When Google puts 4 paid ads ahead of the first

The brand name bidding war is a race to the bottom. It’s really pathetic because you CAN actually get Google to remove the competitor ads if you own a trademark to your name. This is not the case for most startups.

> When Google puts 4 paid ads ahead of the first organic result for your own brand name, you’re forced to pay up if you want to be found. It’s a shakedown. It’s ransom.

This is not a shakedown. Google is only responding to people who are placing ads on their ad platform. They aren't denying anybody food or shelter.

If anything it's interesting that so many advertisers want to advertise against that keyword. Really it's not Google that the author should be angry at, it's his competitors who are paying a lot of money to compete with him.

When Google puts 4 paid ads ahead of the first organic result for your own brand name, you’re forced to pay up if you want to be found. It’s a shakedown. It’s ransom. But at least we can have fun with it. Search for Basecamp and you may see this attached ad.

It's funny because my mind instantly discards the screenshot's ad headline and all the ad content, in a single glance.

So even if their ad shows up, I'm pretty sure that all I know is I gotta keep scrolling down.