Google Ads Brand Search Campaigns Best Practices

Are you running Google Ads campaigns targeting your brand name? If you've ever wondered whether this is worth your money or just a waste of your budget, I wanted to share some insights that might help you decide.

YouTube video on the topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AEORwlN6Bs

Blog Post: https://surfsideppc.com/google-ads-brand-search/

Truth is, there's no one-size-fits-all answer here. What works for one business might not work for another, but I've found clear patterns to guide your decision.

When branded campaigns make sense:

You're just starting with Google Ads - Brand campaigns generate quick conversion data, which helps Google's algorithm learn faster and improves ALL your campaigns.

You're in a competitive industry - I recently searched for a local roofing company and found some of their competitor ads at the top. If you're in a high-value industry like roofing, where jobs are worth thousands, do you want to risk losing that customer to a competitor bidding on your name?

You've invested in brand awareness - Capturing those searches makes sense if you've got billboards, truck wraps, or other advertising that gets people searching specifically for your company.

When you might skip branded campaigns:

If your organic listing dominates the search results for your brand name with no competitor ads showing up, you might be okay without paying for clicks you'd get anyway. For example, when searching for specific medical offices or businesses, I noticed that their organic listing owns the results with zero competitor ads.

Quick setup tips if you decide to create one:

- Always create a SEPARATE campaign just for your brand terms

- Start with a modest budget ($10-15/day is often plenty)

- Use exact match keywords of your brand name and common variations

- Set a maximum CPC limit so you don't overpay ($2-3 for most industries)

- Monitor your cost per click - it should be very low

For new accounts, I recommend starting with both a branded campaign and your primary service-based campaign. After collecting enough data, you can constantly adjust based on what you see.

What about you? Have you tried running branded campaigns?

-Corey from Surfside PPC