6 Reasons to Bid on Your Own Branded Keywords

November 5, 2020

The idea of bidding on your own brand has been somewhat controversial in the past. 

These days, brand bidding is very much a part of any successful PPC strategy. In this post we explain why, and offer six reasons to incorporate brand keywords into your paid search activities.

1. Brand terms help you to dominate the SERPs

Bidding on your own brand terms gives you even more visibility in the SERPs. When someone searches for your brand, it’s pretty much a given that your website will be the top result. However, just as using more links in an email can increase click through rate, dominating all of the top search results including ad space gives searchers more ways to enter your website.

2. It gives you more creative control 

Whilst organic search listings are free advertising, creating a search ad offers a little more control over your messaging. You can also decide exactly which landing pages you will send your searchers to – this means you can use compelling copy to direct traffic to the pages you know are the most likely to convert. You can also increase your CTR through the site links feature, which allows you to display up to six links to other key pages on your website. The ability to change your messaging whenever needed offers a lot more freedom and flexibility – there’s no need to try and balance creative copy with SEO optimisations which can quickly eat up character limit.

3. You can test, test, test

Because you have so much control over your messaging and what will appear when your ad is displayed in the SERPs, this allows for continuous testing which can be hugely beneficial to your overall PPC search strategy. You can alter your ad copy, extensions etc to see which is the best approach for driving clicks and conversions, and what isn’t working.

4. You can keep up with competitors 

If you don’t bid on your own brand terms, chances are you competitors will. This means that if someone searches for your business, they could be served ads for your competitors instead, putting you at risk of losing traffic and sales as these ads will likely be the first thing the customer sees. You should also consider bidding on your competitor’s brand terms too, in order to direct some of their traffic to your own website instead.

5. Branded terms are cost effective 

Any PPC strategist is on the lookout for cheap keywords that bring in traffic. Because branded keywords are so specific, they come at a low cost – this means you can reap huge benefits without blowing your PPC budget. You don’t have to stop at your company name, either – you could also bid on your own specific/unique products too, if appropriate for your business. This should generate some high CTAs and quality scores. 

6. You can generate high-quality leads at the right time

If someone is searching for your brand, they’re likely already familiar with it. They may have discovered you through word of mouth, social media or they could already be a regular customer. This type of person is usually much further along the sales funnel than someone who’s searching for broader, more generic terms – they know that your company has what they need and are likely ready to make a purchase. 

PPC Consultancy at Venture Stream

If you’re looking for no-nonsense, data-driven PPC consultancy and advice, get in touch with our team – we’re more than happy to help. In the meantime, read our step-by-step guide on how to develop an ecommerce PPC strategy, or take a look at some of our award-winning work.