This is a topic that has always brought a lot of debate…should I bid on my own brand name in Google Ads?
(Spoiler: Yes, you have no other choice).
For some, the answer is clear, No.
Those who believe this is an abuse by Google are probably right. Nevertheless this is Google's game after all and, if we want to play we must follow its rules (and take advantage of them whenever we can).
Well, the most common explanations concerning why you should be bidding on your own brand name are the following:
1. If you don't bid on your own Brand Name in Google Ads some competitor/s will. Taking advantage of your brand and stealing a portion of your traffic because they will eventually show in higher positions in SERP results.
They will show their ads which let them choose the message whereas you will show organic results (it's Google's choice which page to pick up from your website).
2. The synergies between Organic and Paid results make the overall performance improve.
Now, we're going to provide a much clearer and more quantifiable explanation of why it is necessary to bid on our own Brand Name in Google Ads:
3. Not bidding on your Brand Name will result in you eventually paying more when a user searches for your Brand, as Google will trigger a generic Keyword (which implies higher CPCs).
Despite the reasons I just mentioned, it's possible that you still think you don't want to bid on your Brand Name in Google Ads.
That's OK. It can make sense in certain cases.
But, if this is your decision, you must understand that you will have to EXCLUDE YOUR BRAND NAME if you don't want to end up paying even more for your own Brand than if you had directly bid on it.
Now the question is, would you really be willing to exclude your brand?
Probably not, right?
Are you sure that you are properly covering your brand searches only with SEO?
I'll explain you why.
With a real case that's easy to understand.
This advertiser chose not to bid on his own Brand Name in Google Ads. What did we find out using Dolnai's Brand Query Controller tool?
We found out that this advertiser had been indirectly paying much higher CPCs for his own Brand. How come this is possile?
Easy:
Users made searches like 'Nike sneakers'. However, since that Brand Keyword was not present in the Google Ads account, Google decided to trigger a Generic Keyword that was closely related to the users' searches.
So, in response to brand searches like 'Nike sneakers,' 'Nike Air Max sneakers,'..., the Keyword that was triggered was 'Sports sneakers'.
This Generic Keyword has much higher CPCs because there are more competitors bidding on it. The advertiser would have paid much less if a Brand Keyword had been triggered.
Moreover, if the advertiser had bid on the Brand Name he would have had higher Quality Scores than the rest of the competitors bidding on the same Brand Name. Making it easier to beat them in the brand auctions.
If you're not there, if you don't bid on your own Brand name, you'll leave your competitors a clear path to capture your customers.
Are you aware of to what extent this is happening in your Google Ads campaigns?
Open a 'Full Search Campaigns Report' on Dolnai and go to Search Keywords > Brand Query Controller
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