Should you target your own branded keywords in search advertising?

Increased SERP real estate

Running both a paid ad and an organic listing ensures your brand dominates the search engine results page (SERP). This dual presence pushes other competitors further down the page, making it more likely that users will click on your brand rather than a competing result.

More visibility often translates to a stronger perception of authority and credibility, reinforcing brand trust. Additionally, with features such as ad extensions, your paid listing can take up even more space, providing extra information that might not be available in the organic listing alone.

Control over messaging

One of the major benefits of running a branded Google Ads campaign is the ability to control the messaging that appears in search results.

Organic listings rely on Google's algorithm to determine which page title and description to show, whereas paid ads allow you to customise the copy, highlight key selling points, and use ad extensions like sitelinks, callouts, and structured snippets.

Unbounce do this strategy where their brand term ad goes to a different page to their organic result.

This means you can align your messaging with current promotions, highlight seasonal campaigns, or direct users to high-converting landing pages, ensuring more targeted traffic and potentially higher conversion rates.

Competitor defence

If competitors are bidding on your brand terms, their ads could appear above your organic listing, potentially diverting traffic away from your site. By running your own branded ads, you can ensure that your business remains the most visible and authoritative result when users search for your name.

This strategy prevents competitors from capitalising on your brand recognition and reduces the risk of losing potential customers to alternative options. Additionally, having both a paid and organic result makes it less likely that users will be swayed by competitor messaging.

Potential negative impacts

• Dilution of organic clicks: A branded ad campaign means your paid listing will appear above your organic search result. Since many users instinctively click on the first link they see, they may choose your ad over your organic result, even though they would have visited your site for free via organic search. This can lead to a decrease in organic click-through rate (CTR), making it seem like your organic performance is dropping, even though total traffic remains stable.
• Cost implications: Paying for clicks that could have been acquired organically means spending part of your advertising budget unnecessarily. While the cost per click (CPC) for branded keywords is typically lower than for generic or competitor keywords, these costs can still add up over time. If there is little competition for your branded terms, you may not need to run ads at all.

Factors to consider

• User behaviour: Understanding how users interact with search results is crucial when deciding whether to run a branded campaign. Some users inherently trust organic results more than paid ads, making them more likely to scroll past an ad. Others click on the topmost result regardless of type. Analysing your audience's behavior helps determine whether running a branded ad will significantly impact your organic CTR.
• Search volume and competition: The necessity of running branded ads often depends on your brand's search volume and industry competition. If your brand is well-known and receives a high number of searches, competitors may try to capitalise on this by bidding on your brand name. In such cases, running a branded ad helps protect your traffic.
• Cost vs. benefit: Weigh the cost of running branded ads against the potential revenue generated from those paid clicks. If the return on ad spend (ROAS) is strong, investing in branded ads is justified. Conversely, if most clicks would have been free via organic search, running a cost-benefit analysis helps determine whether branded campaigns add true incremental value.
• Ad positioning and extensions: Features like sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets, and phone numbers make paid ads more engaging and useful. When combined with organic listings, these extensions create a comprehensive presence on the SERP, offering a level of control and engagement that organic listings alone cannot provide.

Strategic approach

• A/B testing: The best way to determine the impact of branded search ads is to conduct an A/B test. Run branded ads for a set period and then pause them to compare organic CTR, paid CTR, and total traffic. If total clicks and conversions increase substantially with ads running, branded ads are likely beneficial.
• Monitor metrics: Regularly review performance data from Google Search Console and Google Ads. Track changes in organic CTR, conversion rates, and overall traffic to determine whether your investment is yielding positive returns and how visitor engagement differs between paid and organic channels.
• Adjust bids and budgets: Refine your strategy based on performance data. If your brand faces high competition, increase bids on branded keywords to maintain top placement. If campaigns prove costly with little added benefit, lower bids or pause the campaign to allocate marketing spend efficiently.

To summarise:

While targeting your own brand keywords in a Google Search Ads campaign can potentially reduce your organic CTR, the overall impact on your brand’s visibility and traffic might justify the cost.

By carefully monitoring performance and adjusting strategies as needed, you can balance the benefits of increased SERP dominance and controlled messaging against the costs and potential dilution of organic clicks.