As of June 4, 2019, Google abolished the restrictions that stopped brands from bidding on a competitor’s branded keyword.
The only remaining condition is that your competitors can’t use your trademarked brand name in their ad copy.
Can we use brand name in Google ads
Google only allows the brand holder, resellers, and informational sites to use the trademark in the ad title or ad text.
Resellers can use trademark in the ad copy as long as the ad’s landing page is primarily dedicated to selling products or services corresponding to the trademark.
Can you use a competitor’s name in an advertisement Google ads
Is it legal to bid on competitor keywords? Simply put, yes it is legal to bid on competitor keywords.
Google has no rules against bidding on brand keywords, regardless of if it is your brand or not.
Google’s guidance on trademarks explicitly states that “We don’t investigate or restrict trademarks as keywords”.
Can I use a competitor name in my ad
The Quick and Dirty. In general, it is not illegal to compare yourself to your competitor in the advertising context, so long it is not untruthful, disparaging, misleading, or confusing to the public.
Additionally, the use of a competitor’s trademark cannot lead the public to believe that the company is endorsing you.
Can I use a brand name in my advertising
It is perfectly acceptable and within the bounds of the law to use another’s trademark in advertising, provided certain standards are met.
The advertisement must be truthful and the use of another’s trademark must not give a false impression of connection, approval or sponsorship by the owner of the other mark.
Can you use a competitor’s name in an advertisement
Under U.S. law, use of a competitor’s trademark in accurate and non-deceptive comparative advertising is legal and does not constitute trademark infringement.
Can we use brand keyword in Google ads
The basic answer is: yes. In the late 2000s, Google lifted its restrictions that prevented brands from bidding on a competitor’s branded keyword.
Can you trademark competitors names
For businesses, the short answer is yes, you can register your competitor’s domain name, provided that all you are doing is mere registration.
Should you bid on your own brand name in Adwords
In most cases, it’s definitely a good idea to bid on your own brand name.
If you, however, have a lot of users who visit your site on a regular basis, it may be necessary to prevent ads from showing when these users search for your brand.
Can you target competitors on Google Ads
Google Ads provides a custom audience feature that allows businesses to run campaigns that can be targeted at online users that include competitor terms.
This can include words that include the specific competitor’s company name and brand product names.
Do you think it’s wise to bid on competitor brand names
Can You Bid On Competitors’ Branded Terms? Short answer: Yes. Long answer: You can!
In fact, consumers may just be searching for your competitor because they don’t know what else is out there.
Can you use brand names in keywords
Is it legal to use competitors names in your keywords? In a nutshell, yes.
Google has quite a simple set of search advertising guidelines that cover issues including trademarks, and it is the protection offered by trademarks that is key to this discussion.
Can you use trademark terms for Adwords
Ads may use trademarks in ad text if they meet the Reseller and informational site policy requirements.
Please carefully review this policy before pursuing authorization.
Is a registered trademark and competitors Cannot use this name
A company can lose its trademark if it becomes generic, which means that it has come to be a common, descriptive word for the product.
Ex) Coca-Cola, Whopper, and Xerox are registered trademarks, and competitors cannot use these names.
How do I use branded keywords in Google Ads
How Do You Use Branded Keywords in PPC Advertising? Once you’ve confirmed that people are searching for your brand name (do this in Google Ads Keyword Planner, Google Search Console, or any SEO tool really), then you can start using those keywords in your paid marketing strategy.
Is it acceptable to compare your company product to your competitors product in an advertising practice
The Federal Trade Commission promotes lawful comparative advertising as a great way to inform consumers and increase competition.
Describing how your product is superior to your competitor’s can be a very effective positioning tool and possibly lead to significant economic gains.
However, it can also invite litigation.
How do I trademark keywords in Google Ads
Ads may use the trademark in ad text if they meet the following requirements: Resellers: The ad’s landing page is primarily dedicated to selling (or clearly facilitating the sale of) products or services, components, replacement parts, or compatible products or services corresponding to the trademark.
What is a brand competitor
A competitor brand is a rival brand that offers similar products or services for the same people as an existing brand, and trys to gain a higher market share, increased revenue, profits, visibility, audience, and outgrow the rival brand by stealing their customers with better marketing strategies.
How do I bid on competitors keywords on Google ads
Select target terms that indicate intent These could be many things: A service or product they don’t offer, but which you do.
If overlap is not 1:1, only bid on the services or products which you also offer.
Keywords showing discontent: For example people looking to cancel their subscription, or leave a negative review.
How do I find competitors display ads
To learn whether your competitors run any display ads, what publishers they get traffic from, and how much they’re reliant on display advertising, you can start with SimilarWeb.
Simply enter your competitor’s domain into the search bar and entrust the tool to gather the data for you.
How do I write an ad competitor keywords?
- They want to buy what your competitor (and you) are selling
- They are deeper-funnel and already looking into specific brands (i.e
- They are probably qualified
How do I get competitors display ads for free?
- Competitor website traffic statistics
- google Display Advertising detailed data
- ppc keyword tool
How do I spy on competitor ads?
- Subscribe to Newsletter and Social Media
- Track Brands
- Find out What Technologies They Use
- Check Popularity
- Check Paid Keywords
- Check SEO
- Check Display Ads
- Check Backlinks
Can you compare products in advertising
A comparative advertising campaign may involve printing a side-by-side comparison of the features of a company’s products next to those of its competitor.
It may also feature a comparison based on value or cost. Typically, the competing product is shown in a disparaging light.
How do I find my AdWords competitors keywords
Log into AdWords, navigate to the Keyword Planner, and locate the “Find new keywords” option.
Then, select “Search for new keywords using a phrase, website or category”. Once you’ve opened the form, click on the text field under “Your landing page” and enter your competitor’s URL, and then click “Get ideas”.
Can I stop competitors bidding on my brand
No, you can’t stop someone from bidding on your brand keywords in search ads.
But that does not mean you can’t do something about it…
How do you find out what Adwords competitors are using?
- Search for your main keywords
- Use Auction Insights
- Use SpyFu to find your competitors’ keywords
- Compare the Competition with SEMrush
Is it legal to bid on competitor keywords
Google’s policies on trademarks and advertising clearly lay out that bidding on competitor’s keywords is acceptable, so long as: Ad text does not include a competitor’s trademarked terms.
Display URLS do not contain trademarked terms.
What is trademark advertising
A trademark is an easily recognizable symbol, phrase, or word that denotes a specific product.
It legally differentiates a product or service from all others of its kind and recognizes the source company’s ownership of the brand.
Is keyword advertising trademark infringement
Put simply, it is not trademark infringement to place keyword ads, using the competitor’s trademark as the keyword, unless the resulting ad is likely to confuse the consumer.
That was the conclusion of the Rosetta Stone decision, and it has been the rule applied by the vast majority of cases since then.
Is it good to bid on competitor keywords
Bidding on competitor keywords is effective but can get expensive. You may need to limit these campaigns or do a little budget shifting.
You could also consider these less-expensive ways to target competitor audiences on Google without search ads—or these three lower-cost alternatives on social.
References
https://www.inta.org/fact-sheets/fair-use-of-trademarks-intended-for-a-non-legal-audience/
https://www.hallaminternet.com/bidding-competitor-keywords-google-adwords/
https://www.pageonepower.com/search-glossary/seo-competition
https://www.uschamber.com/co/start/strategy/how-to-conduct-competitive-research
https://www.revenueriver.co/thecuttingedge/the-cost-of-buying-keywords-on-google