Branded Searches in Google Ads: What They Tell You (And What They Don’t)
Posted on July 30, 2025
If you’ve ever run a Google Ads campaign and wondered, “Are people actually noticing this?”—branded searches might be your answer.
They’re a new type of conversion signal in Google Ads that helps advertisers understand whether an ad is making people remember your brand, even if they don’t click. And while they don’t track purchases or form submissions, they do give you a glimpse into something we usually can’t see: influence.
Let’s break it down.
What Are Branded Searches?
Branded searches happen when someone sees one of your ads (on Google or YouTube) and then, within 7 days, searches for your brand name on Google.
They don’t have to click your ad. They don’t have to click anything at all. Just searching for your brand name is enough for Google to count it.
These searches show up in the “Consideration” goal section of your Google Ads account. They’re not included in your regular “Conversions” column and aren’t used for bidding or ROASMeasures how much revenue is earned for every dollar spent on advertising, helping you evaluate the effectiveness of your ad campaigns. calculations. But they’re still a valuable signal that your ad left an impression.
Why Branded Searches Matter to Advertisers
They Show Brand Recall
Your ad made someone remember your name. Even if they didn’t click, they came back and searched for you later.
That’s not a failure. That’s a sign your ad worked.
They Measure Curiosity
Branded searches mean your ad made someone curious enough to take a step—typing your brand name into Google. That’s often the moment right before they explore your site or start shopping.
They Fill in the Upper Funnel
Not every campaign is about getting a direct sale. Some are about building awareness and driving future interest.
Branded searches help you measure that upper-funnel activity:
- Are people discovering you?
- Are they coming back later because of your ad?
Now you can see that answer.
They Help Compare Campaigns
If one campaign sparks 20 branded searches and another sparks none, that tells you which one is doing a better job of getting attention. This kind of signal helps you invest smarter.
Attribution Is Hard—Branded Searches Help a Bit
Here’s the messy truth: people almost never convert in one click.
They might:
- See your ad on YouTube
- Browse your site a few days later
- Get distracted
- Search for your brand name next week
- Finally make a purchase
The original ad helped—but it doesn’t get any credit in most attributionThe process of determining which channels, campaigns, or actions contributed to a conversion, helping you understand what influenced a visitor’s decision to take action. models.
That’s why branded searches are useful. They don’t give full attribution, but they at least show that your ad was part of the journey. They give credit to your ad as a source of influence, even if it wasn’t the last step before the purchase.
The Catch—Branded Searches Don’t Track Conversions
As helpful as branded searches are, they stop at the search.
You don’t know:
- Did that person actually click anything?
- Did they browse products?
- Did they convert?
Branded search tells you they were interested but not that they converted. This is why they are not available as a conversion event used for ad optimization. Lots of brand searches but no conversions means the ad may be drawing the wrong type of user to your site.
How Conversion Bridge Completes the Conversion Tracking Picture
This is where Conversion Bridge comes in.
Once someone visits your WordPress site—whether from a branded search, a regular ad, or even a direct visit—Conversion Bridge can help you track:
- Button clicks
- Form submissions
- Purchases
- Page views with context like category, membership status, logged-in role, and more
It connects all those actions to analytics platforms and ad platforms, including Google Ads.
So now, even if branded search doesn’t give you the full story, you’ll see:
- Did the person convert?
- What pages did they view?
- What triggered the sale?
You get to follow the full journey—not just the moment they Googled your name.
Branded Search + Conversion Bridge = The Full Funnel
Branded searches give you the first signal: someone saw your ad and remembered your brand enough to search for it later. That means your message landed—it stuck.
But branded search stops there. It doesn’t tell you what happened after they searched your name. Did they visit your site? Did they do anything meaningful once they got there?
That’s where Conversion Bridge steps in.
When someone lands on your WordPress site—whether it’s from a branded search, a direct visit, or any other source—Conversion Bridge tracks what they actually do. It captures real actions like form submissions, button clicks, product views, and purchases. It sends that data to Google Ads and your analytics platform, so you can connect the dots between initial interest and actual results.
Branded search tells you they were curious.
Conversion Bridge tells you they converted.
Put them together, and you get a full view of what your ads are doing—from the first spark of interest to the final action that drives revenue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nope. Google Ads tracks them automatically. You’ll find them under the “Goals → Conversions → Summary” section as part of the “Consideration” goal.
No. They don’t appear in the “Conversions” column and aren’t used in ROAS calculations or bid strategies.
Yes. If someone lands on your site—even through a branded search—Conversion Bridge tracks what they do from that point forward.
Branded search shows interest. Conversion Bridge shows results. If you want to understand the full impact of your campaigns, having both is ideal.
Most tracking tools only show the last click. Branded searches give you a peek at the first moment someone remembered your name. It’s an early sign your ads are working.
But the real value comes when you combine that with on-site data. Conversion Bridge picks up the story after the search, giving you the full picture—from attention to action.
You don’t have to guess anymore.
