PPC Market Share insights for energy providers: Adapting to April’s price hike
As the UK energy market faces a significant price hike in April 2025, energy providers must adapt their strategies to stay competitive.
In this blog, we dive into PPC market share insights and how brands can optimize their paid search campaigns in light of the news.
Published by Ashley FletcherFebruary 26, 2025
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In April 2025, UK households will face a 6.4% increase in energy bills due to Ofgem’s adjustment of the energy price cap, pushing the average annual bill from £1,738 to £1,849. This rise will strain household finances and intensify competition among energy providers.
For energy brands, this shift will have a direct impact on customer acquisition and retention. As households become increasingly price-sensitive, the demand for competitive energy tariffs will grow. This means brands will need to optimize their marketing strategies to maintain visibility, attract new customers, and defend their market share in an evolving competitive landscape.
But not to worry! In this blog, we explore key industry trends and provide actionable insights on how brands can adapt their strategies in light of these changes.
Key trends and what they mean for energy providers
By using Adthena’s search intelligence, energy brands can instantly see which competitors are capturing the most clicks, benchmark their performance, and identify opportunities to reclaim lost market share. Here are three key trends and their implications for brands in the industry:
1. Identify leaders: Dominance of major players
Major energy providers are set to retain their market dominance, supported by their financial resources, brand recognition, and a significant share of clicks and spend in the market. However, as consumers become more price-sensitive, these brands must continuously optimize their paid search strategies to stay ahead and maintain their share.
While leading providers dominate, challenger brands can capitalize on their agility to differentiate themselves. By targeting niche markets, such as eco-conscious or price-sensitive consumers, and leveraging strategic paid search, these brands can increase their share of clicks and spend, allowing them to effectively compete and gain market traction.
What this means for brands:
Leading providers must strengthen their paid search strategies to maintain dominance and protect their share of clicks and spend, reducing customer churn.
Challenger brands should leverage strategic keyword bidding and competitor benchmarking to increase visibility and capture a larger share of search traffic.
Energy brands should pay attention to the competitive dynamics, as emerging players and retailers continue to disrupt the market.
Top tip: Want to see how you compare against your competitors? You can view your Top 10 competitors in the UK energy market, along with their share of clicks and spend, by using our PPC Market Share Reports. Check it outto gain valuable insights and benchmark your performance.
2. Top Ads: Winning strategies in a competitive market
With energy prices rising, consumers are more price-conscious than ever, making ad messaging a critical factor in capturing attention. Successful ads highlight affordability, sustainability, and trust.
What this means for brands:
Createcompelling ads emphasizing cost savings, price guarantees, and limited-time offers resonate with budget-conscious consumers.
Highlighting green energy solutions and eco-friendly commitments appeals to environmentally conscious audiences.
Reinforcing brand credibility through service reliability and long-term trust and reliability to encourage consumer confidence.
Ask Arlo
We turned to Ask Arlo, our GenAI search analyst for a deep dive into the latest trends.
Arlo’s analysis of the top energy providers reveals six key messaging themes:
Comparison & savings: Aggregators like Compare the Market and Uswitch drive engagement with cost-focused messaging (“Compare & save”).
Fixed tariffs & stability: Providers like British Gas and Octopus Energy reassure customers with fixed rates (“Lock in your tariff now”).
Smart meters & rewards: Brands like OVO Energy promote efficiency perks (“Rewards for using less when the grid is stressed”) to boost adoption.
Memorable branding: Playful taglines (“Don’t wombat it, meerkat it”) enhance recall in a crowded market.
Ease of switching: Brands highlight hassle-free transitions (“Quick & easy comparison”) to lower conversion barriers.
Comparing recent trends to previous periods, several shifts in competitor messaging have emerged:
More focus on smart meters and rewards, with a growing emphasis on energy efficiency perks.
Stronger push for fixed tariffs, with increased stability messaging due to price volatility.
More aggressive switching incentives, as competitors highlight speed and ease to reduce friction.
Shift in seasonal promotions, with less focus on time-limited deals and more on long-term value.
Greater trust-building efforts, as comparison sites reinforce impartiality to reassure consumers.
3. Capitalizing on the growing Share of Spend from emerging competitors
As competition in the energy market heats up, challenger brands are steadily increasing their share of spend, signaling a shift in consumer interest. This growing presence of emerging players indicates that consumers are actively exploring alternative options, whether due to pricing concerns, customer service expectations, or sustainability commitments.
Rising challengers are capturing more spend, which requires established brands to protect their market share.
Brands need to adjust ad spend to stay visible in areas where challengers are gaining traction.
As challengers grow, brands should refine bidding strategies and ad messaging to maintain a competitive edge.
Top tip: Use our UK Energy PPC Market Share Report to monitor your share of spend, ensuring your budget is used effectively to stay competitive with emerging players.
For example, we can see brands like Octopus Energy, Uswitch, and Comparethemarket have made notable strides in the market. Octopus Energy maintained a steady presence, while Uswitch and Comparethemarket showed consistent mid-range activity. Pod Point and EDF Energy, on the other hand, experienced significant spikes, with Pod Point closing at 4.73% share of spend.
How you can stay ahead
With market volatility at an all-time high, energy providers need PPC insights and data to optimize their paid search strategies.
The April energy price hike will intensify competition in the UK energy market, making strategic digital marketing more critical than ever. By leveraging Adthena’s market intelligence, brands can navigate these challenges with confidence. Identifying opportunities, optimizing ad spend, and staying ahead in an increasingly competitive landscape will be effortless with our search experts helping you along the way.
