# Google Ads brand lists use one global name per brand

> Google's help page now says brand lists use global canonical brands, not local variants. If a local brand stays "under review", add the main name. What to check.
- **Author**: Marxx
- **Published**: 2026-11-12
- **Category**: Google Ads
- **URL**: https://marxx.ai/library-news/google-ads-brand-lists-global-canonical-brands

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Google's help page on brand settings now says its brand library uses "single, global canonical brands" instead of local or regional variants. If a local brand name stays "under review" or cannot be picked, add the main brand name instead. Search Engine Roundtable reported the change on **11 November 2026**.

## What we know

- **Confirmed on Google's page:** [About brand settings for Search and Performance Max](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/13721847) has a new paragraph on global canonical brands (reported by [Search Engine Roundtable](https://www.seroundtable.com/google-ads-brand-lists-library-42506.html), 11 November 2026).
- **What it tells you to do:** search for the primary brand name and add that.
- **Why Google says it helps:** your targeting or exclusion then applies to all traffic for that brand.
- **Not stated:** whether past local requests still in review will be approved, and when the paragraph was added.

| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| Local brand name picks fine | Keep it |
| Local brand stuck "under review" | Add the main global brand name |
| Local brand cannot be selected | Add the main global brand name |

## What it means for your ad account

Brand lists decide which searches Performance Max and Search treat as brand. Say you sell in India and the Gulf, and a rival has a local spelling. Excluding that spelling may not work. Excluding the main name covers it. This also matters after Google's [recent change on skipping brand searches](/news/google-pmax-may-filter-brand-searches), where brand control is now more important.

## What to do this week

1. **Open your brand lists** in Google Ads and find any entry marked "under review".
2. **Replace stuck local names** with the global brand name.
3. **Check your own brand** is on the list under its main name.
4. **Review exclusions for rivals** and confirm they use the main name.
5. **Look at brand spend** in the search terms report after a week.
6. **Read the other brand change** in our [Performance Max brand searches](/news/google-pmax-may-filter-brand-searches) news.

## FAQ

### What is a canonical brand?

It is the one main entry Google keeps for a brand, rather than a separate entry for each country or spelling.

### Will my local brand entry stop working?

Google's page does not say that. It says stuck local requests should be replaced with the main name.

### Does this affect Meta?

No. This is a Google Ads setting for Search and Performance Max.

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