This article will give you the answer to the most emotionally charged question of paid search:
Should your business bid on its brand terms?
Few topics are so divisive.
What other issue can infuse a technical, data-driven marketing channel with the emotional sensibilities of an eighth-grade drama club?
Amid the debate, some marketing teams “pick a side” that sabotages their profits without realizing it. Others ignore that there’s a decision to be made and get subpar results.
Take a deep breath, because on the other side of all the controversy is the five-step strategy that will keep your head cool and your marketing profitable.
What You Need to Know About Brand Bidding
Brand bidding is the practice of bidding on one’s own brand terms on the SERPs. (Not to be confused with brand awareness activities that introduce or reinforce your brand.)
According to Google policy, your competitors are free to use your trademarked terms in their own keyword lists.
In most cases, they can’t use your brand name in their ads, but your competitors can run ads that encourage people to click their ads rather than yours:
A brand’s site may rank well organically, but competitors have more real estate than ever to promote their offer and crowd out other results.
Today, Google text ads are up to 270 characters – that’s nearly 3x the characters of standard text ads that reigned from 2000 to 2016. That doesn’t even include the multiple ad extension options. Up to four ads can show on top of the search results.
And as Google’s SERP evolves, being the first “blue link” organic listing for your brand doesn’t guarantee that your site will be first, “above the fold,” or anywhere near the fold, as seen here:
In addition to text and Shopping ads, there are local packs, related questions box, and a dozen other features that can push organic listings further down the page. – Read more
