Branded Keywords

[Steven Herron]

I have noticing a large trend toward SEO firms doing organic optimization and PPC for their clients using branded keywords ("hotel name" plus city for example). Is this appropriate? It seems to me like an easy way to get higher rankings and the ROI from the traffic it generates.

Is this the equivalent to buying customers you would have any way?
Is this tantamount to fraud?
Or is this an acceptable business practice?

[Carrie Hill]

Hi Steve,

I do organic optimization for an agency that works for many hotels, resorts and vacation rental managers. We do optimize sites for relevant keyword phrases, including branded phrases. We also bid on our client's brands in the paid ads. Here is the philosophy behind this:

1) Because the client owns the brand, it's fine for us to use it to market them. What is more relevant than an branded query? Google considers this quite acceptable and appropriate also. As a hotelier, showing up for a branded query (hotel elements friday harbor washington) in the Google 10-box, the organic results and in a sponsored search ad is 3 exposures instead of one - and that's a way to gain more market share.

2) We as an agency DO NOT optimize, buy, or build bad links for competitor's brands. Those are off limits and we consider it unethical to use them for any sort of marketing. We can use our clients - but not their competitors.

What do other's think?

Carrie

[Shane Keener]

Steve,

This is a practice that we have really been using in the last year as initially we stayed away from the paid advertising for brand terms. Here is what we have seen in doing this.

1) By purchasing the brand terms and appearing in the organic search for the same terms, usually on the same page, we have seen an increase in click throughs from both paid and natural search on brand specific terms. Why? I think it helps the customer to establish that they are indeed getting the correct hotel when then see it in both places in the search results.

2) Not all searchers are sophisticated enough to understand the difference between paid and organic listings and will click on the 1st listing they see. We want to be the first in the brand terms. I think this is similar to the reasoning behind Google's move to have the search term and URL address boxes be one in the same on their new Chrome browser.

3) Our competitors can still by our brand terms, although hopefully they won't perform well, we want to ensure that by being the most relevant search we get the space and they don't.

I definitely agree that there may be some level of paid advertising is that is simply shifted from organic, but overall our revenue numbers have increased since doing this.

Shane

[Steven Herron]

Shane and Carrie,
I agree with gaining as much exposure as possible even if it means "double dipping" on branded keywords through PPC and organic SEO, especially if it is generating a good ROI in terms of revenue. The question is how much should be allocated toward it on a percentage basis. I have heard of companies spending as much as 4.5:1 on branded keyword purchases as opposed to relevant keyword PPC based on amenities, location, or level of service. Does this make much sense?




Shane Keener said:

Steve,

This is a practice that we have really been using in the last year as initially we stayed away from the paid advertising for brand terms. Here is what we have seen in doing this.

1) By purchasing the brand terms and appearing in the organic search for the same terms, usually on the same page, we have seen an increase in click throughs from both paid and natural search on brand specific terms. Why? I think it helps the customer to establish that they are indeed getting the correct hotel when then see it in both places in the search results.

2) Not all searchers are sophisticated enough to understand the difference between paid and organic listings and will click on the 1st listing they see. We want to be the first in the brand terms. I think this is similar to the reasoning behind Google's move to have the search term and URL address boxes be one in the same on their new Chrome browser.

3) Our competitors can still by our brand terms, although hopefully they won't perform well, we want to ensure that by being the most relevant search we get the space and they don't.

I definitely agree that there may be some level of paid advertising is that is simply shifted from organic, but overall our revenue numbers have increased since doing this.

Shane

[Carrie Hill]

Hi Steven

I think to give a blanket 4.5:1 ratio is dangerous. Some brands are very well known and a majority of their conversions come from branded search - others are not as well known.

Maybe test the data- look at the converting keywords for the last year and see what percentage were branded, then look at the ratio of branded searches to non-branded searches. You could feasibly test a budget allocation based on that ratio and see what happens. It's a test, and a theory - so tweaking is definitely in order.

The other issue you come up against (and must factor in) is the relatively inexpensive nature of the branded keyword. New York City Hotel is theoretically much more expensive than "holiday inn nyc" - catch my drift?

Hope this helps - good luck!
~Carrie

[Ali Etemadi]

I have always practiced purchasing the Brand Terms for the PPC. I believe that if we don't purchase this term then our competitor will. Usually the brand key terms are less expensive than the "City and Hotel" terms so it shouldn't cost as much. Even if it has a low ROI, I would still say to purchase the Brand terms to keep the competitors from thinking that they own us!

[Steven Herron]

Ali Etemadi said:

I have always practiced purchasing the Brand Terms for the PPC. I believe that if we don't purchase this term then our competitor will. Usually the brand key terms are less expensive than the "City and Hotel" terms so it shouldn't cost as much. Even if it has a low ROI, I would still say to purchase the Brand terms to keep the competitors from thinking that they own us!

Ali,
Thank you for your comments and they do stimulate more questions from me.
We work for over 160 hotel clients in most major markets and in 30 states and we have yet to see significant purchasing of our client's branded keywords.

Does it make it difficult to distinguish a true ROI if you have both branded and non-branded mixed?

Data is really spotty on this; have you seen any independent research?

It seems that "brand protection" is the prevalent argument. Is the competition really buying the hotel name? If not, why would paying for a click you would already get be a benefit? And if an online visitor is inclined to look at alternate sites (which data says IS going to happen), won't they do that anyway, irrespective of the double-up?

Have you seen reservations truly increase from buying your own brand? If not, what is the long-term brand benefit?

[TheDonSansone]

Steven Herron said:

It seems that "brand protection" is the prevalent argument. Is the competition really buying the hotel name? If not, why would paying for a click you would already get be a benefit? And if an online visitor is inclined to look at alternate sites (which data says IS going to happen), won't they do that anyway, irrespective of the double-up? Have you seen reservations truly increase from buying your own brand? If not, what is the long-term brand benefit?

Very relevant questions.... in my experience I see folk directly searching for details on brand hotels and brand holiday firms which appeal to them. Discounting other sites using brand terms in the list as they search for the authoritative company site of the brand. This IS the power of a 'brand' and how it benefits brand owners in organic search and sponsored slots.
I would go as far as to say branded keywords within PPC and Organic search is essential as traditional banner ads become largely ignored by the audience.

What I would consider is the risks apparent with the emergence of 'sensationalist' negative brand PPC advertising which I have seen rise in other profitable business areas !! It is only time before such free-market activities are seen in the Hospitality marketing too.. unfortunately ethics tend to lose out as competition for the dollar intensifies :-(

For those not aware of negative brand PPC : Ads calling into question the value of a competitor in review like responses, which can, when clicked on actually positively promote the competitor! Yet now they have the attention of the prospective customer who clicked away from the search engine to the website !!

[vikas kakran]

I think this is the good practice to raise your business or getting brand name in SERPs. So youhave to use branded keywords for getting traffic as well as converison