Google's Reach Planner help page says that, as of October 2026, the plan page shows a suggested average weekly frequency for your industry. Google works out your industry from your Google Ads account, or uses a global average if it can't. It flags plans that fall below the benchmark, and you can apply the suggestion in one click or type your own. Google gives 2.7 times a week on YouTube as an example of an optimal level. It doesn't apply to Target Frequency or Demand Gen campaigns.
Double click on that 2.7. Google doesn't say where it comes from, so treat it as Google's own benchmark, not an independent one. And a higher frequency target usually means a bigger planned spend. My read: a planning tool that tells you you're under the benchmark is a planning tool that nudges budgets up.
That said, frequency is a real lever. People rarely buy the first time they see a brand. They need to see you a few times, in the moments they're researching, before you feel familiar enough to trust. That's how buying works, on YouTube or anywhere.
So this ties to our YouTube rule: show up where people research before they buy. The suggestion helps you avoid a plan so thin that nobody remembers you. Just set the number from your own results, not from Google's chart alone.