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Paid Search: To buy your own name or not?

A frequent discussion in the marketing world centered around paid search is: Should a business buy its own name or not? There are a couple of good arguments for both yes and no.


A frequent argument for yes is: if you don't buy it somebody will, and it might as well be you. After all, it's a real estate game and the more real estate you own in the search results the better off you'll be.


A frequent argument for no is: If people are searching for you, they'll click on your organic result, saving you from having to pay for a click you were going to get anyway.

I was curious though - what do "the people" have to say about this? I asked my LinkedIN followers for their opinion and then shared the results on the latest episode of my podcast 'Mostly Automotive Marketing with Matt Wilson'.

Listen HERE:

https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/MuB7HvtkCyb

Inspired by SilverBack Advertising Digital Specialist Cristina Cabrera's blog about ChatGPT (which can be found HERE) I decided to ask ChatGPT what it thought the answer was. See below for the AI's answer.

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Using a paid search should a business buy their own name as a keyword?

Yes, it is generally a good idea for a business to buy their own name as a keyword in a paid search campaign. There are a few reasons for this:

  1. Brand protection: By buying your own name as a keyword, you can ensure that your business appears at the top of the search results when someone searches for your brand name. This helps to protect your brand from competitors who may try to bid on your brand name as a keyword.

  1. Increased visibility: By appearing at the top of the search results for your brand name, you can increase your visibility and attract more clicks to your website. This can help to drive more traffic and potential customers to your site.

  1. Cost-effectiveness: Buying your own name as a keyword is generally a low-cost strategy, as the cost per click is typically lower than for other keywords. This means that you can get good exposure for your brand name without spending a lot of money.

Overall, buying your own name as a keyword can be a smart strategy for businesses looking to protect their brand, increase their visibility, and drive more traffic to their website

Matt Wilson

Digital Operations Manager, SilverBack Advertising