Cracking the Code: The Enigma of Brand Queries in Google Search Campaigns
Understanding Brand Queries
Brand queries are requests that include the name of your company in various spellings, along with derivative queries. For instance, for the online store “Shoporama.com,” these queries would encompass “Shoporama.com,” “Shoporama,” “shoporama,” “shoporama.com,” and “store shoporama.”
Utilizing Brand Queries in Google Search Campaigns: To Embrace or Not?
Over the last 10 years, marketers have consistently raised the question to us: “Our brand name is unique. We already rank first in organic search results for queries that include our brand name. So, why should we spend money on advertising for branded queries?”
For instance, if I am a manufacturer of Porsche, my website will be the first one in Google search results for the query “Porsche”.
(This doesn’t include car dealerships in the discussion)
Four Compelling Reasons to Incorporate Brand Queries in Google Search Campaigns
1. Defending Against Competitors:
By running ads for brand-specific queries, you can prevent competitors from capitalizing on your brand recognition. Without such campaigns, competitors could seize the opportunity to appear in the paid search results for your brand name, potentially diverting traffic and customers away from your site.
Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mercedes, and Jaguar would gladly place their advertisements above the organic results and snatch your potential customer.
What’s important: the cost per click for your Brand Queries will be approximately 10 times cheaper for you compared to your competitors. Defending positions is inexpensive, while attacking is costly.
2. Optimal Control of Messaging and Landing Page
Crafting ad copy for brand queries empowers you to curate the messaging users encounter while searching for your brand. This grants you the ability to spotlight distinct promotions, exclusive offers, or unique selling propositions that might not be immediately apparent in typical search outcomes. As a result, this can significantly amplify click-through rates and conversions.
Equally crucial is the fact that a brand query within Google’s organic results frequently directs users to your website’s homepage. However, this might not always yield the highest conversion rates or sales. Through paid advertising, you gain the flexibility to designate one or more links to the most impactful pages, thereby augmenting your revenue potential.
3. Two links are better than one. Maximize Your Earnings!
Having 2 links from the first page of Google directing to your website results in a greater click-through rate compared to having just one link. Moreover, the significant benefit lies in the increased revenue potential. Illustrative examples are provided later in the text.
4. Local websites for international brands
Sometimes, Google prefers an international or global website over a local one. In such cases, it’s necessary to pay for clicks in order to direct people to the correct website immediately. Here’s an example from Ukraine.
Tracking and Measuring the Impact of Brand Queries
You ain’t gotta sweat no tracking snags when you’re rolling strictly with Search Ads. And, of course, when it comes to brand campaigns, you’re pulling out the A-game compared to the rest of the pack. Rocking that consistent high ROAS like it’s second nature. But yeah, that’s a given. ’Cause you’re tapping into that prime audience heat, including your loyal crew of repeat players.
The real deal starts poppin’ when you’re rockin’ them PMax Campaigns. ’Cause a chunk of them brand queries gonna get thrown in the mix there too, and that’s when the rubber meets the road. But no worries, we’ll be droppin’ the knowledge on how to fix up this glitch when we link up next time.
Unlocking Success: Case Studies with Brand Queries in Google Search Campaigns
Methodology: Each time, we identified the overall volume of traffic and conducted tests:
Option 1: Paid advertising, brand queries + Organic, brand queries
Option 2: Organic only
For the sake of simplicity going forward, we’ll refer to this as the brand traffic segment.
Case Study 1: e-commerce, cosmetics and perfumery
When we shut down the search ad for a couple of weeks, the revenue from the brand traffic segment took a 45% dip.
Case Study 2: SaaS, Financial Service
This time ‘round, we pulled the plug on paid ads for a month, and let me tell you, that experiment hit our pockets hard. The advertiser’s earnings from the brand traffic scene took a 40% tumble.
Fast-forward to the next month, we brought the ad campaign back in the game, and the earnings came back to the same old tune.
Summary
Ran a few more of those mad experiments, straight-up pulling the plug on them brand query campaigns, and let me tell you, every time the advertisers were takin’ hits on their stacks. It’s just the size of the hole in the pocket that varied: some took a 25% beat down, while others got slapped with a full-on 50% loss.
Hoping that after soaking up this knowledge, ain’t a single shade of doubt lingering ‘bout the fact that brand queries are a must-have in the search ad game. But yo, if you’re feelin’ like dancin’ in your own rain of rookie mistakes, ain’t nobody here to hold you back? ;)
Self-promo time ;) Craving your Google ad campaigns steered by true pros? Look no further, ’cause at UAMASTER, we’re performance marketing engineers. We’re on that PPC management, vibin’ with precision that’ll blow your mind.
