It’s a headache for any marketer.
You open Google, search your brand’s name, and you see three PPC ads pop up, burying your website in the pits of hell.
Most marketers stop there. They look, they cry, they do something else. But…have you ever tried asking people to take their ads down?
All you have to do is ask… (really)?
Pieter Levels, the founder of NomadList and RemoteOK, recently tried this. He saw that Employer-of-Record companies were advertising on his trademark, ‘Remote OK’. He asked them to stop, and they did. It was that simple.
Now, people who google ‘Remote OK’ will get straight to Pieter’s site.
Here’s why it works
In this case, Pieter has a trademark on the name of his business, RemoteOK. While Google allows competitors to bid on trademarked words, Pieter asked nicely and the CEOs of two large companies took down their ads immediately.
Second, RemoteOK is a job board. Employer-of-Record companies offer a very different service. So, they’re not direct competitors––more like complimentary services.
What you can do
If you see that an unrelated brand is advertising on your trademark, ask them to remove their ads. The worst they can say is no. But if it’s a mistake or if they’re feeling particularly nice, they’ll remove them for you. And you’ll likely see your traffic increase as a result.
