Paid Advertising and Brand Keywords: Protecting Your Name

The Brand Keyword Question

Should you pay for clicks on your own brand name when you'd rank #1 organically anyway? The answer is almost always yes — but the reasons aren't obvious.

Why Bid on Your Own Brand Name

Competitor Defense

If you don't bid on your brand name, competitors will. Google allows advertisers to bid on competitor brand names (in most countries). Without your own ad, a competitor's ad sits above your organic listing — capturing clicks from people specifically looking for you.

Control the Message

Organic search snippets are determined by Google. Paid ads give you full control over the headline, description, and call-to-action. Use this to promote specific offers, highlight differentiators, or direct traffic to optimal landing pages.

Cheap Clicks

Branded keywords have low competition and high quality scores, resulting in very low cost-per-click — often $0.10-0.50. This is some of the most cost-effective advertising available.

Real Estate Domination

Running a paid ad + organic listing + Google Business Profile means you occupy most of the first page for branded searches. More real estate = fewer clicks going to competitors.

Conversion Data

Paid ads provide conversion tracking that organic doesn't. You can measure exactly which branded searches lead to purchases, signups, or other valuable actions.

Branded Keyword Strategy

Campaign Setup

Create a dedicated branded keyword campaign separate from your other campaigns:

• Campaign name: Brand - [Your Brand Name]
• Keywords: Your brand name, common misspellings, brand + product combinations
• Match type: Start with exact match and phrase match
• Budget: Low — branded clicks are cheap

Ad Copy Best Practices

• Include your brand name in the headline
• Highlight current promotions or key differentiators
• Use ad extensions (sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets)
• Test multiple ad variations
• Include a clear call-to-action

Landing Page

Don't send branded traffic to your homepage by default. Test dedicated landing pages with:

• Clear value proposition
• Prominent call-to-action
• Social proof (reviews, customer counts)
• Easy navigation to key pages

When Competitors Bid on Your Name

Is It Legal?

In most countries, yes. Competitors can bid on your brand name as a keyword. However, they typically cannot use your brand name in their ad copy — that may constitute trademark infringement.

How to Respond

Step 1: Verify it's happening. Search your brand name in an incognito browser and note which competitors appear.

Step 2: Bid on your own name. Your quality score will be much higher than theirs for your brand keyword, so your cost-per-click will be lower and your ad position higher.

Step 3: Contact the competitor. Some competitors don't realize they're bidding on your name (broad match keywords can trigger unintended matches). A polite email sometimes resolves it.

Step 4: File a trademark complaint. If competitors are using your trademarked name in their ad copy (not just as a keyword), file a complaint through Google's trademark policy.

Step 5: Consider bidding on their name. This is a strategic decision — it escalates the situation but can be effective if done thoughtfully.

Your Brand Name and Ad Performance

Your brand name directly affects paid advertising performance:

Quality Score Impact

Google evaluates the relevance between the keyword, ad copy, and landing page. A distinctive brand name that appears consistently across all three elements earns a high quality score — meaning lower costs and better positions.

Click-Through Rate

Distinctive, memorable brand names get higher click-through rates in ads. If someone recognizes your brand name in the ad, they're more likely to click.

Name Length

Shorter brand names fit better in headlines and display URLs. Google Ads headlines have character limits — a name that uses 25 of your 30 available characters leaves little room for messaging.

Budget Allocation

For most brands, branded keyword campaigns should represent:

• 5-10% of total ad spend
• 20-40% of total conversions (branded searches convert at much higher rates)

If your branded campaign is consuming more than 15% of budget, investigate why — you might be bidding too aggressively or missing organic ranking opportunities.

Measuring Brand Campaign Success

Track these metrics for your branded campaigns:

• Impression share (aim for 90%+ on branded terms)
• Cost per click (should be very low)
• Conversion rate (should be your highest)
• Competitor appearance rate (how often competitors show for your brand)

Name First, Advertise Second

Your paid advertising strategy is only as strong as your brand name. A distinctive, memorable name costs less to advertise and converts better across every channel.

Find a distinctive brand name and check its availability with BrandScout — then protect it with a smart paid advertising strategy.