How to write a brand bidding policy for your affiliate programme

What a good policy covers

• Keywords: your brand name, product names, misspellings and variations, alone or combined with other words.
• Ad text and display URLs: no use of your brand in the ad or display URL.
• Search engines: Google, Bing and any others, including their partner networks.
• Negative keywords: affiliates running search campaigns must add your brand terms as negatives.
• Direct linking: no sending paid search clicks straight to your site.
• Consequences: commission reversal and removal from the programme.

Example clause

“Affiliates must not bid on, or otherwise trigger ads from, [Brand] trademarks, product names, misspellings or variations, alone or in combination with other words, on any search engine or its partner networks. Affiliates must not use [Brand] trademarks in ad text or display URLs, and must add [Brand] terms as negative keywords in all search campaigns. Commissions generated in breach of this policy will be reversed and the affiliate may be removed from the programme.”

Adapt the wording to your programme and have it checked by someone qualified.

Make it enforceable

A policy is only as good as your ability to spot breaches. Monitor your brand searches regularly, keep dated evidence, and apply the rules consistently. SearchSnitch flags ads whose links carry affiliate IDs and keeps the ad, keyword and time for your records.