Our clients often ask us whether they should bid on their brand name in Google AdWords. The idea is that if they already rank #1 organically, why pay for traffic that they can get for free anyway? It’s an understandable concern, but there are many reasons why dental practices would do well to bid on their own name.
SEO and PPC work better when run together. According to a study by the search engine Bing, businesses see an average of 32 percent more clicks when they use both organic and paid forms of digital marketing.
Here are some reasons your brand name should be bid on and how it will help you get more patients walking through your doors.
Reasons to bid on the name of your brand
Stop rivals from stealing your clicks.
Rivals often bid on your brand name. If you don’t bid on your brand name and a rival does, they will first show up above your organic listing. Just imagine how infuriating that would feel! Defend yourself with a branded campaign and secure the top spot to make sure you don’t lose traffic down the street to your rivals.
Is it legal for your competitors to use your brand name as keywords? Unfortunately, yes, it is. Google has quite a clear set of guidelines for search ads that cover topics such as trademarks, and the shelter provided by trademarks is the key to this debate. Google acknowledges the security that a trademark provides, but this does not necessarily apply to the range of keywords on which you are bidding. So advertisers behave lawfully, and vice versa, in bidding for the name of your dental practice.
Make it harder for your rivals.
If other dental practices bid on your branded keywords, you can significantly increase their costs by merely slapping your ad next to theirs. A higher CTR, better position, and better quality score are very likely to be yours. Good for you, bad for them. You’ll also force them to raise their bids to compete for the same ad slot.
One more thing to remember: just because rivals might not be buying your branded keywords right now, that may change in the future. The search results landscape changes regularly, and you need to remain continuously on top of what is happening.
Better visibility.
Searchers click more frequently on links at the very top of the search results. On phones, this is especially true because the visual real estate is so much smaller. You will guarantee that searchers will see your ad first before seeing alternatives by bidding on your own keyword.
One more link on the page also makes it easier to find your site. Own as much of the page as you can with your dental practice!
Inexpensive clicks.
Brand keywords produce relatively cheap clicks (in certain circumstances) as far fewer advertisers have included these terms in their targeting mix of keywords. Be conscious, however, that you will need to pay a higher price if your rival is bidding on your brand name too.
Present yourself the way you see fit.
You have a much better chance of affecting how searchers communicate with your brand in the search engine results pages when you run ads on your name. You have more influence over your campaigns in this way, and you will always be first in your brand’s search results.
Better quality traffic.
Although the number of clicks you attract will be small, you will be very well qualified for the traffic you obtain. The majority of clicks obtained in this manner will consist of individuals searching for a competitor’s product or service, so they will have high intent and are likely to convert (assuming you have a similar product/service).
A better return on investment.
Finally, bidding on advertised keywords means you’re going to get a better return on your overall marketing budget.
For instance, let’s say you increase awareness of your dental practice with an article in your local newspaper. One of the first things people can do is Google your brand to find out more about you. But if you’re not bidding on your terms, it’s likely, as described before, that a rival will steal this valuable click. By dominating your brand’s paid and organic results, you can catch the maximum possible impression and click share.
Some dental practices don’t want to bid on their brand because they think it’s an unnecessary expense, taking away organic search conversions – clicks they don’t have to pay for. They also think that bidding on their name wastes money that might enter new searchers who are not searching for them. But do you really want people searching for your brand to be led to your rivals?
At Dr. Websites, we’re here to help! Contact us today for more information on how our digital marketing services can be of help to your practice.