Analytics Playbook

Can You Use Competitor Brand Names in Google Ads? And Is It Even A Good Idea? | KP Playbook Learn when you can, and when you should, use competitor brand names in your Google Ad copy and keyword bids. Also get some pro tips on the best way to incorporate competitor keywords into your Google…

Sammy breaks down all this (and more) in our full write-up 👇
buff.ly/8qZNVQi

🚫 Turn OFF automatically created ad assets.

Google might pull your competitor’s name from your landing page—and put it in your ad.

That = fast track to disapproval.

📄 Use a comparison landing page.

This helps increase relevance and gives you space to show why you're the better choice.

✅ Set up a separate campaign for competitor keywords.

This gives you better control over spend + tracking—and avoids messing up your other campaigns.

Can you run Google Ads on your competitors' brand names? 🤔

Yes, but only if you really know what you’re doing. Here’s a quick guide:

⏳ GA4 still stressing you out? It’s your last shot to grab Analytics for Agencies at 50% off. Fix the messy data, build dashboards that scale, and finally feel confident.

Deal ends tonight! → buff.ly/pZmR0na

📣 Tomorrow: A rare chance to rethink your entire optimization strategy.

If you’re tired of A/B tests that don’t deliver, this live session with Talia Wolf is for you.

Bonus: You’ll get a strategic audit toolkit you can put to work right away.

Register here ⬇️

Confused by what your GA4 events are actually tracking? 🤔

That’s why we’re sharing a FREE lesson from our GA4 Audit course, all about event tracking—how events are named, what they’re capturing, and where they’re coming from.

It’s practical, fast, and 100% free. Get it today! 👉 buff.ly/SGpl0bd

Still spinning your wheels with CRO?

If your A/B tests keep falling flat, it’s time to rethink your approach.

On July 15, join conversion strategist Talia Wolf for a live webinar on why most optimization efforts stall and how to fix it.

👉 Register now to save your spot! buff.ly/mRUcAdN

⚠️ But the second they do? That ad is gone.

If you sell products from other brands, good news: you can use their trademarked names too — no permission form needed anymore.

Check out this flowchart from Sammy👇. It breaks it all down visually.

If a complaint is filed, your ad may be disapproved, and misleading information could lead to account suspension.

✅ You’re safe if:

- The name is in the second-level domain of your display URL
- You're not impersonating them
- The company hasn’t reported you

🧐 Can you use your competitor’s name in Google Ads?

It depends. And the rules have changed recently.

Under Google’s new trademark policy (fully rolled out in Feb 2025), you can use a competitor’s name in your ad copy—but only until you get caught.

We're OOO June 30 – July 4 ! 🌞

The whole KP Playbook team is taking a break to reset (no, not our GA4 settings, just our brains). If you're in one of our courses and run into something urgent, Dana will be keeping an eye on the community.

🚨 This is the one GA4 webinar you don't want to miss.

Steve Ganem, Director of Product at Google Analytics, is joining us live on June 25th.

Real talk from Google.
Real strategies for growth.
Real answers to your GA4 questions.

📅 Save your spot now 👇
buff.ly/H51nzQk

📍 Trying to rank multiple business locations on Google?

@lizlinder.bsky.social‬ shares 8 ways to increase the relevance and prominence of your newer location.

GA4 annotations are finally here… but now what?

Without a plan, they turn into a mess of random colors, inconsistent names, and forgotten updates

That’s why we created a free SOP template to help your team stay organized.

👉 Download it now: buff.ly/0N2wRLF

🚫 Are your enhanced measurement events off in GA4? It’s more common than you think—and not always the best choice.

@danaditomaso.com‬ explains what to watch for, when to go custom, and how to tell if your forms are firing too many events.

‪@dodgejd.bsky.social‬ and his team didn’t just improve their data skills—they got better at turning those numbers into stories that clients actually understand. 💡

That’s the kind of shift Analytics for Agencies is built for. buff.ly/mlLHWk4

Hands On with GA4 - Full Day Workshop This workshop will teach you not only how to use GA4, but how to rethink your analytics implementations to truly take advantage of everything GA4 has to offer.

Are you heading to the Marketing Analytics Summit?

🗓️ Start your week with Hands On with GA4—a full-day workshop with @danaditomaso.com‬ on Monday, June 2.

👀 Psst… the latest Playbook Huddle just went live! It’s packed with strategies from some of the best, like @simoahava.bsky.social, Mikhail Prosmitskiy, Danny Goodwin, Danielle Messler, Lani Haque, @aleyda.bsky.social and more.

🎯 Want in? Subscribe here: kpplaybook.com/newsletter/

▶️ Watch the full video on GA4 page dimensions: buff.ly/adxKTmg

🚨 Are you using page path and page location correctly in GA4?

@danaditomaso.com clears up the confusion:

Page location = full URL (best for troubleshooting)
Page path = clean URL after the domain (best for content analysis)

🚨 Search isn’t just Google anymore.

It’s ChatGPT. TikTok. Alexa.

On May 27, join @wilreynolds.bsky.social and @danaditomaso.com to learn how to shift from Search Optimization to Answer Optimization.

Register today: buff.ly/aoiSKEm

How To Verify Consent Signals Are Being Received Correctly in GA4 for Modeling Eligibility & GDPR Compliance | KP Playbook Learn how to check if GA4 is receiving consent signals correctly so that you qualify for modeled traffic in GA4. Bonus: avoid potential privacy violations caused by misconfigured consent management sy...

🔍 Just because you have a consent banner doesn’t mean it’s working properly.

@danaditomaso.com walks through how to check if GA4 is actually respecting user choices—and what to do if it’s not.

kpplaybook.com/resources/ho...

📬 Quick ideas. Real strategies. Zero fluff.

Alexis Rylko, @ginnymarvin.bsky.social, @celestelili.bsky.social, @whitespark.ca, and @brodieclark.bsky.social are in this week’s Playbook Huddle, and it’s worth your read.

Subscribe now so you don’t miss a thing. kpplaybook.com/newsletter/

🔥 Free Google Ads Editor template? Yes, please!

If your ad campaigns are feeling a bit messy, this template will help you track campaigns, ad groups, and keywords all in one place. Perfect for bulk uploads with Google Ads Editor or just staying organized!

🆓 Get it now: buff.ly/kmZn5kU

📣 NEW COURSE ALERT! 📣

I'm excited to announce my comprehensive GA4 Audit Course is now LIVE! 🚀

Is your GA4 property collecting garbage data? You might be making critical business decisions based on completely inaccurate numbers... 🗑️

Making the Move From Search Optimization to Answer Optimization | LinkedIn Search is still changing. People aren’t just Googling anymore; they’re asking questions in AI tools, searching on social platforms, and expecting instant, useful answers. The old, tired method of…

🔍 Search isn’t just Google anymore.

📅 On May 27, join @wilreynolds.bsky.social + @danaditomaso.com to learn how to show up with the right answers—wherever your audience is searching.

➡️

📊 Want to use data to persuade stakeholders & prioritize the right work?

Dana DiTomaso breaks it down on the Digital Marketing Victories podcast — from being data-informed to building trust when the data isn’t perfect.

🎧 Listen here: buff.ly/lMcubGF

Join The Playbook Huddle Newsletter - Sign Up Today! The Playbook Huddle newsletter shares the latest analytics, marketing, SEO news, research, guides, and more. Delivered every other Tuesday. 🏈

Ever opened #GA4 and thought: Is this… right? You’re not alone. Most setups are messy, mismatched events, weird traffic, bad attribution. GA4 is always a work in progress.

🎓 We’re launching a GA4 Audit course to help you clean things up and trust your data again. Get early access: