Is a competitor buying your brand name on Google?

Open a private window. Search your own company name.

Not on your phone, logged in, where Google knows it’s you. A clean window, like a stranger would.

Now look at what’s above your website.

What you’re looking for

• An ad from a competitor sitting above you
• Ads from comparison sites or marketplaces using your name
• No ad from you at all, with rivals filling every slot

Bidding on someone else’s brand name as a keyword is allowed on Google. Using their name in the ad text isn’t always. But the bidding is common, and it works, because people searching your name are the closest thing to a sale you’ll ever get.

Why it matters

Someone who types your name has already heard of you. They’re not browsing. If a rival’s ad is the first thing they see, you’ve paid for the awareness and handed over the customer.

We’ve recently audited three UK car dealers using public data only. All three had a rival advertising on their own name. One had no ad on its own name at all, so three competitors took every slot.

That’s a snapshot of one evening, not impression share. Ads change by time of day, budget and location. But it’s consistent enough to check yours.

What to do about it

1. Run a brand campaign. Your name, exact match, plus the common misspellings. It’s cheap, because nobody competes with you for relevance.
2. Make the ad earn the click. Sitelinks, reviews, a clear offer. Be the best answer on the page.
3. Check by location and time, not once. Check the places you actually sell, at the hours people actually search.
4. Watch Auction Insights. It tells you who else is showing up against you.
5. Report trademark misuse in ad text when you see it.

If you want someone to look at your brand search properly, we’ll do a free audit. Public data only. No account access.

Book a free audit