Gavels at the ready? Today we’re lifting the lid on a bit of a contentious topic when it comes to your online presence: brand bidding.
Brand bidding is a bit like the PPC version of marmite which means some people love it and some hate it, some people really recommend it, or some think it’s a waste of budget.
Well, we hate to say it but like many things in marketing world, whether you should bid on your brand terms or not, it really does depend. There are a few factors that go into whether it’s right for your business such as your budget, brand presence and overall strategy.
Grab a cuppa and settle in as we take you through brand bidding, what it is, when it’s essential, when it isn’t, and our top tips for getting it right!
Brand bidding is the act of buying ads against keywords that include your brand name and sometimes even a competitor’s. Instead of relying solely on organic rankings, you deliberately bid on branded terms so that your ad shows at the very top of the search engine results pages.
Some advertisers also bid on competitors’ brand names to grab attention and tempt searchers over to their site. According to Search Engine Land, brands can lose as much as 30% of their search traffic when a competitor’s ad appears above their official site, so it’s important you win your terms.
There are a few types of brand bidding:
This isn’t about vanity; it’s about visibility and control. By occupying the paid results above your organic listing, you protect your brand from would‑be hijackers and affiliates and get to craft your own narrative. Brand campaigns often enjoy high click‑through rates because people searching for your name already know you, and you can highlight promotions, new products, or customer reviews in the ad copy.
It’s true that a strong SEO presence is your first line of defence. However, competitors, affiliates and resellers can still bid on your name and siphon off intent. If you don’t run branded ads, their messages may appear above your organic listing – and they might not tell your story the way you would. Investing in a modest brand campaign keeps you front and centre while your organic result sits just beneath, effectively owning the page.
Bidding on your own brand is straightforward, but using a competitor’s trademark requires care. Brand bidding is generally legal; what’s prohibited is misleading consumers. Ads must make it clear which company is advertising, and you should avoid using a competitor’s trademark in your ad copy or display URL.
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to whether you should bid on your brand terms, but there are a few key questions that can help you figure it out.
Ask yourself:
Use these questions as a quick self-check before launching or pausing your brand campaigns. A simple review like this can help make sure your budget is being spent where it matters most.
There are a few reasons why brand bidding is an essential tactic in your paid search strategy.
Top of the list is using brand bidding as a defensive measure to protect your brand against competitors. It’s no secret that the digital space is HIGHLY competitive, and capturing traffic is often easier said than done, particularly if you’re battling it out with close competition in your industry.
Sometimes, you’ve got to get defensive!
You may find that competitors will bid on your keywords in an effort to divert traffic away from you and onto their own site. Bidding on your own keywords helps keep attention on you, and Google will often give you preferential performance due to the better relevance of the keywords to your landing page.
It’s also a perfect chance to establish and solidify your brand authority, making sure your content appears front and centre when searchers are looking for a specific brand. The more often they see you at the top of their search feed, the more likely they are to recognise you as a trustworthy brand.
While brand bidding has its uses, it isn’t always strictly necessary. For example, if you’re a new business or with a less established brand presence then brand terms will likely be less effective as the search volume won’t be there. If you’re organically appearing first on Google and you have a low budget, your paid budget will likely be more useful on more service focused search terms.
It’s important to review your competitors regularly to make sure no one is watching and waiting to pounce from the sidelines.
Conversely, if you’ve already nailed your brand recognition and have a solid USP (Unique Selling Point) your customers are more likely to click your links compared to a competitor. For example, people who want to shop at Amazon, are less likely to go to a competitor site instead, so brand bidding might be less useful.
There is always that risk that someone will go to a competitor. For some people, the potential cannibalisation of organic traffic and some potentially wasted budget is a worthwhile cost compared to the risk that someone will go to a competitor.
Whether or not to bid on brand terms depends on a ton of factors specific to your business, and there are a couple of grey areas where it can fall on either side of the metaphorical fence.
For example, you’ve got some viable competitors who could be seen as a real threat to your brand, but they aren’t active. Chances are if they’re showing up in your customers SERP, they won’t be there for long. If you’re consistently working to boost your brand through proactive and strategic SEO activity, chances are you won’t need to battle it out quite as hard for branded terms.
Organic activity can really make a difference if your competitors aren’t actively pushing their own brand online, but that isn’t to say they won’t hit you with a brand-new marketing strategy down the line with brand bidding at the top of their agenda, so it can be a risk to ignore bidding on your brand terms altogether.
Another example is when you have a SUPER common brand name. If you’re bidding on your own branded terms, you might also be paying for people searching for things that have nothing to do with you. In these cases, you might want to consider bidding on long tail keywords that would indicate someone is looking for you specifically. This could mean adding keywords that include one of your services or locations with the brand term.
Our final tip? If you aren’t already, separate brand and non-brand on your reporting, with different campaigns in Google Ads. Branded ROAS typically outperforms non-brand campaigns, which can make overall performance appear better. Reporting brand and non-brand activity separately helps you to understand non-brand performance and growth and tweak your strategy where needed.
You’ve decided to bid on your own brand terms and that’s great! But what should those ads actually look like? The goal here isn’t to just take up space; it’s to reinforce trust, highlight what makes you stand out, and make it super easy for people to click through and convert.
Start by making it clear who you are. Include your brand name right in the headline and don’t be afraid to use phrases like “Official Site” or “Authorised Store.” This instantly reassures users they’re in the right place (and not clicking on a cheeky reseller or competitor).
Next, add something your organic listing doesn’t say. Maybe it’s a special offer, a Trustpilot rating, or a reason to act now. Think about what makes your brand the obvious choice and weave that into your ad copy.
Don’t forget about sitelinks and extensions either as they’re perfect for directing people to pages they’re probably looking for, like Get a Quote, Contact Us, or Customer Reviews. You can also throw in a few quick highlights with callouts like Free Delivery, 24/7 Support, or No Hidden Fees.
If you’re sending users to a landing page, make sure it matches what they’re searching for. Someone typing your brand name probably already knows you, so skip the homepage and send them straight to a product, service, or quote page instead.
And finally, keep everything looking and sounding like “you.” Consistency is key. Make sure your tone, visuals, and messaging align with your brand identity, so users feel confident they’re in the right place from the moment they click.
At the end of the day, brand bidding isn’t a one-size-fits-all strategy. For some businesses, it’s an essential layer of defence that protects visibility and keeps competitors at bay. For others, it’s an optional extra that might not make sense until the brand grows.
The trick is to stay alert, keep an eye on your competition, and review performance regularly. If you do decide to bid, make your branded ads work hard for you. Reinforce trust, highlight what makes you unique, and make every click count.
If you’re still unsure whether using your paid budget on brand bidding is right for you, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
Get in touch today and chat with our team of paid search experts and let us help you nail your brand strategy,