After all, if someone’s already Googling your business, surely they’ll click on your organic listing, right?
Not always. And not without risk.
Here’s when it does make sense to run brand campaigns — and when it might not.
1. Protecting Your Brand from Competitors
Let’s start with the big one.
If you’re not bidding on your brand name, your competitors might be. I’ve seen it happen far too often, someone searches for your company, but ends up clicking on someone else’s ad sitting above your organic result.
Google doesn’t stop them from doing it (unless it’s a trademarked term and you file a complaint), so the only real defence is showing up first with a clear, branded ad.
In short:
If your competitors are bidding on your name, you need to be there too.
2. Taking Up More Space on the Page
A branded ad lets you dominate more of the search results page, especially on mobile.
You’re not just protecting your brand, you’re giving people more ways to reach you:
• Sitelinks to key pages (e.g. contact, services, testimonials)
• Call buttons
• Location extensions (if relevant)
That extra visibility can bump up click-through rates and make your business look more trustworthy.
3. Brand Clicks Are Cheap and High-Intent
Brand campaigns usually cost peanuts, especially compared to non-brand keywords.
I’m talking £0.10–£0.30 per click in many cases.
And those clicks convert. These are people who already know you, trust you, and are likely ready to act. Paying a few pence to make sure they land on the right page (and not a competitor’s) is a no-brainer in most cases.
4. When You Might Not Need Brand Campaigns
There are times when bidding on your own name isn’t urgent:
• If you rank #1 organically
• If no competitors are bidding on your name
• If you’ve got limited budget and want to focus on lead gen first
But even then, a brand campaign can be useful for tracking branded search volume over time, and making sure every visitor lands on the most relevant page (not just your homepage).
