Protecting your brand in paid search
When a competitor shows up on your branded searches, the first questions are always the same: is this allowed, is it costing me, and what can I actually do about it? These guides answer them — from the team that monitors brand terms for a living.
Spot it, confirm it, and push back when a competitor, affiliate, or partner turns up on your branded searches.
A competitor is bidding on your brand name. Here’s what to do.
A competitor on your branded searches is usually legal — but you are not powerless. How to confirm it, what Google’s rules actually allow, and the four levers that push them back.
How to stop competitors bidding on your brand name
You can’t switch a competitor off, but you can make bidding on your brand painful and unprofitable for them. The defensive playbook, step by step.
A competitor is using your brand name in their ad copy
Using your trademark in ad text is the one brand-bidding move Google will actually act on. How to document it and file a trademark complaint that sticks.
Affiliates and partners bidding on your brand terms
Your own affiliates bidding on your brand can cost you money you’d have earned for free. How to spot it, what your program terms should say, and how to enforce them.
Why your branded search CPC is climbing
A rising cost-per-click on your own brand name usually means someone else is in the auction. How to diagnose the cause and bring it back down.
The legal and policy questions — what Google’s rules and trademark law actually permit, and what they don’t.
Is it legal to bid on a competitor’s brand name?
Bidding on a competitor’s brand name as a keyword is legal in most countries; using their trademark in your ad text usually isn’t. Where the line sits, and how it varies by jurisdiction.
Can competitors use your trademark in Google Ads?
A competitor can usually bid on your trademark as a keyword, but not put it in their ad text. The precise line Google draws, and the exceptions that complicate it.
Google Ads trademark policy, explained plainly
What Google’s trademark policy actually restricts (a mark used in the ad itself) and what it doesn’t (keyword bidding, the second-level domain) — plus the reseller, informational, and descriptive-use exceptions.
How to report trademark infringement in Google Ads
A step-by-step guide to filing a Google Ads trademark complaint as the rights holder — what actually qualifies, the evidence to gather, and what to expect after you file.
The proactive side — holding your own brand terms, spending on them wisely, and catching intruders early.
Should you bid on your own brand name?
Bidding on your own brand is usually worth it when competitors crowd your branded searches — and often wasteful when you already own an uncontested top spot. How to decide.
A brand-defense strategy for Google Ads
A repeatable playbook for defending your brand terms in paid search: own the top slot, protect Quality Score, separate brand from generic, and monitor for intruders.
Negative keywords and brand protection: what they can and can’t do
Negative keywords stop your own ads from competing with each other — they can’t stop a competitor bidding on your brand. How to use them well, and what they don’t solve.
How to monitor your brand terms in paid search
Auction Insights, manual checks, and automated monitoring — how to know who’s appearing on your brand terms across every market and device, without checking by hand.