Brand Bidding, explained properly.
What is brand bidding?
Brand bidding refers to bidding on branded keywords, typically your own business name or specific product names. It also refers to the practice of competitors bidding on your brand name to intercept users searching for you.
Should you bid on your own brand?
Yes, in most cases. Most businesses that ignore brand bidding eventually regret it, and the economics are nearly always in your favour: - **Cost per click is very low.** Brand keywords have extremely high Quality Scores because your own content is maximally relevant to your own name. Quality Score on your own brand terms is almost always 9 or 10 because the ad, landing page, and search query align perfectly. CPCs of a few pence are common. - **Conversion rates are very high.** Someone searching your brand name has high purchase intent. They already know who you are, so they are likely close to converting. - **It protects your real estate.** Without a brand ad, the top of your branded SERP can be occupied by competitor ads, review aggregators, or directory sites that are bidding on you. - **You control the message.** Your organic listing shows your homepage. Your brand ad can point to a specific offer, landing page, or seasonal campaign.
When brand bidding might not be necessary
There is one scenario where brand bidding is not worth it: when your organic ranking is dominant for all branded searches, no competitors are bidding on your brand, and you have a small or zero PPC budget. In that case, the budget is better spent on non-brand acquisition. That said, the moment a competitor starts bidding on you, brand defence ads should go live the same day. It is worth monitoring regularly, especially in competitive sectors.
Competitors bidding on your brand
You cannot stop competitors bidding on your brand name. Competitors bidding on your brand name is legal in most countries, including the UK. It is annoying, but it is allowed under Google's policies as long as the competitor does not use your trademark in their ad copy. There are two practical defences: 1. **Run your own brand ad.** A brand ad with a high Quality Score will almost always beat a competitor's ad on the same brand term, and at a lower cost per click. 2. **Trademark protection through Google.** If you own a registered trademark, you can submit a complaint to Google Ads to stop competitors using your brand name in their ad copy. They can still bid on the keyword, but they cannot mention your brand in the ad text.
Keeping brand separate
Always run brand keywords in their own separate campaign. This keeps budget, CPCs, and performance data clean and separate from your non-brand campaigns. Brand campaign management is included in our PPC service.
Brand Bidding: common questions.
Is bidding on competitor brand names illegal?
In the UK and most other countries, bidding on a competitor's brand name as a keyword is legal. What is not allowed is using their registered trademark inside your ad copy. Google's trademark policy is the line between competitive bidding and trademark infringement.
How much does brand bidding cost in Google Ads?
Cost per click on your own brand terms is almost always very low, often a few pence. Quality Score is high because there is perfect relevance between query and landing page. The exact cost depends on whether competitors are also bidding on your brand.
Should small businesses bother with brand bidding?
Yes, in almost every case. Brand searches are your warmest traffic, brand CPCs are cheap, and conversion rates are excellent. The only exception is if no competitors bid on your brand and you have very limited budget that needs to go toward acquiring new customers.
How do I stop competitors from bidding on my brand?
You cannot stop them from bidding on the keyword itself, but if your brand is a registered trademark, you can submit a Google Ads trademark complaint to stop them using your brand name in their ad text. Combined with running your own brand defence ad, this neutralises most competitor brand bidding.
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