Branded paid search campaigns are often a brands top performer. After all, when someone searches specifically for your brand, there’s a high likelihood they’re already familiar with you, and that means conversions often come at a lower cost compared to broader search terms. On the surface, these campaigns seem like a no-brainer: they bring in reliable leads, boost sales, and typically offer impressive ROI.
But there’s a crucial question that many businesses overlook: are those conversions truly incremental?
Understanding Incrementality in Branded Search
Incrementality refers to whether your paid search efforts are actually driving new sales, or simply capturing clicks and conversions that would have happened organically anyway. For example, if someone searches for your brand name, they might have found your website through an organic listing even if you weren’t running a paid campaign. If that’s the case, your paid spend may not be generating truly new customers, it’s just reinforcing what your organic presence already does.
Checking Competitor Presence
One practical way to assess whether your branded paid search campaigns are necessary is by looking at competitor impression share. Competitor impression share measures the percentage of times your ads show up versus competitors’ ads when people search for your brand. If competitor impression share is high, it can indicate that potential customers might click on a competitor’s ad instead of yours. In this case, maintaining a paid presence can be crucial to protect your brand and capture conversions that might otherwise slip away.
On the other hand, if competitor impression share is low, it may be worth reassessing your spend. You could be overinvested in a campaign that’s mostly capturing clicks you would have gotten organically, leaving budget on the table that could be better spent on acquisition-focused campaigns or other growth initiatives.
Striking the Right Balance
Branded paid search is not inherently bad—in fact, it’s a vital part of most digital marketing strategies. The key is to ensure that the dollars you allocate are truly adding value. By analyzing competitor impression share and understanding the incrementality of your campaigns, you can make informed decisions about whether to scale, maintain, or reduce your branded spend.
At Hat Trick Digital, we help businesses analyze their paid search strategy to ensure every dollar drives meaningful growth. If you’re wondering whether your branded campaigns are performing efficiently, or if you might be overinvested, it’s time to take a closer look.