Google clarified in its help documentation that brand lists in Google Ads work with one worldwide entry per brand. The change appears in the “About brand settings for Search and Performance Max” page, which governs how advertisers allow or block branded queries.
The new paragraph states: “Google’s brand library uses single, global canonical brands rather than individual localized or regional variants.” It adds that when a localized brand stays “under review” or cannot be selected, advertisers should look up the main canonical brand and choose that. Google says this ensures targeting or exclusion preferences “apply to all traffic pertaining to that brand.”
The practical effect is that a regional brand name will not get its own setting. One entry covers every market, which means a brand exclusion cannot be limited to a single country through the list alone.
Teams running multi-region accounts should check their brand lists for localized names stuck in review and swap in the canonical brand, then confirm that the resulting exclusions are acceptable in every market. Search Engine Roundtable reported the documentation change.
Search Engine Roundtable (Barry Schwartz), November 11, 2026.
