There are numerous reasons why it’s beneficial to bid on your branded terms on Google, even if you already rank highly in organic search results. Let’s delve deeper into some of the key advantages:
- Protecting from the competition: Google is a highly competitive advertising platform, and even as a small brand, you may face the risk of competitors bidding on your brand name intentionally or unintentionally. For instance, if your company name is “Digital Drew,” and you bid on the term “Digital Drew,” a competitor who is bidding on a non-specific or broad match term like “digital marketing” may have their ad appear when someone searches for your brand name. This happens because Google’s algorithm perceives a connection between “digital marketing” and “Digital Drew.” By bidding on your branded terms, you can safeguard your brand’s visibility and ensure that your ad appears above any potential competitors.
- Utilize Auction Insights: The “Auction Insights” tool is an excellent resource to assess how your brand term ranks compared to your competitors. You can access this tool by navigating to your branded campaign/keywords, selecting “Keywords” on the left column, and then choosing “Auction Insights” from the middle row. By using this feature, you can gain insights into the percentage of searches for your brand term that your ad captures. Even with your branded campaign, you might discover that you only capture a portion of the searches, leaving a percentage of potential customers who do not see your ad at the top of the page. Bidding on your branded terms allows you to increase your visibility and capture a higher share of the search market for your brand.
- Control your messaging: Paid ads on Google give you greater control over the messaging and content that appears when someone searches for your brand terms. While organic search results are determined by Google’s algorithms and the content available on your website, paid ads enable you to craft specific ad copy and direct users to targeted landing pages. This control allows you to highlight unique selling points, promotions, or specific offerings that may not be immediately apparent from the organic search results alone. By incorporating compelling ad copy and relevant landing pages, you can drive more qualified traffic and enhance the overall user experience.
- Maximize visibility and dominate the search results: Having both organic and paid listings for your brand terms gives you a stronger presence on the search engine results page (SERP). When users see your brand name multiple times in both organic and paid placements, it reinforces your brand’s authority and credibility. This increased visibility can boost brand recognition, instill trust in your audience, and ultimately lead to higher click-through rates and conversions.
- Target-specific user intent: Paid ads allow you to target specific user intents and tailor your messaging accordingly. By conducting keyword research and understanding user search behavior, you can create ad campaigns that align with different stages of the customer journey. For example, you can have separate campaigns for brand awareness, product promotion, or customer retention. This granular approach enables you to capture users at different touchpoints and guide them through the sales funnel effectively.
Quality Of The Ad vs. Organic Listing
They say a picture tells 1,000 words so let’s compare how my paid ad looks compared to my organic listing.
Paid Ad:
Organic Listing:
Paid ads on Google provide ample opportunities for customization and tailoring your message to align with your brand’s objectives. One significant advantage of paid ads over organic listings is the ability to utilize extensions. These extensions offer additional information and functionalities that can greatly enhance your ad’s effectiveness.
One notable extension is the location and hours extension. For local businesses like restaurants or salons, displaying the location and operating hours directly in the ad is incredibly valuable. Potential customers can quickly determine if your business is conveniently located and whether it aligns with their schedule. Having this information readily available without the need to click on the ad can significantly influence their decision to visit your establishment.
Another valuable extension is the phone number extension. With paid ads, you have the ability to display your business’s phone number directly in the ad. This feature is particularly advantageous for users searching on their mobile devices. If a user sees your ad and wants to contact your business immediately, they can simply tap on the phone number displayed, initiating a direct call. This level of convenience can greatly increase the likelihood of attracting potential customers and converting them into paying clients.
These are just a couple of examples of how extensions in paid ads offer added value to your brand. There are numerous other extensions available, such as site links, callouts, reviews, and more, each serving a specific purpose in providing relevant information and encouraging user engagement.
Ultimately, bidding on your brand terms is essential for two significant reasons, among others. Firstly, it ensures that your competitors don’t appear when users search for your brand name. By securing the top ad position, you can effectively prevent competitors from diverting potential customers away from your business.
Secondly, bidding on your brand terms allows you to deliver the necessary information to users searching for your brand. With the help of extensions, you can provide crucial details such as location, hours, and phone numbers directly in the ad. This information plays a pivotal role in customers’ decision-making process, as it enables them to quickly assess if your business meets their needs and make an informed choice to either visit your establishment or take the next step in the purchase decision cycle.
In conclusion, bidding on your brand terms in paid ads on Google offers distinct advantages, including customization options and the utilization of extensions. By taking advantage of these features, you can provide users with valuable information and enhance the user experience, ultimately driving more conversions and maximizing the return on your advertising investment.
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