If you’ve ever googled a competitor’s brand and spotted ads for someone else sneaking into the search results, that's brand bidding. It's when you pay to appear in search results whenever someone searches for your competitors' names. Sure, it’s a little cheeky. But it’s also pretty common, and honestly, it can work wonders. But, of course, it’s not without its pitfalls.
In this guide, we take a look at whether brand bidding makes sense for your business and how to protect your own brand from competitors who might do the same. So, read on and check out these tips to help you improve your PPC strategy, whether you're just getting started or sharpening your approach.
What is brand bidding in PPC?
Brand bidding in PPC is when you use your competitors' brand names as keywords in your advertising campaigns. While it might seem aggressive, it's a common practice in digital marketing that's used by most advertising platforms, though with certain restrictions about how you can use those terms.
When you bid on competitor brand terms, you're essentially trying to appear in search results when potential customers are looking for your competition. This gives you a chance to present your business as an alternative option right at the moment when someone is actively searching in your market space.
How brand bidding works
The process is pretty straightforward when it comes to brand bidding:
Identify relevant competitors whose audience overlaps with yours
Select their brand names as keywords to target in your campaigns
Create ad copy that positions your business as an alternative (without mentioning their brand name in the ad itself)
Develop targeted landing pages that compare your offering to theirs or highlight your unique advantages
One thing to keep in mind – while you're allowed to bid on a competitor's brand as a keyword, actually putting their name in your ad copy is usually off-limits. Doing that risks stepping on trademark toes, which you definitely want to avoid.
The ethical considerations
Brand bidding can be a bit of a grey area ethically. Some marketers think it's fair game and just another way to get noticed in a busy market. Others feel it's aggressive or could damage relationships within the industry.
If you're deciding whether brand bidding is right for you, consider how competitive your market is and what's considered normal practice. In some industries there's an informal agreement not to do it, while in others, everyone expects it. And if that’s the case for you … get to bidding.
The benefits of brand bidding
From reaching high-intent audiences to potentially lowering costs, there are a fair few benefits to brand bidding.
Reaching high-intent audiences
When someone searches for a specific brand name, they're usually far along in their buying journey. These aren't casual browsers as much as they're people actively looking for solutions. When you bid on competitor terms, you put yourself in front of people who are ready to make decisions.
Brand visibility and awareness
Even if people don’t click your ad right away, appearing next to well-known competitors more regularly will help build recognition. For newer businesses in particular, just being seen alongside established brands can give you a credibility boost.
Potentially lower costs
Competitor brand terms usually have less competition compared to those generic industry keywords everyone’s fighting over (well, apart from the competitor themselves). That means you might pay less per click but still connect with the right audience.
Competitive intelligence
Running competitor brand campaigns gives you insights into how your offerings compare in the overall marketplace. You can learn which competitor terms drive the most interest and adjust your strategy accordingly.
The risks and challenges
Of course, there are some potential risks and challenges to weigh up, be it lower conversion rates or retaliation from the brand itself.
Lower quality scores
Search engines evaluate the relevance of your ads to the keywords you're targeting. Since your landing pages likely don't mention competitor brands, you'll typically receive lower quality scores that may increase your costs and reduce ad visibility.
Lower conversion rates
When people search for a specific brand, they're usually set on choosing that brand. Sure, you might get some clicks, but the conversion rates are typically lower compared to your own branded keywords.
Potential retaliation
If you start bidding on your competitors' terms, don’t be surprised if they hit back by bidding on yours. That could end up pushing your own brand keyword costs higher as you enter brand-bidding warfare.
Budget constraints
If you have a limited PPC budget, competitor brand bidding might not be the most effective use of your resources compared to other targeting strategies, such as targeting long-tail keywords or investing in your own branded keywords.
How to implement brand bidding
If brand bidding seems like a good move for your business, you'll want a clear plan so you get the most out of it without running into trouble. Here’s how to set yourself up for success:
Create dedicated landing pages
Don't just send traffic from competitor brand searches to your homepage. Create customised landing pages that specifically address how your solution compares to the competitor being searched for.
For a successful competitor landing page:
Highlight your unique advantages without directly attacking the competitor
Use comparison tables showcasing features, pricing or benefits
Include customer testimonials from users who switched from that competitor
Maintain a professional, respectful tone throughout
Craft strategic ad copy
When writing ads for competitor brand campaigns, remember that you can’t use their trademarked names in your ad copy. Instead:
Position yourself as an "alternative" or "competitor"
Focus on your unique selling points
Use phrases like "compare options" or "looking for solutions?"
Include your key differentiators (better pricing, features, support)
Set appropriate budgets
Give your brand bidding campaigns their own separate budget instead of lumping them in with your main ads. Start small, then slowly scale up as you see results, since clicks can be pricier because of those lower quality scores.
Monitor and protect your own brand
When you're bidding on competitors' terms, don’t neglect your own brand. Research shows businesses that bid on their own brand terms get higher click-through rates overall, and it helps stop competitors from sneaking in and taking a chunk of your traffic.
Use the right bidding strategy
With competitor brand campaigns, manual CPC bidding usually beats automated strategies, because search volumes and competition can be tricky to predict. Manual bidding gives you more control over your spend while you figure out what works best.
To learn more about how automation impacts PPC campaigns and when manual control might be preferable, check out this guide on Google Ads automation and what it means for PPC.
Test and refine
Brand bidding needs regular attention and ongoing tweaks if you want the best results, so make sure you try these:
A/B test different ad copies
Experiment with various landing page formats
Regularly review search term reports
Adjust bids based on performance data
Monitor competitor responses to your campaigns
Alternatives to direct brand bidding
If direct brand bidding seems too aggressive or isn't delivering results, you might want to look at some alternative approaches:
Target "alternative" keywords
Instead of going straight after a competitor's exact brand name, try targeting keywords like "[competitor name] alternatives" or "[competitor name] vs." People searching for these terms are usually comparing their options and are open to exploring other brands.
Remarketing to competitor visitors
Use display campaigns to remarket to users who have visited competitor websites, offering them compelling reasons to consider your solution instead.
Content marketing comparison
Create valuable content comparing your solution to competitors, optimised for organic search. It provides a less aggressive way to capture competitor traffic through SEO rather than paid ads.
Brand bidding in action: real-world examples
Seeing brand bidding in action can help you figure out if it's a good fit for your business. Let’s check out a few real-world examples to see how it plays out.
The software alternative: ClickUp vs. Asana
Brand bidding happens all the time in the software world, especially among project management apps. A good example is ClickUp bidding against Asana. When someone searches for Asana, ClickUp often pops up, describing itself as the "#1 Alternative." It's a smart way to grab attention from people already looking at project management options.
ClickUp’s approach works because anyone searching for Asana is clearly interested in project management tools. By positioning themselves as a strong alternative with potentially better features, ClickUp is able to capture attention at exactly the right moment—when users are about to decide.
Real estate development success
A real estate developer tried brand bidding by targeting the names of competitor projects in their local area. They set up ads using exact-match keywords, both developer names and specific property developments.
On day one of the campaign, someone researching a competitor’s development spotted their ad. Because it highlighted a similar property nearby with slightly better features, the buyer changed direction and ended up investing in a £600,000 home—all thanks to an ad that cost just £8.50.
E-commerce brand wars: DoorDash and Uber Eats
Brand bidding is pretty common among food delivery apps, with competitors often bidding on each other's names. American delivery brand DoorDash regularly bids on "Uber Eats" as a keyword, which puts their brand in front of people searching for their main rival. Even if users don't click immediately, seeing DoorDash pop up repeatedly helps build recognition and links the brand with food delivery in customers' minds.
It works especially well in markets where customers aren't loyal to any single platform yet, and care more about things like delivery speed or fees than sticking with one app.
What makes these examples successful?
These successful brand bidding campaigns have a few things in common:
Clear positioning: They go further than appearing in search results and clearly position themselves as viable alternatives
Specific targeting: They focus on competitors whose audience closely matches their ideal customer profile
Strong value propositions: Their ads highlight specific advantages over the competitor
Dedicated landing pages: They direct traffic to pages designed specifically for comparison
Measuring brand bidding success
Measuring success in brand bidding isn’t just about clicks. You’ll want to keep an eye on things like:
How much it costs to acquire customers compared to other campaigns
Conversion rates from competitor-focused ads
Lifetime value of the customers you bring in through brand bidding
How much your brand awareness increases (tracked through surveys or searches for your brand directly)
Done thoughtfully, brand bidding can really pay off, even if clicks cost a bit more upfront. Choose the right competitors to target, craft appealing messaging and track your results, and you'll set yourself up to nail brand bidding in your PPC strategy.
Get strategic with your paid campaigns
