PPC warfare: Competitors hijacking your brand searches

Photo by Victoria Romulo on Unsplash

This article is Sponsored Content by Uliana Talalaevskaia | Expert in Brand Protection.

You type a brand name into Google. The first result is, unsurprisingly, the brand itself. Yet, right above or beside it, there’s often an ad.

An ad for a competitor.

You might wonder how does this happen. And why?

Well, to put it simply, it’s no accident. This is called the ’PPC bidding on competitor brands.’

In other words: literal warfare. Well, sometimes it really is.

If you’re investing in brand development, be prepared for competitors to target your traffic – if they haven’t done it already. Whichever the case, knowing how to respond is essential.

Read on, and we’ll tell you how.

What’s the point of all this, anyways?

Just to keep from drowning. Simple as that.

Competitors may target brand keywords and siphon the intent-driven audience.

The thing is, while users searching for your brand will likely ignore rival ads, ’likely’ isn’t really the same as ’always.’ Some may just click a competitor’s ad, explore their offerings, and never return. Moreover, for searches like ’[brand] + reviews,’ so-called ’aggregators’ often dominate the results — and competitors can advertise here, too.

But by running ads on your own branded terms (if you have relevant landing pages, sure do), you can intercept some of this audience before it drifts toward third-party sites.

However you look at it, you don’t want people searching for you to engage unnecessarily with competitors. That’s just the fundamentals.

The tactics that are used In PPC warfare

Below are the main tactics competitors use against each other. There are actually quite a few, so we’ve decided to highlight three key ones.

Branded keyword targeting

Branded keyword targeting captures intent-driven traffic by aiming at a competitor’s name in search ads. It’s used both by emerging brands challenging established players and by large companies.

How exactly does it work?

For example, delivery service X might bid on a rival’s branded keyword and outrank them in search results. The ads they use may include expanded sitelinks and some compelling descriptions — just to attract attention.

Ads that directly mention competitors

Unlike general brand keyword targeting, using registered trademarks in ad copy is prohibited without the consent. In practice, however, such ads may run until the holder files a formal complaint — provided the trademark is officially registered.

As a result, ads naming competitors still appear frequently, especially in some niches that are heavily competitive. Like digital ones, for instance. On top of that, those mentions are rarely neutral — they often frame rivals negatively by highlighting high prices or poor value.

Borrowing traffic from related topics

Sometimes a brand can be targeted by companies (from related topics) who just come hoping to attract some traffic. For example, if a user is looking for hosting, it’s logical enough to assume they need a website. And if the ’site’ is in the company name, it becomes clear where it’s all heading.

How effective this one is debatable. But no one actually stops them from trying.

Is the whole thing even legal…?

Slapping a competitor’s name right in the ad copy versus just targeting the brand with keywords are really different things. That said, putting the brand name in your ad text is pretty much asking for trouble on most platforms — it’s a direct policy no-go and an open invite for rivals to flag you. But just bidding on the branded keywords…that’s generally the green light. Google, for example, usually stays out of those spats, letting competitors duke it out in the auction.

However, if the thing starts eating into the bottom line, what’s the move?

In that case, first of all, you’ll need to keep a regular pulse on the search results for core brand terms — whether you do it manually or lean on things like Ahrefs or SEMrush.

And keep in mind those are just two examples — there are actually dozens of similar tools available. Even so, these two are the major players.

Then, you’ll need to form a proper plan. Usually, your best defense is a three-part layout:

1. Run your own branded campaign — that’s your ’insurance policy’ of a kind. It’s needed to instantly reclaim the top ad spot if a competitor muscles in. Tune your bids and copy to dominate – shoot for over 90% impression share.
2. Think about firing back — targeting their brands in return can help recoup lost traffic and gives way more clout if things ever come to the negotiation table. Nevertheless, it’s quite natural that both moral and legal aspects must be observed in that case – one should never go overboard and play dirty.
3. Stay on the front foot — use the intel from monitoring and audits in order to react both faster and smarter.

Lastly, you may go the formal route anytime — like filing complaints with the ad platform or even the hypothetical FTC, especially if they’re using your name in their ad text.

Yet, let’s be real: that path is a serious grind, demanding major time and effort.

The most efficient (and controlled) move is native advertising. Still. It locks down the visibility in branded searches and keeps targeted traffic under your own roof.

And that’s how you own the game.

Sure thing, if you still want to file a complaint and feel it may help, you are welcome to proceed.