Competitor Conquesting in Advertising

Competitor conquesting is advertising on searches for a competitor's brand, so your ad shows up when someone looks for them. In Google Ads it's allowed: Google doesn't restrict trademarks as keywords, though it can restrict a competitor's trademark in your ad text after a complaint. It pays off when you have a real reason for a buyer to switch and a page that makes the case. Without those, it's an expensive way to buy clicks from people who wanted someone else.

Below is what Google's policy allows, when buying competitor keywords is worth it, how to run a campaign and what to do when competitors bid on your name.

What is competitor conquesting?

Competitor conquesting means placing your ads where a competitor's buyers are looking: on searches for their brand, next to content about them, or in front of audiences who follow them. For B2B companies, search is the main version. Search for a well-known software brand and you'll often see a rival's ad above the brand's own result.

The logic is simple. Someone searching a competitor's name is already shopping in your category. If they haven't decided yet, an ad with a better offer can put you on the shortlist.

Is buying competitor keywords legal?

Buying competitor keywords is allowed on Google. Its trademarks policy lists using trademarks as keywords among the uses it doesn't restrict. Ad text is different. If a trademark owner files a complaint, Google may restrict a direct competitor from using the trademark in its ads, in the countries where the owner has shown rights.

In practice, that means you can bid on a competitor's name, but your ad copy shouldn't use it. Trademark law varies by country and isn't settled everywhere, and I'm not a lawyer, so check with one before you build a program around a competitor's name.

When competitor conquesting works

It works when three things are true:

1. You have a specific reason to switch: lower price, a feature they lack, better support or an easy migration.
2. You have a landing page that makes that case honestly, side by side.
3. Buyers in your category compare vendors before deciding, so some of the people searching a competitor are still open.

It's a weak bet when your product is the same as theirs with a different logo, or when most people searching the brand are existing customers looking for a login page.

The costs of competitor conquesting

Clicks on competitor terms usually cost more and convert less than your other search traffic. Google judges ads partly on expected click-through rate and ad relevance, two of the components in its Quality Score diagnostic. An ad for your brand on a search for theirs scores poorly on both, so you pay more for each click than they do.

Other costs:

1. Retaliation. Bid on a competitor and they may bid on you, which raises what you both pay for branded clicks.
2. Wasted clicks. Many people searching a brand want its login, support or careers page. Add those words as negative keywords from day one.
3. Misleading numbers. Competitor campaigns can look cheap on cost per click and expensive on cost per customer. Judge them on the second.

How to run a competitor conquesting campaign

1. Pick the competitors buyers actually compare

Start with your own data. Sales calls, lost-deal notes and review sites show which competitors buyers evaluate alongside you. Google's auction insights report shows which advertisers appear in the same auctions as you. Tools like Semrush's Keyword Gap show which brand terms competitors bid on, and you can view competitor ads for free in Google's Ads Transparency Center.

Start with two or three competitors, not ten.

2. Give each competitor its own campaign or ad group

Keep competitor terms separate from everything else, with their own budget, so they can't eat spend from campaigns that convert better. Use exact and phrase match, and add negative keywords like login, support, careers and jobs.

3. Write ad copy that gives a reason to switch

Your ad can't lean on their name, so lead with the difference: a price, a missing feature, migration help or a free trial. "Compare features side by side" works better than claiming to be the best. Don't imply you are the competitor. That's the fastest way to a complaint and an unhappy searcher.

4. Send clicks to a comparison page

Don't send competitor traffic to your homepage. Build a comparison page for each competitor: a feature table, what switching involves, proof from customers who moved, and a clear next step. Favor the features where you genuinely win, but don't mark every row in your favor. Buyers check the other vendor's site, and a one-sided table loses trust fast.

My roundup of B2B landing page examples includes a comparison page built this way. The same pages also rank organically for "[competitor] alternatives" searches, which is a good way to get SEO and PPC working together.

5. Make an offer worth switching for

People searching a competitor are in the consideration stage. A free trial, a demo with migration help or a short buyer's guide gives them a reason to act now. A generic "Contact sales" rarely does.

6. Bid up for people who already know you

Google's data segments for search ads let you adjust bids and ads for people who visited your site before. Someone who checked your pricing page and is now searching a competitor is worth a higher bid and a sharper message.

7. Measure on cost per customer

Track competitor campaigns separately, from click to signup to paying customer. Expect lower click-through rates than your other campaigns, and give them a quarter before judging. My guide to marketing effectiveness covers how to measure channels on outcomes rather than clicks.

Display and social conquesting

The same idea works outside search. On display networks, you can target placements where buyers compare vendors, like review and comparison sites. On social platforms, you can target audiences interested in a competitor where the platform allows it. Both reach people earlier than search does, so treat them as awareness spend and measure them on that basis.

What to do when competitors bid on your brand

1. Run a small brand campaign, so your ad sits above theirs. My guide to targeting branded keywords covers when that's worth paying for.
2. Build your own "[your brand] vs [competitor]" and alternatives pages, so the comparison buyers find is yours.
3. Ask them to stop. Sometimes the bidding is an accident of broad match or an agency's setup, and a polite email works.
4. File a trademark complaint if they use your trademark in their ad text. Google's trademarks policy explains the process.
5. Bid on their brand in return only if the numbers work on their own. Retaliation alone is an expensive message.

Is competitor conquesting worth it?

Competitor conquesting is worth testing when you can say in one line why a buyer should switch, and you have a comparison page that proves it. Keep it in its own campaign and write ads around the difference, not their name. Judge it on cost per customer over a quarter. For a smaller startup taking on bigger rivals, it's one of the few ways to get in front of buyers at the moment they compare.

My guide to PPC for B2B covers where competitor campaigns fit in the rest of the account, and setting them up is part of my paid search services.

Competitor Conquesting FAQs

Can you bid on competitor brand names in Google Ads?

You can bid on competitor brand names in Google Ads. Google's trademarks policy doesn't restrict trademarks used as keywords. It can restrict a trademark in ad text if the owner files a complaint and the advertiser is a direct competitor. Laws vary by country, so check with a lawyer before building a large program around a competitor's name.

Can you use a competitor's name in your ad copy?

You generally shouldn't use a competitor's name in your ad copy. If the trademark owner complains, Google may restrict direct competitors from using it in ad text, and the ad can be disapproved. Write ads around your difference instead, like price, features or migration help, and save the named comparison for the landing page.

Does competitor conquesting work for B2B?

Competitor conquesting can work for B2B when buyers compare vendors before deciding and you have a clear reason for them to switch. It works best with a dedicated comparison page and an offer like a trial or migration help. It rarely works when your product is hard to tell apart from the competitor's.

Why are competitor keywords so expensive?

Competitor keywords are expensive because your ad is less relevant to a search for another brand. Expected click-through rate and ad relevance are lower, so you pay more per click than the brand owner does. Clicks also convert less often, so measure these campaigns on cost per customer rather than cost per click.

How do you stop competitors bidding on your brand?

You usually can't stop competitors bidding on your brand as a keyword, since Google allows it. You can run your own brand campaign so your ad appears above theirs, build comparison pages that answer buyers' questions, ask the competitor directly, and file a trademark complaint if they use your trademark in their ad text.