Should You Bid on Brand Keywords. Yes or No?
One question I get asked as a PPC account manager is if it is common to bid on brand keywords. Some clients believe in it and swear it is worthless. Whereas there are many clients that understand the value and the reasons behind the bidding. I will explore some of the different reasons why you should or shouldn’t bid on brand terms.
Orgainic (Free) Search Position
First, perform a search for your brand. This will give you the scoop on where you rank in the organic search results. It’s rare, but your site might now rank in the number one spot on the search results page. If your site is ranked anywhere other than number on, as a rule of thumb, you should bid on your brand keywords. Be sure to check site position for a range of different keywords relating to your brand. Such as, long tail keywords and brand keywords in different order.
Sneaky Competitors
Double check that no one else is bidding on your terms. To me, this isn’t a practice that I believe in. But, it’s a perfectly legal move. So, if a competitor is ranking on top in the ads section when someone searches for your brand, it’s a great idea to bid on them as well. You shouldn’t have a problem getting click-through-rate going while keeping you cost-per-click down. Because it’s your brand keyword, your quality score should be very high.
Cost-per-Click
Speaking of cost-per-click, if there’s no other businesses bidding on your brand keywords, the cost-per-click will be extremely low. If you have the budget for clicks costing cents (although sometimes a lot) then bidding on brand keywords is a no brainer. Overall this leads to a higher quality score and CTR for your entire campaign.
Is Your URL Confusing?
If your have a URL for your homepage that isn’t very clear on what your business is, the bidding on brand keywords might help. You will be able to create target-focused PPC ad copy that tells the searcher they are searching for the right place.
Do You Have a Market Monopoly?
It will be most unlikely that competitors will be bidding on your brand keywords. This could be one reason not to bid on your key terms.
However, if you have competition, then that could be a reason to bid on brand terms. Especially, like stated above, your getting clicks for cents.
Increase Your Brand awareness
If searches for your brand are happen, then they know you exist. What you might want to combat is other advertisements causing any kind of distraction, pulling away from your brand. You want them to see your and click through to your site. Accomplish this by creating awesome ad copy.
Take Up Search Results Real Estate
It can be a justifiable move to advertise for the simple reason of taking up more room on a search results page. Leaving nothing to change. Lets say a competitor has somehow move into the last position on the first page of results. Your ad can possibly push them to page two. Worst case, they stay below the fold.
Conclusion
There’s a lot of potential reasons to be bidding on your brand keywords. In most cases, if cost-per-click is low, I would suggest that it is good practice to use some of your PPC budget on brand terms. If it’s something that you do go for, make sure to test. One easy test to perform is comparing conversions before and after. With PPC ads, you can control where the searcher lands. Instead of landing on your homepage for organic results, you can force them to a sign up or purchase page. This could result in a higher conversion rate. It’s always important to consider what the reason is behind you decision.
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