To bid or not to bid. That is the question. It seems there’s a big debate about bidding on competitors' keywords when engaging in paid search campaigns. Anderson believes you shouldn't bid unless you know a few things in advance. The following provides you with a list of best practices for bidding on competitors' keywords.
Best practices for not bidding on competitors' keywords include:
- Competitors are not bidding on your branded name.
- You have a tight budget.
- You're the one opening the door for competitive bidding.
- Do your research to find out if you’re getting low-quality scores and high bounce rates when bidding on competitors' keywords. However, if your conversion rates go up it might be worth the spend anyway.
- Remember you can’t use a competitor’s name if they've trademarked it.
- You also shouldn't use a competitor's brand when comparing your brand unless you have a 3rd-party verification.
Best practices for bidding on competitors' keywords include:
- Competitors are actively bidding against you.
- Competitors are unintentionally showing up on your search results.
- You have room in your budget to take risks.
For more inbound marketing best practices, download our FREE white paper: The 9 Do’s and Don’ts of Multi-Channel Direct Marketing
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