As a PPC manager I often have the following dialogue with a client:
Client: I ran a search yesterday for “Brand Name” and saw that we are running PPC ads even though we already rank #1. We don’t want to pay [Avg. Bid Amount] for clicks we’re going to get anyway.
As you can see, this isn’t really a dialogue. Ideally it would go more like this:
Client: I ran a search yesterday for “Brand Name” and saw that we are running PPC ads even though we already rank #1. Do we need to pay [Avg. Bid Amount] for clicks we’re going to get anyway?
Me: Actually, for clicks on your brand name the average cost is under [usually between $0.05 and $0.25] and your result will almost always be #1, ahead of your competitors, and allowing you to occupy twice the “real estate” on the SERP. It’s like a cheap insurance policy against your competitors stealing clicks.
Client: But don’t people usually click the #1 result?
Me: Most do, but for searches on your brand name we want to capture as close to 100% of the clicks as possible. They’re already looking for you. Not to mention that we have full control of what a paid ad says and can send people directly to a landing page with [contact form, registration, special offer, etc.] instead of just plopping them on the home page.
Client: Okay. Let’s keep bidding on [Brand Name] then. Thanks for explaining that.
Bidding on Your Brand Terms
In summary, there are many reasons to bid on your brand term:
- Double the “real estate” you occupy on the 1st page of the SERP
- Stay ahead of competitors bidding on your brand terms
- You control the copy 100%
- Send visitors directly to landing pages/conversion pages
- The clicks are usually pretty cheap (think insurance policy)
Anything I missed?
About Robert
A common discussion we have with clients all the time, both large and small. Few understand the buying cycle and the user behaviour of searches. I would add 2 to your list:
1. You control the messaging in PPC – if you offer numerous services (think insurance) and your brand isnt product specific (e.g. johns insurance) you can choose which product to promote based on sales volumes or seasonal offers. So john in this example could choose whether to push his home or car insurance product. You dont get this control with SEO results.
2. Some people have a natural affintity towards the PPC or SEO results. There are people who swear by PPC and those that swear by SEO. You could miss out on potential customers by not being present on both.
@Rob
Great point about some people leaning toward paid results. Thanks for adding that.