assuming they'll get that traffic organically. Research from Search Engine Land shows this works until competitors start bidding your brand terms.
Fix: Always maintain a brand campaign, even at low bids. Monitor for competitor brand bidding.
5. Judging Non-Brand by Brand Standards
A non-brand campaign with 300% ROAS isn't "failing" compared to brand's 600% - it's doing its job of acquiring new customers at different economics.
Fix: Set appropriate expectations for each segment. Non-brand is acquisition; brand is harvesting.
What About Performance Max?
Performance Max complicates brand/non-brand segmentation because it doesn't support campaign priorities or granular negative keywords in the same way.
Options for P-Max
- Account-level brand negatives: Add brand terms as account-level negatives to exclude them from P-Max (contact Google support or use the script method)
- Hybrid approach: Run Standard Shopping for brand defense (low priority) alongside P-Max for acquisition
- Accept blended data: If P-Max is your only campaign, accept that brand/non-brand will be mixed
P-Max Limitation
Performance Max's limited transparency makes true brand/non-brand separation difficult. If accurate segmentation is critical for your business, consider maintaining Standard Shopping campaigns alongside or instead of P-Max. See our Shopping vs P-Max comparison for more details.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is brand vs non-brand segmentation in Google Shopping?
Brand vs non-brand segmentation separates Shopping traffic based on whether users searched for your brand name specifically (brand) or generic product terms (non-brand). Brand searches like "Nike running shoes" indicate high purchase intent from brand-aware users. Non-brand searches like "running shoes" capture new customers in discovery mode.
How do I separate brand and non-brand traffic in Shopping campaigns?
Create two campaign types: a high-priority campaign with your brand terms as negative keywords (captures non-brand traffic), and a low-priority campaign without those negatives (captures brand traffic). Use campaign priority settings to control which campaign serves. The high-priority non-brand campaign will serve first; when brand terms match, it won't show due to negatives, so the low-priority brand campaign serves instead.
Why segment brand vs non-brand Shopping traffic?
Brand and non-brand traffic have fundamentally different characteristics. Brand traffic typically converts 2-4x higher and has lower CPCs but represents existing awareness. Non-brand traffic acquires new customers but costs more and converts lower. Segmentation lets you set appropriate bids, budgets, and ROAS targets for each, plus measure true customer acquisition versus brand defense.
Should I bid more on brand or non-brand Shopping searches?
It depends on your goals. Brand searches typically need lower bids because competition is lower and conversion rates are higher. Non-brand searches need higher bids to compete but represent true customer acquisition. Many advertisers bid lower on brand (harvesting existing demand) and higher on non-brand (acquiring new customers), but your strategy should align with your growth vs. efficiency priorities.
Does brand vs non-brand segmentation work with Performance Max?
Not directly. Performance Max doesn't support campaign priorities or negative keywords at the campaign level in the same way. However, you can add brand terms as account-level negative keywords to reduce brand traffic in P-Max, or run a separate Standard Shopping campaign for brand defense alongside Performance Max for acquisition.
Conclusion
Brand vs. non-brand segmentation is essential for understanding true Shopping campaign performance:
- Separate campaigns give you accurate measurement of acquisition vs. brand defense
- Different bidding strategies optimize each segment for its unique economics
- Clearer reporting enables better strategic decisions about growth vs. efficiency
The setup requires effort - creating two campaigns, maintaining negative keyword lists, setting up separate reporting - but the insight you gain is invaluable. Without segmentation, you're making decisions based on blended data that hides the true cost of customer acquisition.
For most e-commerce businesses, non-brand traffic is where growth happens. Brand traffic is important for defense and efficiency, but understanding the difference is what separates sophisticated advertisers from those optimizing toward misleading metrics.