By: Fernando Sardinas

No two paid search accounts are the same, and all require custom strategies tailored to the dealership and its goals. That said, there is one strategy that is sure to pay off for just about everyone: bidding on your own name.

Many believe that they shouldn’t be spending any money on their own brand name since they’re already appearing in organic results or are worried that paid ads will cause their organic traffic to decline. However, studies have already been conducted to show that is indeed not the case. Search Ads Drive 89% more incremental traffic, and paid search does not impact organic rankings.

Here are five reasons why you should be bidding on your own brand in paid search:

1. Two Is Better Than One

When it comes to a search results page, being in two places at once is always better. Just like having multiple ways to access incentives on your site can increase click-through rate, giving a consumer more opportunities to click works to your advantage. Plus, by appearing in both the organic listings and paid ads, you’re proving to the consumer that you’re a prominent dealer in their area.

2. Be in Control of the Messaging

Organic search listings may be free advertising, but they’re not as informational as search ads can be. Paid ads give you an opportunity to tailor a message that will grab the attention of the consumer and entice them to visit your site. Taking advantage of paid ads can send your searchers to your highest converting landing pages with available extensions such as sitelinks, Product Listing Ads, and other engaging ad formats.

3. Competition

If your competition is savvy, or hired someone that is, they’re most likely already bidding on your name. If a consumer searches for you, they’ll find your organic listings preceded by an engaging paid ad belonging to your competition. Traffic that may have otherwise been intended for your site could be diverted right over to your competition’s PPC optimized landing pages.

4. Cheap CPCs

As Dr. Seuss once put it, “There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” No one is as relevant for your own name than you. This provides higher quality scores and in turn, much lower CPCs. Branded terms are known to have the cheapest CPCs on any account along with some of the highest click through rates.

5. High Conversions

Consumers who are searching for your name are already familiar with your dealership. Whether it’s through word of mouth, past research, or as return customers. They know you have what they want and, chances are, they are further down the path to purchase than the average person who’s searching more generic terms.

If you’re still one of the skeptics hesitant to pursue this strategy, I highly recommend you give it a try or look at the current data on your account.

“Oh the things you can find, if you don’t stay behind!” – Dr. Seuss