Many advertisers wonder why they should pay for clicks on their own brand name, assuming their organic listing is sufficient. In reality, however, bidding on branded keywords remains one of the most powerful tactics in search advertising.
TL;DR
Though you rank #1 organically, bidding on branded keywords protects you from competitors, secures visibility and captures high-intent traffic. When done right, branded bidding boosts your presence on the SERP, sharpens attribution, and ensures that people searching for you actually choose you. Simply put, it’s a small investment that safeguards the brand equity you’ve worked so hard to build.
Should You Be Bidding on Brand Keywords?
If your brand is ranking number one organically on Google, you might ask, “Do I really need to pay to get clicks on my own brand?”
It is a common question anyone can have, but for most of us, the answer is “Yes”. Bidding on branded keywords is not about ranking; it’s about protecting your brand, improving campaign performance, and creating a smoother customer journey.
Why do Advertisers Hesitate to Bid on Their Own Brand?
Many advertisers hesitate to bid on their own brand terms. Poor performance is not the reason, but many think, “Why do I have to pay for those terms which are already ranking 1 on SERP?” Here are some common reasons for their hesitation:
| 1. Lack of Awareness About Brand Protection | For some advertisers, brand protection is not a defensive strategy. They do not realise that branded ads can protect their brand’s equity and demand. |
| 2. Belief That Strong Brands Don’t Need Ads | Many well-known brands believe their name is enough to attract relevant traffic. In reality, competitors and resellers can easily outrank them in paid placements and steal visibility. |
| 3. Underestimating Competitor Activity | Most brands don’t expect competitors to bid on their name—until it costs them traffic and conversions. |
| 4. Budget Constraints and Prioritisation | Brands with limited budgets tend to prioritise non-branded keywords to attract new customers. For them, branded campaigns are more about maintenance than growth. |
Why Bidding on Your Brand Keywords Makes Sense?
Bidding on branded keywords is one of the smallest investments with the highest impact. Let’s find out the reasons why it would make sense.
1. Protection from competitors:
Every competitor wants to capture high-intent traffic, which is why many of them bid on well-known brand names. If you don’t run ads for your own brand, a competitor’s ad may show above your organic result, causing you to lose potential visitors.
2. Cover the wider area for more visibility:
Whether you are new to the market or an old player, increasing visibility becomes a priority. To reach as many potential customers as possible, bidding on branded keywords can be highly effective. They help broaden your reach and boost overall visibility.
more visibility = more trust = more clicks
3. First impression is the last impression:
Organic ranking has its own limitations. Even if you are ranking #1 organically, your product/services can be easily overshadowed by a competitor’s paid ad. So you need to control the first impression. If your organic ranking temporarily slips due to an algorithm update or page change, your paid ad acts as an immediate safety net, ensuring you maintain a top position by allowing you to:
- advertise offers and new launches
- use extensions to highlight various aspects of your business
- showcase benefits and ratings
4. High ROI during seasonal peak
Events like Black Friday, Prime Day and festive sales demand more visibility. Branded campaigns ensure that your products/services are visible to the audience. Bidding on these keywords prevents competitors from stealing your traffic, thus boosting ROI.
5. Paid+ Organic = winning formula
Both paid and organic together can reinforce the brand and capture the attention of the wider audience. Having a branded campaign and an organic listing helps to:
- increase clicks
- boost brand credibility
- reduce competitor influence
- strengthen SERP presence
How to Bid on Branded Keywords the Right Way?
To maximise the effectiveness of branded keywords, it is essential to set them up correctly.
1. Create a dedicated campaign for branded keywords
Keep your branded and non-branded campaigns separate. It makes your reports easier to read and helps you manage budgets more effectively. By separating the campaigns, you give visitors a clearer view of your brand and can fine-tune your bidding strategies with more accuracy.
2. Use precise match types
If you wish for your ads to only show for highly relevant searches, then utilise exact and phrase match types. An exact match will give you tight control, and a phrase match will help to capture variations like misspellings, etc.
3. Extensions that do the heavy lifting
Ad extensions enable you to display alternative and useful information about your products/services. It directs the user to pages like “Sign up”, “Schedule a demo”, and “Get a quote”.
Note: Karooya has developed a Google Ads script which helps you monitor disapproved ad extensions
4. Negative keywords are still critical
Using negative keywords is an effective strategy. Without them, you often pay for irrelevant clicks. Here are some reasons for using negative keywords when bidding on your own brand:
- keeping non-buyers away
- protecting your quality score
- strategic messaging control
Why Branded Bidding Still Matters?
Branded bidding is often misunderstood, yet it plays a crucial role in paid search. Organic listings can only do so much. Bidding on your own brand helps you protect the traffic you’ve already invested time and effort in building.
Branded keywords help you reach people who already know your brand and are more likely to take action. These campaigns typically deliver lower CPCs, higher CTRs, and better conversion rates than non-branded keywords.
Brand bidding isn’t wasted spend. It’s about defending your brand’s space, reaching the right audience, and maximising the impact of your overall marketing efforts.
Note: Our PPC experts share practical insights on bidding for branded keywords, including when to invest, when to hold back, and the aspect of brand bidding most advertisers get wrong.
FAQs: Bidding on Branded Keywords
1. Are competitors allowed to bid on my brand name?
Yes, competitors are allowed to bid on your brand name as a keyword. However, they can not use your trademarked brand name in their ad copies until they are authorised.
2. Will branded ads cannibalise my organic traffic?
No—branded ads usually don’t cannibalise organic traffic. Instead, they help protect your brand presence, increase visibility, and capture additional demand.
3. Should branded keywords be in a separate campaign?
Yes, branded keywords should almost always live in a separate campaign. They deserve their own campaign because they need different budgets, bids, goals, and optimisation strategies than non-brand terms. It’s cleaner, safer, and far more scalable.
4. What match types work best for branded keywords?
The primary goal of branded keywords is to protect your brand traffic while staying efficient.
| Best Practice | What to avoid |
|---|---|
| Running phrase or broad match keywords without a frequent search term check | Relying only on broad match for brand traffic |
| Phrase match as secondary coverage | Grouping branded and non-branded keywords into the same ad group |
| Broad match should be optional | Running phrase or broad match keywords without frequent search term check |
5. When should I increase bids on branded keywords?
It will be wise to increase bids on branded keywords when your brand traffic starts to leak to your competitors or your conversion volume is at risk. This happens especially during peak sales periods or major promotions.
6. Do branded keywords help with attribution?
Yes—branded keywords absolutely help with attribution. They capture users who already have strong intent, and they help ensure those conversions are credited to your campaigns instead of slipping away to other channels or, worse, competitors.
7. Are branded campaigns suitable for small businesses?
Yes. Branded campaigns are especially suitable for small businesses. Small businesses have a limited budget. Branded keywords are typically cheaper than generic ones, so you get more value per click.
8. Is bidding on branded keywords really essential?
Yes, in most cases. While it is not strictly mandatory, it’s considered strategically essential as it has the lowest risk and high control. Even when it doesn’t give you the desired outcome, it protects the revenue you have already earned.
What Can We Take Away?
While organic keywords are important, they do not give you a guarantee of being in the top spot. Bidding on your branded keywords is not about competing with yourself; it’s about protecting your brand and ensuring that users choose you over your competitors. A few key things to keep in mind:
- Don’t let competitors take your customers away who are already looking for you
- Use paid search ads to showcase your offers and promotions
- Owning both paid and organic spots can increase your total click-through rate
So, if you are not bidding on your brand currently, start with a small campaign. The cost of protecting your brand is minimal compared to the price of losing a customer to the competition.
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