Brandwave

How popular isGoogle Ads?

In September 2026, people searched for Google Ads by name about 5 million times worldwide, a 22.4% increase from the previous year. These searches made up 83.6% of all global retargeting platform searches, placing Google Ads first out of nine platforms. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about retargeting platforms, Google Ads appeared in all answers and was the second most recommended of the nine.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Google Ads is the most searched of 9 competitors and the second most recommended in AI answers.

  1. Google AdsShare of searches 83.6%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  2. Meta AdsShare of searches 13.7%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  3. LinkedIn AdsShare of searches 0.82%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
  4. TaboolaShare of searches 0.82%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  5. CriteoShare of searches 0.67%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th

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Top retargeting platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Google Ads appeared in all five answers. Google Ads is the second most recommended of the nine.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Meta Ads1st
  2. Google Ads2nd
  3. AdRoll3rd
  4. Criteo4th
  5. LinkedIn Ads5th
  6. Taboola–
  7. RTB House–
  8. Outbrain–
  9. Perfect Audience–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Google Ads5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Meta Ads5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Criteo5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • AdRoll5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • LinkedIn Ads3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Taboola0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • RTB House0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Outbrain0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Perfect Audience0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about retargeting platforms

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.

Which retargeting platforms compete with Google Ads?

Google Ads against retargeting platforms worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Google Ads, Meta Ads. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthGoogle AdsMeta AdsLinkedIn AdsTaboolaCriteoRTB HouseOutbrainAdRollPerfect Audience
Oct 202584.3%11.3%1.2%1.2%1.2%0.25%0.3%0.2%<0.01%
Nov 202586.5%9.5%1%1.3%1%0.21%0.31%0.17%<0.01%
Dec 202587.1%9.5%0.86%1%0.86%0.17%0.26%0.14%<0.01%
Jan 202685%11.3%1%1%1%0.2%0.25%0.17%<0.01%
Feb 202685%11.3%1%1%1%0.2%0.25%0.17%<0.01%
Mar 202682.7%13.5%1.2%0.99%0.99%0.2%0.24%0.17%<0.01%
Apr 202682.9%13.5%1%1%1%0.2%0.24%0.14%<0.01%
May 202683.1%13.6%1%1%0.82%0.16%0.2%0.11%<0.01%
Jun 202683%13.5%1%1%1%0.16%0.2%0.11%<0.01%
Jul 202683%13.5%1%1%1%0.16%0.2%0.11%<0.01%
Aug 202680.8%16.1%0.79%0.97%0.79%0.19%0.16%0.11%<0.01%
Sep 202683.6%13.7%0.82%0.82%0.67%0.16%0.13%0.09%<0.01%

  1. 1.Google Ads

    83.6%

    Held 1st. 5M estimated branded searches, +22.3% vs prior month. Share +2.8 points.

  2. 2.Meta Ads

    13.7%

    Held 2nd. 823K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -2.5 points.

  3. 3.LinkedIn Ads

    0.82%

    Moved from 5th to 3rd. 49.5K estimated branded searches, +22.2% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  4. 4.Taboola

    0.82%

    Moved from 3rd to 4th. 49.5K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

  5. 5.Criteo

    0.67%

    Moved from 4th to 5th. 40.5K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

  6. 6.RTB House

    0.16%

    Held 6th. 9.9K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  7. 7.Outbrain

    0.13%

    Held 7th. 8.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  8. 8.AdRoll

    0.09%

    Held 8th. 5.5K estimated branded searches, -0.91% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  9. 9.Perfect Audience

    <0.01%

    Held 9th. 140 estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare popularity between Google Ads and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Google Ads

15 comparisons

How has branded search demand for Google Ads changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Google Ads worldwide rose from 4.1M to 5M.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Google Ads’ share of searches among retargeting platforms worldwide decreased from 84.3% to 83.6%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Google Ads’ share of searches among retargeting platforms worldwide peaked at 87.1% in December 2025 and was lowest at 80.8% in August 2026.

How did search popularity change for retargeting platforms worldwide in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, Google Ads gained share of searches among retargeting platforms worldwide, from 80.8% to 83.6%.

  2. In September 2026, Meta Ads lost share of searches among retargeting platforms worldwide, from 16.1% to 13.7%.

  3. In September 2026, LinkedIn Ads rose from 5th to 3rd among retargeting platforms worldwide.

  4. In September 2026, Criteo fell from 4th to 5th among retargeting platforms worldwide.

  5. In September 2026, Taboola fell from 3rd to 4th among retargeting platforms worldwide.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for Outbrain worldwide fell 45.3% over 12 measured months, from 14.8K to 8.1K in September 2026.

How are Google Ads’ branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Google Ads’ name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • google ads
  • googleads

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Who owns Google Ads?

Google Ads is owned by Google. Brandwave also tracks AppSheet, Chrome Remote Desktop, Display & Video 360, Firebase, Fitbit, Gemini, Gmail, Google, Google Alerts, Google Analytics, Google Artifact Registry, Google Authenticator, Google Chat, Google Chrome, Google Chromecast, Google Classroom, Google Cloud, Google Cloud Dataflow, Google Cloud Identity, Google Cloud Pub/Sub, Google Cloud Run, Google Cloud Secret Manager, Google Cloud Speech-to-Text, Google Cloud Storage, Google Cloud Vertex AI, Google Colab, Google DeepMind, Google Display & Video 360, Google Document AI, Google Drive, Google Earth Engine, Google Family Link, Google Forms, Google Keep, Google Keyword Planner, Google Maps, Google Maps Platform, Google Meet, Google Meridian, Google Nest, Google Nest Wifi, Google Pixel, Google Project Management Certificate, Google Rich Results Test, Google Security Operations, Google Slides, Google Tasks, Google Threat Intelligence, Google Translate, Google Vault, Google Veo, Google Workspace, Looker, Looker Studio, Material Symbols, NotebookLM, Snapseed, TensorFlow Serving, YouTube, YouTube Music, YouTube Studio and YouTube TV, owned by the same company, worldwide.

Do you work for Google Ads? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

Where does Google Ads compete?

Google Ads is ranked in three competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.
Competitor setRankShare of searchesRanking
Advertising platforms1st of 679.2%Show ranking
Retargeting platforms1st of 983.6%Shown above
Display advertising platforms1st of 797.2%Show ranking
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Is Google Ads your brand?

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