How to stop competitors bidding on your brand name

First, collect evidence

Before you contact anyone, record what you saw: the ad text, the advertiser, the keyword, the country, the time and the landing page. A screenshot from one search is easy to dismiss. A dated history of repeated appearances is not. Monitoring tools like SearchSnitch keep this record for you.

Understand what Google allows

In most regions, Google lets advertisers bid on other companies’ trademarks as keywords. What it restricts is using a trademark in the ad text. If a competitor’s ad uses your trademarked name in its headline or description, you can file a trademark complaint with Google, which may stop those ads from showing your name.

Rules vary by country and change over time, so check Google’s current trademark policy, and speak to a lawyer if the stakes are high.

Ask them to stop

Many brand bidding disputes end with a polite email. Some competitors are not doing it on purpose: broad match keywords and automated campaigns can put ads on your brand without anyone choosing your name. Ask them to add your brand as a negative keyword. Mutual agreements, where both sides exclude each other’s brand terms, are common.

Bid on your own brand

If competitors keep appearing, running your own brand campaign puts your ad at the top. Brand clicks are usually cheap because your ad is highly relevant. It also unlocks the Auction Insights report so you can see who you are competing with.

Keep watching

Advertisers who agree to stop sometimes start again months later, and new ones appear all the time. Ongoing monitoring tells you when that happens instead of leaving you to stumble across it.