Bid on Branded Keywords

auctioneer for ppc bidding
Home » Blog » Bid on Branded Keywords
Free Web Marketing Consultations

Helping B2B Technology Companies Increase Their Lead Volume.
Serving: IT, MSP, Cybersecurity, Software Dev, SaaS, ISV, VARs & More.

Table of Contents
    Add a header to begin generating the table of contents

    Why are we spending money on branded keyword searches if we’re already ranking at the top of the page? This is a good question that clients often ask when getting started with PPC and one that has a number of compelling reasons to do so. In this post we will cover why you should bid on branded keywords in your PPC account.

    YouTube video

    What is a Branded Keyword?

    Branded keywords are your exact brand name and close variants of it that people would search for to find your SaaS. For us, our main branded search is “tortoise and hare software”.

    Although we get most of our branded traffic through that one search we have clients that have 10 or more variants that people search for when locating their businesses.

    Why Bid On Branded Keywords?

    You could make the argument that you shouldn’t bid on branded keywords because its a waste of money. I wholeheartedly disagree. First of all cost per click for branded searches is going to negligible, sometimes as low as a few pennies.

    The reason for this is because your ad is almost guaranteed to have a very high quality score due to the relevance to the search and clicks with high quality scores are considerably cheaper. There’s also not likely to be a bunch of competition bidding on your brand name and competition is what drives up costs.

    Since we know the costs are going to be microscopic, lets talk about a few reasons why it’s worth the expense.

    Capture Slang Searches

    Since we’re already talking about brand variants, bidding on branded searches is a great way to funnel all your slang variants that customers or referrals may use when searching for you.

    Since branding guidelines often dictate that you refer to your business by it’s proper and often trademarked name, its not always feasible to rank at the top for slang variants of your brand. Bidding on these variants is a great way to make sure you’re capturing the maximum amount of people searching for your business by name (a very valuable audience).

    Distinguish Among Duplicate Businesses Names

    A lot of people only consider competing businesses within the same industry when deciding what to name their business. Since business names are registered on a state by state basis, it’s possible that two businesses can have the same name. It’s more common than you may think.

    Search engines do their best to consider the context of the search and deliver the right business, but if someone is searching with location privacy or browsing in incognito mode, it may be impossible to get that context. If there is a larger more established player with your businesses name, it’s possible they can outrank you.

    When you bid on branded keywords and have proper location settings for your campaign, you can avoid this conflict by bidding for the top spot.

    Control SERP Messaging

    If your site is optimized correctly you may be eligible for site-links in the organic SERP (Search Engine Results Page). Site-links are automatically determined by the search engine and you don’t have much control over which ones are selected or how they appear. They are the links to the inner pages that appear below the main home page link below.

    When you bid on branded keywords you can control the messaging by choosing your own site links and you can customize the meta description that appears in light grey below the site-links.

    This is a great way to highlight specific offers or push a specific product or package within your branded searches.

    Add Additional Information

    Along the same lines as being able to control your site-links above, when you bid on branded keywords you are able to take advantage of additional ad extensions that become available such as displaying your physical address, your phone, number, and even allowing people to submit a lead form straight from the search results.

    Protect Yourself From Competitors

    This is one of the main reasons companies bid on their own keywords, to protect themselves from a competitor running an ad showing above your organic search results.

    A small local or regional business may not have competitors intentionally bidding on brand names, but it’s relatively easy to have people accidentally bid on your company name if you have a popular word in the title.

    For instance:

    • Software – (Tortoise and Hare Software)
    • Consultants – (NetTech Consultants)
    • Builders – (Maurice Jordan Builders)

    It’s very common for company names to have an industry term in their title and this invites competitors to match for your company name when they bid on broad match keywords.

    Bid on brand keywords to keep the top spot against intentional and un-intentional competitors vying for your SERP.

    Drive Up Costs For Your Competitors

    Paid search campaigns use a bidding system where auction bidders pay 1 cent more than the next lowest bid. Your bid is also modified by the quality score for a keyword. This isn’t exactly how it works, but a $1 bid with a 10 quality score could be thought of as an effective $10 bid. Since competitors bidding on your brand names are going to have very poor quality scores for those keywords, and your site will have very high quality scores, you can drive up costs for competitors. Your $1 in actual money spent to protect your brand name can create a $10 effective bid. Your competitors, who may have a quality score of 1 could have to spend $10 in real money to put in an effective $10 bid. If you aren’t bidding, then there’s no competition, and your competitors can run ads on your brand terms for very favorable pricing. Not good.

    Bid on Branded Keywords To Improve Ad Account Quality

    It’s no secret that Google takes into account the click through rates and overall account performance when determining individual quality scores. Why not sweeten the pot and improve your overall account quality by bidding on dirt cheap branded keywords with high click through rates?

    When you think about it you may even be offsetting the cost of your branded keyword costs by improving your account quality overall and reducing the spend on unrelated keywords.

    Send People To A Different Landing Page

    One advantage of bidding on branded keywords is that you can appear at the top of the results for your company’s name, but you don’t have to send them to your home page.

    You can use this to your advantage by combining branded searches with other demographic data to send people to a different landing page after clicking. For instance you could send high net worth individuals to a different page.

    For instance queries that contain the word support can be directed directly to the support page, or queries with a qualifying indicator can be directed to a more relevant landing page than the home page to increase conversion rates.

    You can also use this tactic for damage control in the event of a PR incident to send people to an explanation page.

    Conclusion, Bid On Branded Keywords!

    There are many reasons to bid on your brands keywords. They are very affordable and come with a number of benefits. These keywords offer benefits to all companies, but they can be especially fruitful to smaller companies with poor SEO. Adding a paid advertisement to the top of your SERP can really offset some other weaknesses in your organic listings.

    So what are you waiting for, get bidding!

    Share This Article
    Posted in: ,
    Tagged:

    Hunter Nelson

    Hunter is the founder and president of Tortoise and Hare Software, a digital marketing agency for the technology sector and other lead generation oriented businesses. Hunter has more than 10 years’ experience building web applications and crafting digital strategies for companies ranging from scrappy startups to Fortune 50 household names. When not on the clock, you'll find him spending time with his family and pups, relaxing on the beach, or playing competitive online video games. See for more.

    Leave a Comment





    Recent Blog Posts

    Aesopians E8 – How SaaS Companies Are Maintaining Brand Integrity and Operationalizing Growth with HubSpot Ft. Mohamed Hamad Of Third Wunder Agency

    SaaS companies move fast—but if your branding and systems can’t keep up, growth can actually become a liability. In this episode of the Aesopians Podcast, host Hunter Nelson is joined…

    The Ultimate Guide To ChatGPT SEO

    Most SEO professionals are racing to understand how AI tools are reshaping visibility. But the biggest shift isn’t coming from Google—it’s coming from ChatGPT. As organic search volumes and conversions…

    MSP Google Ads Costs and Pricing

    You’ve heard Google Ads can generate leads quickly, but you’re not sure how much to budget, what kind of results to expect, or whether it’s really worth the spend. Many…

    Aesopians E7 – Joining The Feel Good MSP Sales Training Program Ft. Brian Gillette

    In this episode of the Aesopians Podcast, we sit down with Brian Gillette, founder of Feel-Good MSP and creator of the “Feel-Good Close.” If you’re an MSP leader who’s tired…

    MSP Advertising Strategy: 3 Fundamental Approaches to Drive Real Growth

    Is your MSP making effective use of your advertising budget, or are you weighed down too much by bottom of funnel advertising tactics that leave you in a perpetual cycle…

    How We Save Thousands With Negative Keywords For MSP Google Ad Campaigns

    Google Ads is one of the most powerful inbound lead generation channels available to managed service providers. There are few better moments to introduce your brand than when someone is…

    Aesopians E5: From Tech To Rep: Year 1 In MSP Sales Ft. Ashton Fortuna

    Most MSPs hesitate to move technicians into sales—worried they’ll lack the polish, confidence, or killer instinct to close deals. Sales is a different game. Techs solve problems with systems; sales…

    SEO Not Working: Here’s Why

    Lately I’ve been getting on more and more calls lately with people saying something along the lines of “we’ve been doing SEO or inbound for 6 months, 12 months, or…

    Why SEO Investments Help Your MSP Weather a Recession and Keep the Door Open for New Opportunities

    What happens to your pipeline when the phones go quiet, inboxes stay cold, and paid ads stop converting? That’s not a hypothetical. It’s what happens in a recession. Budgets freeze.…

    MSP Marketing – How to Build a Strategy That Works

    Let’s be honest—most MSP marketing doesn’t work.Not because the tactics are bad, but because they’re unaligned. What looks like a marketing problem is often a strategy problem in disguise. Most…

    The 10 Best MSP SEO Agencies To Help You Grow Organic Traffic

    If you’re searching for SEO agencies for MSPs, the list of generalists can feel endless—and underwhelming. Most SEO providers don’t understand the managed services space, much less the buyer behavior,…

    Why Your MSP’s Online Marketing Efforts Are Failing

    If you’re leading an MSP and investing in online marketing, you’re probably feeling a growing sense of frustration. You’ve put money into websites, content, ads—even hired an agency or two…

    What Makes a Great MSP Website? 5 Examples You Should Follow

    Your MSP website is more than just an online brochure—it’s a powerful tool for attracting and converting potential clients. But what makes a website truly effective in the competitive managed…

    Case Study: Cold Start To 2-5 Leads Per Month Via Local SEO For MSP In Canada

    Client Background A Managed IT Services Provider (MSP) in British Columbia, Canada engaged us to establish a professional online presence and generate a steady flow of inbound leads. Before working…

    Aesopians Episode 4: Leading with Cybersecurity To Spark MSP Sales Conversations – Featuring Michael Bakaic Of Iceberg Cyber

    In this episode of the Aesopians Podcast, Hunter Nelson sits down with Michael Bakaic from Iceberg Cyber to discuss how MSPs can use cybersecurity as a conversation starter to attract…

    WordPress Out OF Memory Exceptions

    Recently I’ve been dabbling in programmatic SEO. I got an idea of rolling out a landing page to attract search engine traffic from every major city in the United States…

    Aesopians Episode 3 – Cold Email Marketing For MSPs Featuring Jeffrey Newton Of Cyft.AI

    In this episode of The Aesopians Podcast, Hunter Nelson sits down with Jeffrey Newton, Co-founder of Cyft and former MSP sales and marketing leader, to discuss the realities of running…

    Case Study: Sourcing 30+ Email Opt-Ins Per Month For Cybersecurity SaaS Startup Via Google Ads

    In this case study we’ll share how we helped a Cybersecurity SaaS startup source roughly 30 email opt-ins per month via Google Ads to help fuel their email marketing efforts…

    Aesopian’s Episode 2 – Streamlining SEO Content Production Featuring Raj Khera Of Make Media

    In this episode of the “Aesopians” podcast, we’re joined by Raj Khera, a serial entrepreneur and the founder of Make Media, to discuss how small businesses can transform their approach…

    Aesopians Episode 1 – Azure Cloud For MSPs

    In the debut episode of Aesopian’s Podcast, host Hunter Nelson sits down with Matt Hache, an infrastructure consultant at PAX8 and founder of Neon Cobra, to explore how Managed Service…

    Related Blog Posts

    Aesopians E8 – How SaaS Companies Are Maintaining Brand Integrity and Operationalizing Growth with HubSpot Ft. Mohamed Hamad Of Third Wunder Agency

    SaaS companies move fast—but if your branding and systems can’t keep up, growth can actually become a liability. In this episode of the Aesopians Podcast, host Hunter Nelson is joined…

    The Ultimate Guide To ChatGPT SEO

    Most SEO professionals are racing to understand how AI tools are reshaping visibility. But the biggest shift isn’t coming from Google—it’s coming from ChatGPT. As organic search volumes and conversions…

    MSP Google Ads Costs and Pricing

    You’ve heard Google Ads can generate leads quickly, but you’re not sure how much to budget, what kind of results to expect, or whether it’s really worth the spend. Many…

    Aesopians E7 – Joining The Feel Good MSP Sales Training Program Ft. Brian Gillette

    In this episode of the Aesopians Podcast, we sit down with Brian Gillette, founder of Feel-Good MSP and creator of the “Feel-Good Close.” If you’re an MSP leader who’s tired…

    MSP Advertising Strategy: 3 Fundamental Approaches to Drive Real Growth

    Is your MSP making effective use of your advertising budget, or are you weighed down too much by bottom of funnel advertising tactics that leave you in a perpetual cycle…

    SEO Not Working: Here’s Why

    Lately I’ve been getting on more and more calls lately with people saying something along the lines of “we’ve been doing SEO or inbound for 6 months, 12 months, or…

    Why SEO Investments Help Your MSP Weather a Recession and Keep the Door Open for New Opportunities

    What happens to your pipeline when the phones go quiet, inboxes stay cold, and paid ads stop converting? That’s not a hypothetical. It’s what happens in a recession. Budgets freeze.…

    MSP Marketing – How to Build a Strategy That Works

    Let’s be honest—most MSP marketing doesn’t work.Not because the tactics are bad, but because they’re unaligned. What looks like a marketing problem is often a strategy problem in disguise. Most…

    Why Your MSP’s Online Marketing Efforts Are Failing

    If you’re leading an MSP and investing in online marketing, you’re probably feeling a growing sense of frustration. You’ve put money into websites, content, ads—even hired an agency or two…

    Case Study: Cold Start To 2-5 Leads Per Month Via Local SEO For MSP In Canada

    Client Background A Managed IT Services Provider (MSP) in British Columbia, Canada engaged us to establish a professional online presence and generate a steady flow of inbound leads. Before working…

    Case Study: Sourcing 30+ Email Opt-Ins Per Month For Cybersecurity SaaS Startup Via Google Ads

    In this case study we’ll share how we helped a Cybersecurity SaaS startup source roughly 30 email opt-ins per month via Google Ads to help fuel their email marketing efforts…

    9 Ways To Leverage AI To Deliver Better ROI On Your Marketing Spend

    At Tortoise and Hare, we understand the challenges mid-market technology businesses face when it comes to generating leads and maximizing marketing budgets. That’s why we’ve embraced cutting-edge AI tools to…

    Case Study: TNHS Generates 30 Leads In 6 Months For DC Metro MSP

    In July of 2024 a Washington D.C. metro based MSP reached out to Tortoise and Hare Software for help with some of their advertising campaigns. This MSP was working with…

    Microsoft Loop Presents Marketing Opportunity For MSPs

    Introduction Microsoft Loop, a recent addition to the Microsoft 365 suite, is already creating buzz in the tech community, and for a good reason. With its native integration into widely…

    Granting Access To Google Search Console

    In this post we’ll show a brief overview of how to grant access to Google Search Console to a 3rd party marketing provider. What Is Google Search Console? Google Search…

    Granting Access To Google Tag Manager

    In this post we provide you with a brief overview of Google Tag Manager and show you how to grant us access to the platform as a 3rd party marketing…

    Granting Access To GA4

    In this post we will provide a brief overview of Google Analytics 4 (GA4) and show you how to grant access to a 3rd party marketing partner. What Is Google…

    5 SEO Strategies for MSPs to Turbocharge Revenue Growth

    Search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the most powerful tools in your marketing arsenal. For managed service providers (MSPs), developing a strong SEO strategy can mean the difference between…

    Top MSP White Label Content Providers

    Are you struggling to keep your content pipeline filled with high-quality material that truly resonates with your target audience? You’re not alone. Managed IT service providers (MSPs) often face the…

    The Ultimate Guide To MSP Website Optimization

    A well-optimized website is essential for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) looking to scale their business, attract more leads, and achieve a lucrative exit. A lot of MSPs check a few…

    Top Blog Content

    The Ultimate Guide to Hiring an MSP Marketing Agency

    Are you one of the many MSPs struggling to attract new clients consistently? According to research conducted by MSP Dojo, a leading MSP sales consulting firm, approximately 85% of MSPs…

    The Ultimate Guide To MSP Website Optimization

    A well-optimized website is essential for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) looking to scale their business, attract more leads, and achieve a lucrative exit. A lot of MSPs check a few…

    The Ultimate Guide To Paid Search On Google Ads For Managed Service Providers

    Generating leads for your MSP can be a challenge. You spend so much time managing employees, making sure customer support tickets are answered, procuring hardware, and defending against cyber threats,…

    The Ultimate Guide To MSP SEO

    Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of the most important ways to attract new business for mid-market managed service providers (MSP). If you look at MSPs that have achieved any…

    The Ultimate Guide To Setting A Marketing Budget For IT Companies

    Many IT companies get their start as a one-man operation and rely almost exclusively on word of mouth, referrals, and other organic offline means to get past their initial growth…

    Featured Review of Tortoise and Hare

    ryan drake president nettech consultants
    R.D.
    President Florida Based MSP

    Tortoise and Hare has been a key partner in our MSP's growth. Over the year's we've worked together they've helped our MSP dramatically increase our website traffic, and build a steady stream of leads sourced from our website and advertising efforts. Over that time, we've been able to raise our base customer size, build economies of scale to more efficiently service customers, and expand into new markets.