Should You Bid on Brand Keywords? A Guide for Travel and Experience Providers

In the competitive world of search engine marketing, every click counts. This is especially true when users are searching for your brand name. But should you be paying for those branded clicks? It's a nuanced question that requires careful consideration. This article dives into the crucial details you should consider when deciding if bidding on branded keywords is the right strategy for your travel business.

Understanding the Basics

What Are Branded Keywords?

Branded keywords are search terms that include your brand name. This could be your company name itself (e.g., "Acme Tours") or a combination like "[your brand name] + [product/service]" (e.g., "Acme Tours adventure packages"). These differ from non-branded keywords, which are broader search terms related to your industry but don’t mention your brand specifically (e.g., "group tours").

What Does It Mean to Bid on Your Brand Name?

Bidding on branded keywords means allocating part of your advertising budget to ensure your paid search ads appear in search results when users include your brand name in their query. As with every pay-per-click (PPC) campaign, you’ll pay a certain amount every time a user clicks on your branded paid search ad.

Why You Should Consider Bidding on Your Brand Name

Combatting the Competition

If your competitors are already bidding on your brand terms, it can push your organic listing down the search engine results page (SERP). This can result in confused customers and a loss in branded traffic. By bidding on your brand name, you reclaim control and ensure users find your official website first.

Boosting Brand Visibility

A crowded SERP can make it hard for users to spot your organic listing. Bidding allows you to secure multiple spots on the page, maximizing your brand’s real estate and increasing the chances of users clicking on your listing.

Promoting Special Offers & New Products

Branded campaigns are perfect for highlighting special promotions, new product launches, or upcoming events. Include these details in your ad copy to grab the user’s attention and drive traffic toward your latest offerings.

Why You Might NOT Want to Bid on Your Brand Name

Uncontested Brand SERP

If no competitors are bidding on your brand terms, and your organic listing is consistently in the #1 position, then spending precious marketing dollars on branded search ads might not be necessary.

Limited Budget Considerations

Search advertising can be expensive, and bidding on branded keywords may not be the best use of your budget. To make the most of your advertising dollars, it may be wiser to prioritize non-branded queries with high search volume and transactional intent.

The Pros and Cons

Advantages

• Control the Message: Craft clear and targeted ad copy to shape user perception and highlight your brand’s unique selling points.

• Dominate the SERP: Increase your brand’s presence by securing multiple spots at the top of the search results.

• Discourage Competitors: By actively bidding on your brand terms, you make it less attractive for competitors to do the same.

Disadvantages

• Paying for Clicks You Would Have Likely Earned Anyway: Clicks on your branded ads still cost money, even though users were likely to click on your organic listing anyway.

• Cannibalizing Organic Traffic: Branded ads will lead users to click on the ad instead of the free organic listing, which may make it appear as though there’s been a decline in organic performance.

Real-World Example with Data

Believe it or not, we often have to ask ourselves if we should bid on our client’s brand name. The answer isn’t always straightforward. We’ve run extensive tests to understand whether bidding on branded terms was worth it for some clients.

For example, we worked with a travel and tourism business with a strong brand presence. Despite this, they faced a crowded brand SERP with competitors and "Things To Do" ads. We turned off branded ads in October 2023 and saw a notable decline in total CTR, which somewhat correlated with seasonal trends. However, organic branded search clicks increased.

After re-enabling branded ads in February 2024, we saw a significant increase in total brand search CTR, outperforming previous months. This data showed that bidding on branded keywords resulted in a net positive number of clicks and a greater share of the clicks.

Additional Insights

Brand Protection

Bidding on your brand keywords can serve as a protective measure. It ensures that your competitors don’t capitalize on your brand’s reputation by appearing above your organic listings. This is particularly important for well-known travel brands that have invested heavily in building their brand equity.

Enhanced Ad Extensions

When you bid on your brand keywords, you can utilize ad extensions more effectively. These extensions can include additional links, call buttons, and location information, providing more opportunities for users to engage with your brand directly from the SERP.

Measuring Incremental Value

It’s crucial to measure the incremental value of bidding on branded keywords. This involves analyzing the additional clicks and conversions generated by the paid ads compared to what you would have received organically. Tools like Google Analytics and attribution models can help you understand the true impact of your branded campaigns.

Seasonal Considerations

For travel businesses, seasonality plays a significant role in search behavior. During peak seasons, the competition for keywords can be fierce. Bidding on your brand keywords during these times can ensure that you capture the maximum share of voice and drive more bookings.

The Verdict: Should You Bid on Your Brand Name?

Ultimately, the decision to bid on your brand name hinges on many factors, including your competitive landscape, brand awareness, and budget constraints. Here are some general guidelines:

• Competitors Are Bidding on My Brand: If this is true for you, we almost always recommend bidding on your brand to ensure you have the utmost visibility to protect your brand image and control the message.

• Limited Budget with a Strong Brand: Focus on non-branded keywords with transactional intent to reach a larger audience and improve marketing performance elsewhere.

• Launching a New Product or Running a Special Offer: Branded keyword campaigns can be a strategic tool to drive targeted traffic to your offering.

Remember, the goal is to maximize your return on investment. By carefully weighing the pros and cons, you can determine if bidding on your brand name is the right move to elevate your online presence and achieve your marketing goals.

Partner with Digital Mudra for Expert PPC Management

Is your advertising providing a solid return on investment? At Digital Mudra, we’ve managed advertising for tour, activity, and attraction companies for years, and we’d love to discuss how we can help grow your revenue. Whenever you’re ready, let’s chat. By choosing Digital Mudra for your PPC management needs, you equip your travel business with the expertise and tools needed to thrive in a competitive market. Let’s connect and explore how we can work together to achieve your goals.