If you do any form of digital marketing at all, you know that paid search ads (most commonly, Google Ads) can be a powerful way to get your organization in front of potential supporters. And if you’ve ever managed paid search, you know it’s not as straightforward as it might seem.
Finding the right sets of keywords to drive relevant traffic to your site is both an art and a science. What works will be different for every mission and organization – but there’s one tactic that works almost universally, and that’s advertising on branded search terms. And yet, this is the tactic I most often get questions about, because it can seem counter-intuitive to pay money to bid on your own brand name.
But if you’re doing any form of search ads at all, your brand keywords are the first thing you should advertise on. Here’s why.
What “branded search” means
“Branded search” encompasses any search terms that include elements of your brand. That could mean your organization’s name, your tagline, your programs, anything that’s specific to you and you alone. On the flip side, topical keywords like “climate change non-profit” or “cancer charity” are non-branded.
Three reasons to bid on branded terms
Assuming you’ve got a limited budget for advertising (whether it’s a real budget or the spend cap on your Google Grants account), it may seem odd to put a significant portion of that budget toward branded keywords. These people are already searching for you, after all. Do they really need to see your ads?
The answer is yes, and it boils down to a matter of control:
- You want to be at the top of the results page. When someone googles your brand name, they should see you first. Maybe you’ll be first regardless, but by running search ads, you can guarantee that searchers see your website before your social accounts, your Wikipedia page, news articles, etc.
- Put your most important message first. People searching directly for your brand name are more likely to donate than other search visitors. No matter how much you optimize your website, you don’t have complete control over how it will be listed in search results, and the details in your search listing may not be the most important thing for prospective donors to see. With ads, you can emphasize your best reasons to donate, include a call to action, and link to relevant pages (like your donation page or a case for giving) using sitelink extensions.
- If you don’t, someone else might. Chances are good that some sort of ad will be served when people search for your brand. If it’s not your ad, it might be the ad of a competing nonprofit (particularly one with a similar name), or even a for-profit company. Bidding on your own name lets you ensure that nearly all search visitors will see you at the top of their search results.
So if you’re running search ads in any form, it’s worth it to advertise on all your branded keywords. These people are already interested in your organization – and it pays to put your best foot forward.