How to Control Brand Bidding in Google Ads
A brand campaign is essential for a successful Google Ads account, as it helps prevent competitors from appearing when customers search for your name. However, spending on these campaigns can sometimes get out of hand, especially if you don’t keep it under control.
In this short blog post, I’ll explain how to manage your brand spend and avoid overpaying for customers already looking for your business.
The best way to save spend
When setting up brand campaigns, it’s natural to want to be 100% on top. The problem is that Google takes this literally.
No matter how high your CPC is, Google will charge you for every click, which can quickly add up.
The key is to limit your Max CPC bid.
There are several ways to do this, but the best method I’ve found is:
Selecting Absolute top of results page
Targeting 100% impression share
Adding a Maximum CPC bid limit of around £1
This way, you stay visible while keeping costs in check.
The Maximum CPC limit will vary depending on your business, so it’s worth setting it to £1 initially and adjusting it over time by lowering or increasing it based on the results you see.
Why does this work?
Since it’s your brand, the relevance of your keyword far outweighs anyone else bidding on your name. Google sees you as the most relevant ad and gives you some leeway with positioning.
This is different from your other ads, where you’re competing with businesses selling similar products or services.
How do I know it’s working?
The best way to check (aside from spend) is by monitoring your clicks.
It’s easy to focus on CTR, but I’ve seen impressions go up when lowering bid limits, which naturally drops CTR and can create a false flag.
If your clicks stay roughly the same while spend decreases, you’ve just saved yourself a ton of money.
Example:
Red line: Clicks
Blue line: Spend
Looking at this, we can see there was no drop in clicks while making the change. Success!
Potentially Issues
With all great things, there are a few potential issues to watch out for.
Competitors – Sometimes, competitors will bid on your name, and a lower CPC means they can compete with you. This is an obvious concern, but I don’t think it’s a huge issue. If they’re searching your name, they’re likely interested in your brand anyway. Plus, they’re probably wasting a ton of money chasing your customers.
Clicks Dropping – If you notice a significant drop in clicks, it’s time to raise your CPC. Try increasing it by £1 and monitor the results until you reach a level you’re comfortable with.
New Customers – This is the biggest risk, as they could be drawn elsewhere. Keep a close eye on your new customer data in GA4 or another tracking source, especially for this campaign.
Overall, keep an eye on things, but the reward far outweighs the risk.
If you’d like to find more ways to control your ad spend and maximise your Google Ads account, feel free to reach out via the contact section in the footer.