Defend Your Brand Name in PPC

Have you ever searched for your company’s brand name in Google or Bing and seen a competitor showing in that coveted ad slot? It’s infuriating! Luckily, there are a few things you can do to defend that advertising spot so that your brand name appears number one. By creating a search campaign and utilizing some best practices, you can make sure your brand is well-represented in search results.

Here’s what you need to do.

Create a Search Campaign Targeting Your Brand’s Keywords The first step is to create a search campaign in targeting your brand name as a keyword. When creating your keyword list, be sure to use exact match for your keyword match type. This will ensure that your ad only appears when someone searches for your exact brand name—or close variations or misspellings.

Consider Utilizing Maximize Clicks or Manual Bids with a Low Bid

Once your campaign is up and running, you’ll need to bid on your brand name keywords. If you’re not familiar with the bidding process in Google Ads, consider utilizing Maximize Clicks. This bid strategy will automatically set your bids so that you’ll have a great chance of appearing in the top spot on search results pages. If you’re more comfortable with manual bidding, start with a low bid and gradually increase it if you aren’t receiving a fair amount of impressions. Remember, the goal is to appear in the top spot without breaking the bank.

Make Your Advertisement Small and Don’t Use Ad Extensions

One final tip for defending your brand name in search results is to make sure your organic listing is enticing to searchers. If your advertisement appears small and unassuming, searchers are more likely to click on your organic listing instead of one of your competitors’. Additionally, avoid using ad extensions—these can actually dissuade searchers from clicking on your organic listing. By following these tips, you can make sure searchers see your brand name exactly how you want them to—in the top spot!

Summary

It can be frustrating when a competitor shows up in the top spot for searches of your brand name. However, by following some best practices and utilizing Google Ads wisely, you can make sure that searchers see your brand name exactly where it should be—in the number one spot.