Brand bidding: What to do when competitors bid on your brand name?

A competitor booking your company name as a keyword is generally permitted in the EU, as long as their ad does not create the impression that it comes from you. If they use your registered trademark in the ad text, you can file a trademark complaint with Google. The most effective response is usually your own brand campaign that appears above the competitor.

The legal position

The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled in several cases that booking someone else’s trademark as a keyword is not automatically trademark infringement. It becomes a problem when an average user cannot tell that the ad comes from a different company. Whether that applies in an individual case is something a trademark lawyer needs to assess. This page does not replace legal advice.

What Google allows

• Keyword: Google generally does not restrict trademarks as keywords in Europe.
• Ad text: If your trademark is registered, you can use the trademark complaint form to request that third parties do not use it in their ad text. You can authorise partners such as resellers.

How to check who is bidding on your brand

1. Search for your company name on Google, including on mobile and combined with your location.
2. Use the Ad Preview and Diagnosis tool in Google Ads so that your searches do not generate impressions.
3. In your own brand campaigns, check the auction insights to see which domains you are competing with.
4. Check the Google Ads Transparency Center to see which ads a competitor is running.

How to respond

• Your own brand campaign: Your ad almost always has the better Quality Score for your own name. Clicks are correspondingly cheap, and you appear at the top.
• Trademark complaint: If your brand appears in a competitor’s ad text and you are the trademark owner.
• Contact them directly: Sometimes a quick word is enough, especially with partners or resellers.
• Involve a lawyer: If the ad is misleading or disparages your brand.

Should you bid on other companies’ brands yourself?

It can work, but it is expensive because your Quality Score for other companies’ names is poor, and it can provoke a response. If you do it at all, use a clearly distinct message, keep the other brand out of your ad text and get legal advice first.

Related reading: Google Ads audit: How do you tell an account is wasting money? and Google Ads agency costs: Which pricing model is fair?

FAQ

Is a brand campaign worth it if I already rank first organically?

Often yes, because competitors’ ads can appear above the first organic result and intercept your visitors. Your own ad secures the top position and lets you control the message and landing page. A test shows whether the cost is worth it: compare clicks and enquiries for your brand name with and without an ad over a few weeks.

How do I stop my other campaigns from showing on my brand name?

In standard Search campaigns, you exclude your brand name with negative keywords. For Performance Max and Search campaigns using broad match, Google Ads offers brand exclusions via brand lists. This keeps brand searches in your brand campaign, and you can see separately what brand traffic and new customer acquisition cost.

What can I do if I do not have a registered trademark?

A trademark complaint with Google requires trademark rights, so without a registered trademark your options there are limited. In some cases, your company name may be protected as a business identifier; whether that applies in your case is something a trademark lawyer needs to assess. Either way, your own brand campaign remains the fastest response, and if your name matters to you, registering a trademark is worth considering.

When to hand this over

• Competitors appear above you when people search for your company name.
• You do not know whether a brand campaign is worthwhile or a waste of money.
• You want to separate brand campaigns cleanly from other campaigns and evaluate them.

Brand campaigns and competitor monitoring are part of our Google Ads management. In a free initial consultation, we will take a look at your situation.