What are brand vs generic searches?
Malthe Weibeck Thomsen · Growth Hacker · Senior Pull Specialist · 8 July 2026 · 3 min.
Definition
Brand searches are searches that contain your name (people who already know you). Generic (non-brand) searches are category and product searches from people who haven't yet chosen you.
Also called: Brand vs generic, Brand vs non-brand, Brand searches
Sådan virker det
Brand-søgninger (folk der søger på jeres navn) har høj ROAS, men lav inkrementalitet — de fleste ville have fundet jer alligevel. Generiske søgninger har lavere ROAS, men fanger nye kunder. At læse dem samlet skjuler, hvor væksten reelt kommer fra.
01Same account, two completely different economics
Brand searches convert high and cheap — but most of those people would have found you anyway, so the incremental value is low. Generic searches cost more and convert lower, but they win new customers who didn't know you. Read the two together and brand looks like it's carrying the account, while generic is actually driving the growth.
That's why we always separate them — including in Performance Max, where brand should be excluded so it doesn't take credit for existing demand. Only with brand and generic split apart can you see what's really harvest and what's growth.
Frequently asked questions
Should I even bid on my own brand?+
Often yes — to defend against competitors' bids and control the message — but be aware that brand ROAS is partly non-incremental. Never blend it with generic when judging where the growth comes from.
Why do brand campaigns look so good?+
Because they reach people who are already searching for you and close to buying. The high ROAS reflects existing demand, not created demand — so it's misleading as a measure of advertising's real effect.
Related terms
Glossary
What is impression share?
Impression share is the number of impressions your ads received, divided by the estimated number of impressions they were eligible to get.
Read the entry →Glossary
What is incrementality?
Incrementality is the added effect a marketing effort creates: the sales that happened only because the ad ran. Sales you'd have gotten anyway aren't incremental — whatever the platform credits.
Read the entry →Glossary
What is PMax cannibalization?
PMax cannibalization is when Performance Max spends budget on, and credits itself for, conversions that would have happened regardless — typically brand searches and bestsellers — so its reported performance is artificially inflated.
Read the entry →
Malthe Weibeck Thomsen
Growth Hacker · Senior Pull Specialist at Oaksmond
Pull specialist with 8+ years' experience. Comes from the agency world and has since worked as an independent consultant for several of the country's largest brands.
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