Branded Keywords Are Getting Smarter. Is Your SEO+SEM Strategy Keeping Up? 

Search engines are matching more broadly, so your branded terms are getting pulled into competitive auctions, whether you like it or not. From 2023 to 2024, markets like legal services saw a doubling of CPC rates, according to Search Engine Land. What used to be a cozy spot at the top of the search engine results page (SERP) is now swarming with “Top 10” listicles and competitors playing dress-up in your category.

Every brand’s strategy will look different. But make no mistake: your brand keywords aren’t safe anymore.

Your Brand Name Isn’t Just Yours Anymore

It used to be simple: a branded search meant someone typing your company name into Google. Today, it’s more like a cluster: a branded query might also trigger results for related products and, increasingly, your competitors.

AI is getting in on the action, too. Recent research from Semrush found that 13.14% of all queries triggered AI Overviews in March — up from 6.49% in January. The number of navigational (brand-specific) queries that trigger AI Overviews have doubled since January, as well.

So what does this mean? A user searching for your brand might also be shown:

• A “best [category] platforms” list where your competitor paid for top placement
• Smart SEM ads from competitors using phrase or broad match variants
• AI summaries (like Google’s AI Overviews or Bing’s AI snapshots) that combine your brand with competitor comparisons or review content

The same Semrush research noted the largest share growth of AI Overviews was found in Science (+22.27%), Health (+20.33%), and People & Society (+18.83%), indicating a rapid shift in high-trust, information-dense categories.

What the Brand Shift Means for Paid Search

Paid search has long been the go-to for defending brand territory. But what used to be low-cost, low-effort is now ultra-competitive.

Branded CPCs are climbing (up 10% on average across industries, according to Search Engine Land) as competitor ads get triggered by looser match types. Even if you’re bidding on exact match branded terms, leakage happens. And when brands assume they “own” those results organically, they pull back on branded campaigns exactly when they should be doubling down.

Competitors, match types, CPCs…it’s enough to make your head spin. Now’s the time to:

• Pressure-test your branded keyword performance. Where are competitors edging in? Where are you leaving clicks (and conversions) on the table?
• Get strict with your match types to avoid wasting spend, especially for phrase and broad match keywords. Looseness is leakage.
• Tighten negative keyword lists. Make sure irrelevant or competitor-aligned queries aren’t draining your budgets.
• Layer in audiences. Protect brand terms like you protect pipeline: focus on past site visitors, CRM lists, or high-intent segments.

Pro tip 🚀 One tactic we’ve used in highly competitive brand environments is to let competitors burn themselves out. When CPCs spike and quality scores are low on the other side, we’ll sometimes reduce our impression share just enough to hold second position. This inflates competitor CPCs without giving up visibility entirely.

Once the auction gets too expensive for them to sustain, we re-enter more aggressively and reclaim the top spot at a lower cost. It’s helped multiple clients regain control of branded SERPs without overpaying for the privilege.

What the Brand Shift Means for Organic Content

Ranking #1 for your brand name isn’t the flex it used to be. There, we said it.

AI-generated results and competitor SEO efforts are crowding what used to be clean paths to your homepage.

• Go beyond brand keywords. Capture adjacent, category-level demand before someone else does.
• Strengthen your E-E-A-T. Expertise, Experience, Authority, and Trust build credibility that even AI summaries can’t ignore.
• Differentiate within the category. Don’t just say what your product does; explain why it’s better than the competitors your audience is seeing next to you.

Our Director of SEO & Content Strategy Anneliese Harrison notes, “We’ve seen impressions go up 56% across our client accounts, but clicks are flat or declining. That tells us people are seeing the content, but AI features are intercepting the click.”

“That changes how we optimize,” she adds. “It’s about structuring your content so it gets picked up and cited inside these summaries.”

How SEO and SEM Can Work Together

We’ve been holistic search marketers for a long time. And we’ve maintained that branded search shouldn’t be an SEO vs. SEM conversation. The smartest teams are treating it as shared ground.

That means:

• Regular branded term reviews across SEO and SEM. Align on what’s leaking and which competitors are creeping in. These reviews are your front line of defense.
• Unified performance reporting. Look at brand term conversions holistically. Are users coming in through paid or organic? Are they converting? Which channel is winning and why?
• Combined query intelligence. With search query visibility shrinking (thanks, privacy updates), it’s mission-critical to pool insights from both sides of the aisle. One team’s “irrelevant term” might be the other’s hidden gem.
• Joint content + ad planning. If AI summaries or smart SERP features are pulling in competitive content, both teams should be ready to respond. Align your messaging, landing pages, and playbooks.

As Anneliese explains, “We’re seeing the strongest results when SEO and SEM align early on shared keyword and intent strategy. When messaging tests from SEM feed back into metadata and content strategy, we’re growing brand visibility from AI Overviews to ads to organic listings.”

But like we noted above, collaboration goes beyond keywords. SEM campaigns often drive to high-conversion, purpose-built pages. Think single CTA, stripped-down navigation, and speed to lead. SEO, on the other hand, favors content-rich pages with internal links, topical depth, and authority signals.

At ROI·DNA, we’re increasingly developing hybrid landing experiences that meet the needs of both channels: fast-loading, high-converting pages with enough context and internal link structure to keep organic rankings strong.

Your Brand. Your Turf. Defend It.

Branded search used to be a gimme. Now it’s a street fight. AI-powered search turned your name, your clicks, and your turf into open season. Not just for smart competitors, but for sloppy matching, broad targeting, and unintended leakage that quickly turns into search chaos.

The brands that win are those that test and adapt quickly and treat branded strategy like the performance lever it is. It’s about owning your category by being the first impression buyers get when they go looking.

Branded terms are under attack. Time to fight smarter and evolve faster so you won’t just rank. You’ll reign.