Have you ever observed your niece and nephews on the playground or while you babysat for the neighbors? “Play nice,” may have come out of your mouth more than once, along with “say please and thank you,” and “take turns.” Character lessons taught at the kindergarten level may begin to escape adults during high-stakes financial decisions, but should not be forgotten as a central piece of business responsibility and ethics 101.
Lesson for today: Play fair—don’t bid on competitor keywords. In the end, it’ll be in your best interest not to, as well. Here’s why.
Brand clarity and an open mind
It’s possible that the most coveted keywords—those ones that receive the highest searches and, as a result, are sought by competitors—are a distraction from a pool of incredibly useful keywords that would ultimately yield more eyeballs to your website. If there’s less competition, there’s a greater chance for your sites to rise to the top of the pile among searches.
They could pinch back. Ouch!
You’ve definitely seen kids retaliate. Your competitor could turn around and bid on your desired brand—that would not be good. Talk about a tug of war! That’s not the type of stressful professional atmosphere you want to work with, anyhow.
User prediction
Kids make up their own games, like jumping on a tire swing over molten lava (see: wood chips) while other kids frantically push the swing around.
The objective? To not get thrown off.
In order to stay in flight, the crew on the swing needs to quietly predict from which direction the next push will come. An estimation can help them win or cause their downfall. Similarly, with regards to predicting the brands that users may most search, be aware that the brand you initially thought would be a great choice might actually be too far down the funnel. It could be a waste of investment—so be agile, flexible and willing to change pace, regardless of what your competition chooses.
System Clog
Recess is only 15 minutes long—so why stand in line at the swing set for 10 minutes when you could play on the monkey bars for the entire duration? At the end of the day, when you bid on the same words as your competition, the words will receive lower click-throughs. Always keep the mantra in mind to make the most of your time and money.
Tactful fund allocation
Ultimately, you could use that PPC budget for non-branded keywords! Set the curve on the trend.
Hopefully, today’s work atmosphere creates as much fun and joy as the kids’ imagination station! Best of luck.
