My Competitor Is Using My Business Name as a Google Ads Keyword

Competitor keyword bidding is legal in Google Ads. Someone searching your business name and seeing a competitor appear above your own listing is frustrating but it happens and there are ways to respond.

You are not alone in this.

You searched your own business name and found a competitor running ads above your organic listing. They are capturing people who were specifically looking for you. Some of those searchers will click the competitor ad instead. You are losing traffic from your own brand awareness.

Here is what is actually going on.

Google permits bidding on competitor brand names as keywords in most countries. What competitors cannot do is use your trademarked brand name in their ad copy or headlines. They can trigger their ads when someone searches your name but they must not claim to be you or use your name in the ad text.

The thing most people miss.

Your brand name is your most efficient keyword. The people searching it were already looking for you. Losing them to a competitor is high-cost because these searchers are past the awareness stage and are ready to contact.

The fix that actually works.

Run your own brand name as a keyword in your Google Ads campaign. Brand keywords almost always have very high Quality Scores because the ad and landing page perfectly match the search intent. This typically means very low cost per click compared to generic service keywords. Bidding on your own brand ensures your ad appears above the competitor ad for your own name, protecting your most interested traffic.

What this looks like when it works.

Owning your brand keyword in Google Ads is low cost, high conversion, and essential in any market where competitors are actively targeting your name.

How I can help you.

My name is Eshchar Givoni. I am a Google Ads specialist and I work exclusively with local service businesses. I have been doing this for seven years. I manage a maximum of 20 clients at any one time and I manage every single campaign personally. There are no junior account managers, no handoffs, and no templates. When you work with me you talk directly to the person making decisions about your campaign every day.

You start with a $500 trial campaign. That is 14 days of a live, fully managed Google Ads campaign. You see real results before you commit to anything more. If it works, we continue. If it does not deliver, you have lost only the trial cost. That is how confident I am in the process.

Ready to fix this?

If this article described your situation, the next step is simple. WhatsApp me directly right now and tell me what is happening with your campaign. I will give you an honest assessment within 24 hours at no cost. Or if you are ready to start, apply for your $500 trial campaign here. I read every application personally and respond within 24 hours.