Bidding on your company name on Google may seem counterintuitive. After all, if someone is searching for your company, they’re going to find you, regardless. Right?

Google generated $177 billion in advertising revenue in 2021

Advertisements accounted for 80% Google’s revenue in Q2 2022. In Q2 2021, it accounted for 81.5%. Google has made improvements, but the key takeaways are that a) ads keep the company running and b) advertising revenue from search is shrinking.

Google’s core business is being adversely affected and this is likely to continue as advertisers cut back on spending due to economic difficulties.

Why is this relevant?

Because a company that relies on advertisers who pay to be at the top of the page will want to reward those who continue to do so. In reality, this means pushing organic results further down the page.

If you’re not bidding on your brand term, you risk disappearing into oblivion (i.e. below the fold).

You must now pay to play

What’s more, anyone can bid on your brand name, regardless of whether it is trademarked or not. Not bidding on your brand risks others hijacking your customers, or prospects, without you ever knowing.

The good news is that your brand term will likely be your cheapest source of paid traffic. It’ll also have a strong click-through rate, sending positive signals back to Google that you’re a quality advertiser. This can benefit your overall ad account and positively influence your non-branded search campaigns.