Brand Search
Brand search is when a user searches with a specific brand, product, or service name explicitly included in the query. Because it comes from people who already know the brand, it serves as a core indicator of brand awareness and brand strength.
- Brand search is the act of searching with a brand, product, or service name typed directly into the query, representing demand from people who already know the brand.
- An Ahrefs study of roughly 150 million U.S. keywords found that 45.7% of all Google searches (by search volume) were branded.
- The trend in brand search volume is one of the most reliable signals of brand awareness and brand strength.
- Brand search sits next to the classification concept of branded keywords, but it points to the demand and behavior that produce those keywords rather than the keywords themselves.
- Because brand search drives traffic that is close to conversion, it is a core area for SERP defense and brand-asset management.
Overview
Brand search refers to the act of searching with a specific brand, product, or service name explicitly included in the query. Queries that name a brand outright, such as "Nike sneakers," "Starbucks locations," or "McDonald's menu," all count as brand search. Queries with no brand name, like "sneaker recommendations" or "cafe near me," are non-branded searches.
Brand search matters because the person running the query already knows the brand exists. They saw an ad, encountered content, or heard about it by word of mouth, and that is why they type the brand name directly. In other words, brand search volume is a trace of real demand that shows how widely a brand is recognized in the market.
It helps to distinguish brand search from the classification concept of branded keywords. A branded keyword is a static category, the set of search terms that contain a brand name. Brand search is the phenomenon, the actual behavior and demand of people searching with those terms. It is the same subject viewed through a demand-and-behavior lens rather than a keyword lens.
Brand Search vs. Non-Branded Search
| Dimension | Brand Search | Non-Branded Search |
|---|---|---|
| Query form | Includes a brand, product, or service name | Generic query with no brand name |
| Search intent | Looking for a brand already known | Exploring solutions or a category |
| User stage | Consideration and decision, close to conversion | Awareness and exploration, new entry |
| Conversion rate | Relatively high | Relatively low |
| Strategic meaning | Brand asset and SERP defense | New-customer reach and demand creation |
Measurement Metrics
Brand search strength is best read as a trend rather than an absolute number. Steadily rising brand search volume signals that marketing activity is accumulating into brand awareness, while flat or declining volume signals that awareness efforts need a review. The main measurement approaches are as follows.
- Brand search volume trend: Track volume over time in Ahrefs Keywords Explorer or Semrush, including misspellings and variants of the brand name.
- Google Search Console: In the performance report, filter for queries containing the brand name to check impression and click trends.
- Watching three metrics together: Ahrefs recommends viewing brand search volume, branded direct traffic, and branded conversions side by side. When all three move together, it is strong evidence that brand equity is actually growing.
Significance: Brand Equity and SERP Defense
Brand search is strategically important in two respects. First, it is a signal of brand strength. Brand search is the point where offline awareness from advertising, word of mouth, and real experience surfaces as a search behavior, which makes it one of the most reliable indicators of whether marketing is fundamentally working.
Second, it is an area of SERP defense. When a user searches a brand name, your own pages, sitelinks, knowledge panel, and positive reviews should dominate the results. Otherwise, competitor ads or negative content can intercept traffic that is already close to converting.
Evidence
According to an Ahrefs study of roughly 150 million U.S. keywords, 45.7% of all Google searches (by search volume) were branded, and 36.9% of unique keywords were branded queries. Ahrefs also found that the share of brand search varies by company size, at about 19% for SMBs and about 42% for global brands, which shows that as a brand grows, more paths lead to brand search.
According to Semrush, because brand search brings traffic that is close to conversion, branded PPC campaigns can deliver up to 19 times the return on ad spend (ROAS) of non-branded keywords. And given that 54% of consumers turn to search engines for information before buying, managing the brand search results page well has a direct impact on purchase decisions.
Execution Checklist
- Track the brand search volume trend monthly, including the brand name, misspellings, product names, and service names.
- Place brand search volume, branded direct traffic, and branded conversions together on a single dashboard.
- Check whether your own pages, sitelinks, and knowledge panel hold the top of the results for brand-name searches.
- Claim and verify your knowledge panel, and monitor reviews and reputation.
- Watch whether competitors bid on your brand name, and defend with brand search ads when needed.
- Tie shifts in brand search volume to offline and digital marketing activity to validate awareness performance.