Branded queries

A branded query is a search that includes your brand name. For a shop called Ridgeline Supply, “ridgeline supply coupon” and “ridgeline boots” are branded. “waterproof hiking boots” is not.

Branded and non-branded searches behave very differently. People who search for your name already know you, so they click more and rank near the top. Non-branded searches show how well you win new visitors. Mixing them hides both stories.

What you will see

• A small Brand tag next to branded queries in every queries list: the Overview, Queries and query-detail tables, Opportunities (striking distance, low CTR and cannibalisation), the Google updates winners and losers, and the query rows of the monthly heatmap. It is part of Pro: Free shows no tag.
• A Branded / Non-branded switch above the numbers that limits the numbers, chart and tables to one group. See Branded and non-branded split.
• Brand terms on the Queries tab, where you say what counts as your brand (a word the query contains, or the whole query). Matching ignores capital letters.

Good to know

• Branded plus non-branded will not add up to your total. Search engines hide some queries, so part of your traffic belongs to neither group. See Anonymized traffic.
• Pages never get a Brand tag.
• Brand terms belong to your workspace and to a site, so two teams watching the same site can use different rules. Patterns (regular expressions) are not supported yet.