When someone types your company name into Google, they already picked you.
But Google can still make you pay for that click, even though they were coming to you anyway.

Why it’s happening (simple):

What to do (no marketer jargon):

Bottom line:
Clicks on your own name should be the cheapest ones you buy. Treat them that way.

Google is Taxing Your Business Name (h/t to HPD)

Imagine paying a toll every time someone drives to your office, even when they already have your address.

That's essentially what's happening with your Google Ads right now.

Google has quietly jacked up the cost of "brand campaigns" ads that show up when people search for your exact company name. They've done this through three sneaky changes:

1. Broad match chaos: Your generic ads (like "tree removal") are now accidentally bidding against your own brand name, driving up costs.

2. Auction rigging: Google removed the old system where you'd pay just 1¢ above your nearest competitor. Now they can charge whatever they want.

3. Performance Max hijacking: Google's "smart" campaigns are now serving ads on both your brand name AND your competitors', creating bidding wars where everyone loses.

The result? Tree services are paying premium prices for people who searched for their exact business name customers who were already coming to find them.

It's like paying UberEats a delivery fee when customers walk into your restaurant.

Here's how to stop the bleeding:

Option 1: Set CPC caps - In your brand campaigns, set a maximum cost-per-click that's 20-30% below what you're currently paying. Start there and keep lowering it until you see your impression share drop. You'll be shocked how much you can cut without losing traffic.

Option 2: Go manual - Switch to manual CPC bidding for your brand campaigns. Google reps will hate this because it reduces their revenue, but it works. Set your max CPC at 20-30% below current averages and watch your costs plummet.

The dirty truth: Most tree services should be paying bargain-basement prices for their own brand name, not premium rates. That difference adds up to thousands in wasted spend every month.

Stop paying Google's brand tax. Your business name belongs to you, not their auction system.

→ New Adalysis match type study - Analysis of 16,825 Google Ads campaigns reveals exact match delivers the highest efficiency (better CTRs, conversion rates, ROAS), but broad match surprisingly generates higher revenue per conversion, especially with automated bidding. Phrase match often underperforms despite decent conversion rates.

Our Recommendation: start with exact match, add phrase match if you have leftover budget, and use broad only if you can handle higher CPAs and more volume.

Google Reps Don't Want You to Know This

I'm about to tell you something that'll make Google reps mad.

You don't need to pay premium prices every time someone searches for your exact company name.

But here's what happens: you call Google for help with your "rising costs," and their rep suggests you increase budgets, try new campaign types, or "let the algorithm optimize."

They'll never tell you to lower your bids. Why? Because their bonuses are tied to how much you spend, not how much you save.

I've seen tree services paying vastly different amounts for the exact same brand searches. Same customer, same intent, wildly different costs. One company gets bargain rates while their competitor gets gouged often without either owner realizing it.

The concept is simple: Google's auction system can charge whatever the market will bear. If you don't set limits, they won't either.

Your Google rep will tell you that manual bidding is "outdated" and that you should "trust the algorithm." Translation: "Please keep overpaying so I hit my quarterly targets."

Here's the reality: Google's algorithm optimizes for Google's revenue, not your profit margins. The day you understand that is the day you stop being their ATM machine.

Your own business name should be your cheapest traffic source, not your most expensive one. When someone already knows your company well enough to search for it by name, you shouldn't have to pay premium prices to capture that customer.

Set your own bids. Cap your own costs. Take control of your own campaigns.

Your bank account will thank you, even if your Google rep doesn't.

Want us to look at your marketing and show you how to get an extra 3-5 jobs per week? Book a $100 consult. Refundable if it's not worth 10x that. All you have to do is ask.

Written by Jacob Hastings
Head of Growth & Client Strategy at Growth Ring Media