Should-I-bid-on-my-own-brand-name-in-Adwords

Should you bid on your brand when running an Adwords campaign?

It may seem cheesy to bid on your own brand name however, this could be the secret sauce you have been waiting for when it comes to getting the most out of your Google Adwords campaigns.

Why?

Well, it can be hard to keep track of Google’s algorithms and policies, but one worth mentioning went into place on April 2013 and has had a profound effect on Australian advertisers.

At this time, Google announced that it was changing their Adwords trademark policy and putting in a new set of protocols. The two most important protocols were that Google would-

1. No longer prevent advertisers from bidding on third party trademarks

2. No longer support any trademark bidding restrictions

Google did claim that they would still look into complaints over someone using your trademark in their advert, however for the most part they removed all restrictions.

This policy is worth noting because if other people can bid on your brand name, then shouldn’t you beat them to it?

Google Adwords is a great and simple to use CPC platform, however if you really want the maximum results it may be worth making the small investment to bid on your own brand.

Here’s why…

#1 It Prevents Being Undermined by Competitors

Because of the new changes imposed by Google, your smart competitors will begin to bid on your brand name eventually in order to rank their site higher. If your competitors are at the top of Google’s search results this will undermine your brand and steal valuable traffic from your site. By bidding on your own brand name you can easily rank above competitors at a lower cost.

#2 Costs are Low

Bidding on your brand name on Adwords is a relatively small investment. Because the click through rate on your own brand name will be high and because your website address will match exactly, the total cost should be around 5 to 70 cents per click. This will of course depend on what keywords your brand is using. Note too that over time the costs should decrease.

#3 World Domination

Ok, so it bidding on your brand name may not allow you to take over the world, but it will allow you to dominate the search results. By bidding on your brand you instantly have access to more Google real estate, making it easier for users to find your website. It also allow makes your ad easier to see and allows you to get the most out of every campaign.

#4 Redirects to a Tailored Landing Page

Got a campaign to run? Another benefit of bidding on your brand name is that it allows you to tailor specific messages for your adverts and also allows you to redirect users to a destination URL. This means that you can get the maximum traffic benefits not only to your homepage, but also to specific landing pages. This can also be combined with Sitelinks, which allow you an additional six links to your ad. This is a great way to highlight particular destinations within your website.

#5 Increase Traffic

More traffic means more leads and more opportunities. Bidding on your own brand name essentially helps your ad to have better visibility and therefore helps to increase your traffic flow. Even if your site is receiving high amounts of organic traffic, having a boost through Adwords can definitely help. In fact, Google released a study showing that a combination of organic and paid traffic from Adwords was the best way to boost traffic. Of course, Google might be biased but it is definitely worth taking a shot considering how affordable most Adword campaigns can be.

#6 Variations and Products

Have a business name that is commonly misspelt? Then you should definitely be bidding on the incorrect spelling as well. This way you can still draw in all those people who are looking for you but just can’t remember how to spell your brand name. This also applies to product launches. If you have a new product that is not yet ranking organically you can also bid on its name to ensure that people can instantly find it. This is a great strategy to help boost new product launches and get your products into Google’s search results quickly.

#7 Control

Finally, the bottom line is when it comes to bidding on your own brand name is control. Your brand is everything, it is what you have spent all your time and money building and by bidding on it you can be sure that you are in control of it and how it is used. This can ultimately help you to strengthen your brand and online presence.

So, next time you find yourself debating over whether or not to bid on your brand during your Adwords campaign, take a moment to really ask yourself- what have you got to lose?