Branded search

A branded search is a search query that includes your business name, brand name or one of your own product names. Think of "Hartley's Bakery opening hours", "Hartley's order cake" or even a slightly misspelt version of your name. In contrast, there are non-branded searches, such as "bakery Glasgow open Sunday", where someone doesn't yet know who they want to go to.

The distinction seems simple, but it helps you understand your search traffic much better. Branded traffic tells you something about your brand awareness, non-branded traffic about how well new customers find you. If you look at both lumped together, you can get a distorted picture: a strong brand can hide weak visibility for general search terms.

Why branded searches matter

Anyone searching for your name already knows you. That might be because they saw a flyer, a friend recommended you, or an AI assistant mentioned you. As a result, branded searches often have high purchase intent and relatively often lead to a conversion.

They're also a barometer for the rest of your marketing. If the number of people searching for your name grows after a radio ad, a trade show or an article in the local paper, that campaign probably had an effect.

Separating branded and non-branded traffic

In Google Search Console you can filter queries by your brand name. That shows you how much of your organic traffic comes from people who already know you. A few tips:

• Include variants and typos of your name in your filter.
• Don't forget product names or the owner's name, if those are searched for often.
• Look at the trend over months, not days.
• Compare the CTR of branded and non-branded searches: it's usually higher for branded.

Make sure your own name is in order

It sounds obvious, but anyone searching for your name should find you straight away. So regularly check what someone sees when they search for your business:

1. Is your own website at the top, with a clear title and description?
2. Is your Google Business Profile complete, with correct opening hours and photos?
3. Which reviews and external mentions appear, and are they still accurate?
4. Is a competitor using your name in an ad?

A garage in Sheffield, for example, noticed that an old address appeared next to its name in an online directory. A small mistake, but anyone relying on it drives to the wrong place. After a correction in that directory, the details were accurate everywhere again.

Branded search in the AI era

In ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity, people also ask about specific businesses: "What do you know about garage X in Sheffield?" or "Is accountancy firm Y reliable?" The answer is based on what can be found about your business, on your own site and beyond. So it pays to check what AI tools say about your brand and whether it's accurate. A rising number of branded searches can also be an indirect sign that AI assistants are recommending you more often. By tracking your visibility, you keep an eye on both developments.