Brandwave

How popular isGoogle Ads?

In October 2026, people searched for Google Ads by name about 38,300 times in New Zealand, a 24% increase from the previous year. These searches made up 88% of all New Zealand advertising platform searches, placing Google Ads first out of five platforms. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about advertising platforms, Google Ads appeared in all answers and was the most recommended of the five.

Search and AI answers in October 2026

Google Ads is the most searched of 5 competitors and the most recommended in the AI answers we collected.

  1. Google AdsShare of searches 88%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  2. Meta AdsShare of searches 8.3%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  3. TikTok AdsShare of searches 2.4%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  4. LinkedIn AdsShare of searches 0.67%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
  5. Microsoft AdvertisingShare of searches 0.6%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
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Top advertising 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 most recommended of the five.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Google Ads1st
  2. Meta Ads2nd
  3. TikTok Ads3rd
  4. LinkedIn Ads4th
  5. Microsoft Advertising–

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
  • TikTok Ads5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • LinkedIn Ads4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Microsoft Advertising0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about advertising platforms

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 20, 2026.

How often do people search for Google Ads compared with other New Zealand advertising platforms?

Google Ads against advertising platforms in New Zealand, by month

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

View monthly share of searches table
MonthGoogle AdsMeta AdsTikTok AdsLinkedIn AdsMicrosoft Advertising
Nov 202588%7.6%2.5%0.88%0.91%
Dec 202585.9%8.6%3.7%1%0.87%
Jan 202684.9%10%3.3%1.1%0.7%
Feb 202685.2%10%2.6%1.4%0.87%
Mar 202686.1%9.1%2.4%1.3%1.1%
Apr 202686.2%10%2%0.97%0.88%
May 202683.7%11.7%2.9%0.96%0.69%
Jun 202679.8%15.5%2.9%1.1%0.82%
Jul 202678.8%15.3%4.3%1%0.65%
Aug 202682.4%12.1%3.6%1%0.84%
Sep 202685.1%10.7%2.2%0.9%1.1%
Oct 202688%8.3%2.4%0.67%0.6%

  1. 1.Google Ads

    88%

    Held 1st. 38.3K estimated branded searches, +22.6% vs prior month. Share +2.8 points.

  2. 2.Meta Ads

    8.3%

    Held 2nd. 3.6K estimated branded searches, -7.7% vs prior month. Share -2.4 points.

  3. 3.TikTok Ads

    2.4%

    Held 3rd. 1.1K estimated branded searches, +30.9% vs prior month. Share +0.2 points.

  4. 4.LinkedIn Ads

    0.67%

    Moved from 5th to 4th. 290 estimated branded searches, -12.1% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.

  5. 5.Microsoft Advertising

    0.6%

    Moved from 4th to 5th. 260 estimated branded searches, -33.3% vs prior month. Share -0.5 points.

Compare popularity between Google Ads and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Google Ads

9 comparisons

How has branded search demand for Google Ads changed in New Zealand over the last 12 months?

2 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending October 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Google Ads in New Zealand rose from 30.9K to 38.3K.
  • Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Google Ads’ share of searches among advertising platforms in New Zealand peaked at 88% in November 2025 and was lowest at 78.8% in July 2026.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand advertising platforms in October 2026?

5 changes

  1. In October 2026, Google Ads gained share of searches among advertising platforms in New Zealand, from 85.1% to 88%.

  2. In October 2026, Meta Ads lost share of searches among advertising platforms in New Zealand, from 10.7% to 8.3%.

  3. In October 2026, LinkedIn Ads rose from 5th to 4th among advertising platforms in New Zealand.

  4. In October 2026, Microsoft Advertising fell from 4th to 5th among advertising platforms in New Zealand.

  5. Estimated monthly branded searches for TikTok Ads in New Zealand rose 19.1% over 12 measured months, from 890 to 1.1K in October 2026.

How are Google Ads’ branded searches counted?

14 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.

  • adwords google ads
  • google ads
  • google ads ads
  • google ads advertising
  • google ads agency
  • google ads campaign
  • google ads certified
  • google ads company
  • google ads consultant
  • google ads editor
  • google ads expert
  • google ads manager
  • googleads
  • googleads ads

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

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 by how often people search for it in two 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 588%Shown above
Digital ad buying platforms1st of 888.9%Show ranking
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Is Google Ads your brand?

Put your own campaigns, spend and outcomes next to this demand line, so you can see which of your marketing lined up with the movements above.

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