Why You Should Still Be Bidding on Brand (Yes, Even in 2025)

Let’s be honest - the “should we bid on brand?” debate pops up every single year. But with 2025's search results more chaotic (and competitive) than ever, the answer hasn’t changed: yes, you absolutely should.

Whether it’s in Search or Shopping, brand campaigns are no longer a “nice to have.” They’re essential for protecting your position, controlling your message, and making sure you’re the one users actually click on, not your competitor, not a reseller, and definitely not a random AI box trying to steal your thunder.

In this post, we’re covering:

• What’s changed in the SERP and why brand bidding matters more than ever

• The difference between Search and Shopping when it comes to brand

• How to treat loyal customers vs new ones

• How brand campaigns act as a competitive moat

• Smart bidding strategies that don’t blow your budget

• A real-world example that cut CPCs in half

• And the latest AI update - yes, Google is now testing ads inside the AI overview box

  
  

The SERP Has Changed and Organic Is No Longer Safe

If you’re still relying on your #1 organic ranking to carry the weight, it’s time for a reality check. Between Gemini AI overviews, sitelinks, product carousels, local listings, and People Also Ask boxes, your “top ranking” is often halfway down the page.

On mobile, which now accounts for almost 63% of global web traffic, you might not even be visible without a scroll. Paid brand ads guarantee you’re front and centre, where users see you first, not buried under AI summaries or competitor ads.

People Still Click the First Thing They See (Even in 2025)

Let’s back it up with numbers.

According to First Page Sage (2025), the #1 organic result still gets around 39.8% of clicks, while position #2 drops to 18.7% and position #3 to just 10.2%.

Meanwhile, Forbes and SparkToro data show roughly 60% of Google searches now end with zero clicks, with certain categories, like news, hitting 69%. AI overviews are a big part of that drop.

If you’re not at the top with a paid brand ad, you risk being missed entirely. People click what they see first, whether that’s an ad, a Shopping result, or the AI box, and if competitors are bidding on your name, some won’t even realise it’s not you.

Mobile vs Desktop: Why Device Behaviour Changes the Stakes

The device your audience uses changes everything about how they see, and click, your listing.

Mobile traffic now dwarfs desktop, but AI referral traffic still skews heavily desktop (91-94% depending on platform). On desktop, the CTR drop from position 1 to 2 is sharper, but mobile users face tighter screen space, meaning if you’re not at the top, you’re often invisible.

On mobile, you have seconds and one swipe to be seen. On desktop, AI boxes and sponsored suggestions can push even top organic listings below the fold. In both cases, bidding on brand keeps you visible and in control.

The AI Box Is Now an Ad Box

It’s not just the SERP pushing you down. Google is now testing “sponsored suggestions” inside Gemini-powered AI summaries. These ads pull from your existing Search, Shopping, and Performance Max campaigns.

Right now, there’s no granular reporting, but your brand could already be showing, or being outshone, there. This isn’t the time to leave your branded presence to chance.

Search vs Shopping: Why You Need Both

Many advertisers assume that if someone searches for “brand + product”, their Shopping ad will appear. Not necessarily. If you’re not actively targeting brand terms in your product feeds or campaigns, competitors or resellers can take that space, even for your own brand name.

Google’s Brand controls in Performance Max now let you exclude branded terms from Search while still allowing them in Shopping. This means you can run a dedicated Search brand campaign with tailored messaging, while keeping your Shopping results visible.

Targeting Smarter: Exclude Your Loyal Customers

Already got loyal customers who buy often? No need to waste your budget showing them brand ads when they’ll likely return through email, organic, or direct anyway.

Exclude CRM lists from your brand campaigns

You can also exclude:

• Previous purchasers (via Customer Match or conversions)

• Website visitors in the last 30 days

• Engaged users from other paid channels

  
  

Think about your audiences. If you don’t have these exclusions set up, get that sorted pronto.

This ensures your brand campaign focuses on:

• First-time visitors

• Lapsed customers

• High-intent users who haven’t converted yet

  
  

Use Brand Bidding to Counter Competitors

If competitors are showing up on your branded terms, don’t just ignore it, lean in.

Here’s how to make your ad stand out:

• Call out your USPs: “Used by top hotels”, “Free delivery”, “Hand-finished in the UK”

• Use sitelinks, callouts, and promo extensions to dominate space

• Mention trust signals like press features, reviews, or awards

You can even run competitor comparison ads (carefully) if you’ve got something genuinely stronger to offer.

Bidding Strategy: How to Keep CPCs Low

Branded clicks are often cheap, but not if you let Google run wild. Here’s how to keep control and protect your budget.

1. Don’t Rely on Smart Bidding Without Enough Data

Maximise Conversions or tCPA can work brilliantly, but only if:

• You’ve had at least 30–50 conversions in the past 30 days

• Your conversion journey is consistent enough for Google to learn from

Without that, the algorithm guesses, and those guesses can push your CPCs higher than they need to be.

2. Avoid Target Impression Share

It sounds great for brand protection, but in practice it often spikes CPCs. You’re basically telling Google “I must show, whatever it costs”, and it will happily take you up on that. For most brands, this isn’t worth the extra spend.

3. Try These Smarter Bidding Approaches Instead

Maximise Clicks (with a bid cap)

Perfect for brand terms when you want visibility without runaway CPCs. Setting a cap keeps costs predictable and still drives traffic efficiently.

💡 Works especially well for navigational traffic that’s research-led or has a longer purchase cycle.

Manual CPC

Ideal if you want full control. You decide what a click is worth, and you avoid nasty surprises. Best suited to brands with steady search volume and strong recognition.

Maximise Conversions (with caution)Only use this if:

• You have enough volume and clean tracking

• You understand that adding a tCPA makes it a stricter model, not just a CPC limit

  
  

💡 A tCPA turns it into a full-on Target CPA strategy. It can be great if you’ve got the data, but it’s not the same as simply keeping costs low.

Real-World Example

We tested this with a client by switching from a loose conversion-focused strategy to Maximise Clicks with a tight CPC cap. 

The results:

• Same impression share (88%)

• Same traffic volume

• CPC dropped from $1.20 to $0.50 – a 58% saving without sacrificing performance

  
  

🔹 Final Thoughts

If you’re not bidding on brand in 2025, you’re handing over your most valuable search real estate. So below is your Bidding Action Plan for 2025:

• Audit your branded SERP on both mobile and desktop – see where you rank, and who else appears.

• Launch or refine a Search brand campaign with strong messaging and full ad extensions.

• Use Brand controls in Performance Max to protect Shopping without losing Search visibility.

• Exclude loyal customers so you’re not paying for repeat buyers.

• Test bidding models - start with Maximise Clicks and a bid cap, then test Manual CPC or Maximise Conversions if the data supports it.

• Monitor Gemini AI placements – even without full reporting, watch your branded impression share and CPC trends.

  
  

Brand Bidding FAQ (2025)

1. Should I still bid on my brand name in Google Ads in 2025?

Yes. The SERP is more crowded than ever with AI overviews, Shopping ads, and competitor bidding. Brand campaigns ensure you’re visible at the top, protect your traffic, and control your messaging across mobile and desktop.

2. Is brand bidding worth it if I already rank #1 organically?

Absolutely. Organic listings can be pushed below AI boxes, Shopping carousels, Maps and competitor ads, especially on mobile. Paid brand ads ensure visibility where users tend to click first.

3. Should I run brand campaigns in both Search and Shopping?

Yes. Search brand campaigns let you tailor messaging, while Shopping brand targeting protects product visibility. Using Google’s Brand controls in Performance Max, you can exclude brand terms from Search while keeping them in Shopping.

4. How can I avoid overspending on brand clicks?

Set a bid cap with Maximise Clicks or use Manual CPC for control. Exclude loyal customers from your brand campaigns and focus spend on first-time visitors, lapsed customers, and high-intent prospects.

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4M Digital is a paid media consultancy specialising in Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, and Paid Social campaigns. With over 15 years of expertise, we help businesses unlock the full potential of their digital advertising strategies through tailored management, audits, and training.