The general consensus among experienced PPC marketers is that brand keywords should be separated from non-brand (general) keywords in paid search campaigns. While it’s not a strict rule, it’s widely recommended for better control, visibility, and performance optimization.
1) Budget Control
Branded terms usually have low CPCs and high CTRs, which can eat up the campaign budget and mask poor performance from general keywords if mixed together.
2) Clear Reporting & Insights
Separating them helps you clearly see how each performs, making it easier to report ROAS, conversions, and intent separately.
3) Smarter Bidding Strategies
You’ll want more aggressive bidding on branded terms (high intent), and more cautious or experimental bidding on general terms (broad intent). Keeping them together can distort Smart Bidding performance.
4) Better Quality Score Optimization
Google may reward branded campaigns with better Quality Scores. Mixing with general terms could lower the overall score and affect ad rank.
When It’s Okay to Mix:
Very small accounts with low traffic volumes.
Early-stage campaigns doing discovery testing.
Extremely tight budgets where campaign count must be minimized.
Recommendation for Your Client:
Since you’re doing an audit and the client has both keyword types in one campaign, suggest splitting them for cleaner performance analysis, smarter bidding, and more strategic budget allocation—especially if their brand has decent recognition or search volume.
