How to run hyper-efficient branded search campaigns in 2025 [Webinar]

Branded search campaigns are becoming increasingly important, yet more challenging to manage effectively.

Recent data from Search Engine Land shows the true extent of the problem:

"In 2018, firms were paying around $1 per click, with approximately one in five clicks converting into a contact.
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Fast forward to today, and CPC rates have increased tenfold while the contact rate has dropped by roughly 40%.
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Simply put, businesses now spend significantly more per click and receive far less value from those clicks."

This was the key motivator that led us to ask Chris Nightingale, founder of Can Do Digital Marketing, to join us for a discussion on how to effectively manage branded search campaigns.

With over a decade of experience working with brands like AO and Matalan, Chris specializes in driving growth through commercially focused, profit-driven paid media solutions that make a meaningful impact on business success.

In a wide-ranging discussion with Lunio Content Lead James Deeney, Chris provided his expert insights on branded search campaigns and a whole lot more – providing marketers with actionable strategies to combat rising costs and regain control over their campaigns.

Watch the full webinar here - or get the key takeaways from the session below.

Why Branded CPCs are rising, and what you can do about it

Jumping straight in at the deep end, we kicked off the session by tackling the big question: Why are CPCs rising?

Chris attributed the trend to a few factors, with the main ones being:

● The rise of PMax - Google's push for automated campaign types like PMax and AI based auctions are leading to increased competition in ad auctions, driving up costs.

● Broad match expansion - The expansion of broad match keywords is also leading to more advertisers competing for the same search terms, further inflating CPCs.

While there is no easy fix for this problem, Chris recommends a number of strategies to help mitigate the impact of rising CPCs. We’ll go into more detail on each of these later on, but here’s a top-level overview:

● Excluding brand terms from PMax - By excluding your brand terms from PMax campaigns, you can ensure that you are not overpaying for clicks that you could be getting for cheaper through standard search campaigns.

● Using negative keywords effectively - Regularly reviewing and updating your negative keyword lists is crucial to ensure that your branded campaigns are only targeting relevant searches.

● Leveraging scripts to automate negative keyword management - Chris highlighted a useful script by Teodor Yordonov that can automate the process of adding generic search terms to negative keyword lists, saving marketers significant time and effort.

Chris did suggest that in some cases, it might be beneficial to allow some branded conversions in PMax campaigns. The main reason is that these conversions can actually help the algorithm learn and improve performance for generic terms.

However, he emphasized the importance of understanding the potential impact of this approach on campaign data and ensuring that you are not misled by inflated performance metrics.

Don't rely solely on organic rankings

While organic rankings are still important, Chris emphasized that simply having the top organic spot is no longer enough to guarantee strong brand visibility in the SERPs, particularly given the rise of competitor bidding on branded terms.

Even if your brand occupies the number one organic position, data from Semrush indicates that you can still expect to capture only about 22% of the clicks for that search term.

This highlights the importance of a comprehensive search strategy that incorporates both paid and organic tactics to maximize brand visibility and control your message in the SERPs.

Why and how to exclude branded terms from PMax campaigns

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Chris discussed the importance of excluding branded terms from PMax campaigns to avoid inflated performance data and wasted budget.

Branded searches tend to convert at a higher rate and, if included in PMax, can make the campaign appear more successful than it actually is. This is because PMax might be overpaying for branded clicks that could be acquired cheaper through standard search or shopping campaigns.

By excluding branded terms, PMax can focus on new customer acquisition through generic searches. The exclusion process involves using the brand exclusion tool within PMax settings, diligently managing negative keyword lists, and creating dedicated standard search or shopping campaigns to capture branded traffic.

How to auto-exclude negative keywords from branded search & shopping campaigns

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Unfortunately, diligently managing negative keyword lists is a fairly time-intensive process.

‍This script from Google Ads Specialist Teodor Yordanov helps address the time-consuming nature of manually reviewing search term reports to keep generic terms out of branded search and shopping campaigns.

The script automates the process by running daily and checking search terms from the previous day. Keywords that meet predefined criteria in these branded campaigns are automatically added to a negative keyword list, ensuring these campaigns focus solely on brand-related searches.

Strategies to protect your brand from competitors

Given the increasing competition in the paid search landscape, Chris emphasized the need for proactive brand protection. He recommends regularly checking the Auction Insights tab to see which competitors are bidding on your brand terms and when.

Once you've identified those competitors, Chris suggests using tools like Semrush or SpyFu to analyze their bidding strategies and uncover potential keyword opportunities that you may have overlooked.

If you encounter competitors bidding aggressively on your brand terms, Chris advises starting by reaching out to them directly. In many cases, competitor bidding on branded terms may be unintentional, particularly when using automated campaign types like PMax.

However, he also acknowledged that there are situations where competitors may be intentionally targeting your brand, and in those cases, you may need to consider more assertive measures like trademark complaints or even legal action.

Optimizing branded search campaigns for maximum impact

Beyond simply bidding on your brand terms, Chris outlined a number of strategies to maximize the effectiveness of your branded search campaigns:

Craft compelling ad copy

Chris recommends a straightforward framework for branded search ad copy, starting with your brand name in Headline 1 and using the description to highlight key selling points and promotions.

Using sitelink extensions

Sitelinks are particularly valuable for branded campaigns, allowing you to direct users to specific product pages or promotions and take up more real estate in the SERPs.

Target impression share for optimal performance

When it comes to bidding strategies, Chris recommends using Target Impression Share and aiming for the absolute top of the page to ensure maximum visibility.

He also suggests setting your impression share target to at least 80-90%, and using a CPC bid limit that is in line with your average CPC for non-brand campaigns.

Remember - it's important to keep experimenting with different bidding strategies to determine what works best for your specific business goals.

Closing thoughts and Q&A

Chris closed the webinar with a thought-provoking look at the future of paid search and the potential for disruption from emerging technologies like ChatGPT and SearchGPT.

He encouraged marketers to embrace these innovations and try out new channels to ensure their brands remain visible and relevant in the quick-moving, relatively unstable search landscape we've found ourselves in.

Chris also took questions from the live audience, providing some insightful answers to questions such as:

What strategies work best for driving high-quality leads through search campaigns in 2025? - Mohiuddin Khan
Would you bid on brand if there are no competitors bidding on your brand? We’ve spent more on brand search before, but it was just cannibalising organic. - Jamie Carey
Could pinning your brand headline hurt impression share? - Janine Fiasconaro
Should you break the 20% of budget rule if you have a competitor that is outbidding you on your brand, because they have much bigger budgets to spend? - Joseph Rowen
Any advice on how to approach a brand that is both a brand and a generic term? - Wade Noble

For Chris’ full answers, as well as additional tips, information, and context on the topics mentioned above, make sure to watch the full webinar on-demand here.