Branded Search Isn’t Always What It Seems. This is Why You Need to Test It.
With how wild some SERPs are getting lately, bidding on branded search terms isn’t always a bad idea… especially if your competitors are actively gunning for your brand name.
But here’s the problem:
Most SMBs and in-house marketers are told to do it by someone at their agency or by a “Google partner” who just shows up in the inbox one day. No testing. No context. No real strategy. Just “You should protect your brand.” Cool. But… should you?
Branded Search Doesn’t Always Mean Bottom Funnel
We love to assume branded queries are always high intent. And yeah, sometimes they are. But branded search doesn’t always mean someone is ready to buy.
Think about a user comparing DeWalt vs. Milwaukee. Or someone looking up Bosch dishwashers not because they’re sold on Bosch, but because it’s the first brand that came to mind during research. BTW, this part is really off topic, but Bosch really does make whisper-quiet dishwashers that auto-vent. And they’re amazing. Now back on topic haha.
That searcher might be early in the funnel despite doing a branded search. They might not be brand loyal yet, and still shopping around.
So bidding on branded terms can be a smart play if you’re under competitive pressure, and need to hold position while educating that buyer.
Where It All Goes Wrong
We’ve seen this happen with both SaaS and eComm clients where bidding on competitor terms is fairly common:
- They were bidding on their brand name because the agency before us told them it was a good strategy.
- Or because someone who was Google Partner emailed them and said “this is best practice.”
But wait… they did this without testing? What happens when you don’t bid on it?
Turns out, in a few cases, once we paused some branded spend campaigns… nothing happened. Sales didn’t go up, and didn’t go down.
However, there were times organic revenue went up by roughly the same amount they were previously spending to get it via paid. And all that “paid performance” was just recycled demand the clients already owned.
But, in a few cases, organic revenue went up a little, but not anywhere close to the amount lost by turning those campaigns off. So this was demand the clients didn’t own, and it was earned with paid search.
Branded search can make sense. But it’s not as simple as a default playbook.
Bottom Line on Branded Bidding
- Competitors targeting your name? You might need to defend your turf.
- But don’t let agencies or “Google reps” push you into spend without understanding the tradeoffs.
- Just because the metrics look clean doesn’t mean the strategy is.
- Know what you’re protecting, and whether you actually need to.
If you’ve made it this far, and thinking you need a free 30 minute consultation, don’t hesitate to contact us. Yes, it’s actually free. Also, we promise there will be no sales pitch either, and it’s just a business meeting to get your questions answered.
