If your brand gets searched at all, assume competitors are bidding on it. Google's trademark policy doesn't restrict using a trademark as a keyword, so a rival can enter the auction for your name today. To see it, run your brand on exact match in its own Search campaign and open Auction Insights for that campaign. It lists the other advertisers in the same auctions, how often they show alongside you, and how often they sit above you.
Why your name is fair game
Google's trademark policy separates the keyword from the ad. Google says it will not restrict "using trademarks as keywords." What it can restrict, after a trademark owner complains, is a direct competitor using the trademark in the ad itself. So a complaint can clean up a rival's ad copy. It won't stop them bidding on your name.
And ranking first organically doesn't protect you. Ads can show above the organic results, and the ad auction is decided by Ad Rank, not by who owns the name.
What we see on calls
It comes up on mentoring calls all the time:
- A UK restaurant. Its PMax search terms showed people searching the restaurant's name plus the town, then clicking directions. A rival restaurant down the road could bid on exactly that search, take the top spot with an ad about being the best in town, and catch people on their way in. Our advice was a small exact match brand campaign, around £5 a day, to fight for the name.
- A heat pump marketplace. The marketer already knew competitors were bidding on the brand, so he ran a brand-only Search campaign at 5 to 10 pence a click to hold the first page.
- Live searches. On two calls we searched well-known software brands. Hotjar and Amplitude were each running ads on their own name, and on one search a competitor's ad showed up too. Brands with real search demand defend it.
Reading Auction Insights on a brand campaign
Select the brand campaign, ad group or keyword and choose Auction insights. For Search, Google reports six statistics:
- Impression share: your impressions divided by the impressions you were eligible for. A competitor's row shows their share of the auctions they were eligible for.
- Overlap rate: how often their ad showed when yours did. This is the clearest sign they bid on your name.
- Position above rate: how often their ad showed above yours when both appeared.
- Outranking share: how often you ranked above them, or showed when they didn't.
- Top of page rate and absolute top of page rate: how often an ad showed above the organic results, and as the very first ad.
Google only produces the report for keywords, ad groups and campaigns that meet a minimum threshold of activity. Small brands may need a longer date range. Google also says the report doesn't show insights when impression share is under 10%, and search partner traffic isn't included, so a rival with a small presence on your name may not appear.
Don't read it off Performance Max
PMax has an Auction Insights report too, but Google says it covers only Search and Shopping ads on the Search Network, at account and campaign level. It blends every query the campaign entered. On one restaurant call, PMax showed few competitors, and that told us about the mix of searches PMax was in, not about who bids on the brand. Low competition there doesn't mean few rivals. For brand, use a dedicated Search campaign, and keep brand out of PMax, as we explain in Your PMax 'win' might just be your own brand search.
The takeaways
- Google doesn't restrict trademarks as keywords. Competitors can bid on your name.
- Run brand on exact match in its own low-budget Search campaign.
- Open Auction Insights on it. Overlap rate and position above rate show who is on your name.
- PMax Auction Insights blends all its Search and Shopping queries. It can't answer the brand question.
Common questions
Can competitors bid on my brand name in Google Ads?
Yes. Google's trademark policy says it will not restrict using trademarks as keywords. It can restrict a direct competitor using your trademark in the ad text itself, after you submit a trademark complaint.
How do I see who is bidding on my brand?
Put your brand terms on exact match in their own Search campaign, select that campaign, ad group or keyword, and open Auction insights. The report lists the other advertisers who showed in the same auctions, with their overlap rate, position above rate and other statistics.
What does overlap rate mean in Auction Insights?
Overlap rate is how often another advertiser's ad received an impression when your ad also received one. On a brand campaign, a high overlap rate means a competitor is regularly showing on your brand searches.
What is the difference between outranking share and position above rate?
Outranking share is how often your ad ranked higher than another advertiser's, or showed when theirs didn't. Position above rate is how often their ad showed above yours when both appeared. Position above rate is a Search campaign statistic only.
Can I use Performance Max Auction Insights to check my brand?
Not reliably. Google says PMax auction insights cover only Search and Shopping ads on the Search Network, at account and campaign level, so they blend every query the campaign entered. A dedicated brand Search campaign gives you a clean brand-only view.