A branded search is a search engine query that contains the name of your brand or product.<\/p>\n
This use of branded keywords results in branded traffic. In other words, website traffic from users looking for information on specific brands.<\/p>\n
Branded keywords are search queries associated with brands.<\/p>\n
Like \u201cPepsi Black,\u201d which is a branded search term for a product from the soft drink manufacturer. Or \u201cwhere to buy Swatch watches,\u201d a branded keyword for Swatch.<\/p>\n
Branded search queries can come in the form of:<\/p>\n
So, imagine if someone were to Google one of your branded keywords.<\/p>\n
This means they aren\u2019t looking for any random brand, product, or service\u2014they want information on\u00a0your<\/strong>\u00a0offerings.<\/p>\n An effective branded keyword strategy helps you to direct that person to your website.<\/p>\n Tracking your branded keyphrases can help you identify:<\/p>\n The fact that branded keywords reference your brand is precisely what make them provide such valuable brand insights.<\/p>\n So, does this mean keywords that don\u2019t include your brand aren\u2019t worth paying attention to?<\/p>\n Not at all. Let\u2019s look a little closer.<\/p>\n Unlike branded searches, non-branded searches have no relation to a particular brand.<\/p>\n To illustrate, here are examples of branded vs. non-branded keywords with the named brands in bold.<\/p>\n Notice how non-branded keywords are generic\u2014unlike their branded counterparts:<\/p>\n It\u2019s essential to create content targeting non-branded keywords. Even though they don\u2019t include your brand.<\/p>\n By doing so, you can reach people who may not have heard of you but who may still benefit from what you offer.<\/p>\n You can then educate these searchers about your brand and how your offerings solve their pain points. With the aim of\u00a0converting them into customers<\/a>.<\/p>\n And as searchers become aware of your brand, they may also begin using your branded keywords in searches.<\/p>\n This generates branded traffic, which can bring about the benefits we\u2019ll discuss next.<\/p>\n Further reading<\/strong>:\u00a0How to Use SEO for Brand Awareness<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n By leveraging branded traffic, you stand to:<\/p>\n All these can lead to more traffic for your website and more positive sentiments toward your brand.<\/p>\n Which you can capitalize on to gain more customers and sales\u2014considering how 54% of global consumers surveyed prefer to get pre-purchase information via search engines,\u00a0according to a June 2023 PwC report<\/a>.<\/p>\n Here are six\u00a0keyword research<\/a>\u00a0methods for identifying your branded keywords:<\/p>\n The Semrush\u00a0Organic Research<\/a>\u00a0tool displays the brand keywords you rank for in one comprehensive report.<\/p>\n Open the tool and type your brand\u2019s domain into it. Choose the country for which you want to check your branded keyword rankings, then click \u201cRechercher<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n Click the \u201cPositions<\/strong>\u201d tab.<\/p>\n Click \u201cAdvanced filters<\/strong>\u201d and update the filter condition so it reads \u201cInclude<\/strong>\u201d > \u201cKeyword<\/strong>\u00a0type<\/strong>\u201d > \u201cBranded<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n Click \u201cApply<\/strong>,\u201d and the tool will provide a filtered report of your branded keywords.<\/p>\n From here, you can view information for each branded keyword, like:<\/p>\n You can also apply more filters to refine your branded keyword list further.<\/p>\n For example, use the \u201cPositions<\/strong>\u201d filter to display only branded keywords for which you rank in the top three or top 10 positions.<\/p>\n Semrush\u2019s\u00a0Keyword Gap<\/a>\u00a0tool can help you identify which of your branded keywords your competitors are ranking for\u2014but you aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n Launch the tool and click \u201c+ Add up to 3 competitors<\/strong>\u201d so you can provide multiple competing domains.<\/p>\n Then type the root domains for your brand and at least two competitors. Leave the settings as \u201cRoot<\/strong>\u00a0domain<\/strong>\u201d and \u201cOrganic keywords<\/strong>,\u201d respectively.<\/p>\n Choose the country for which you want to compare your branded keyword rankings. Then click \u201cCompare<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n Click \u201cAdvanced<\/strong>\u00a0filters<\/strong>\u201d and update the filter condition so it reads \u201cInclude<\/strong>\u201d > \u201cKeyword<\/strong>\u201d> \u201cContaining<\/strong>\u201d > \u201c[Your brand name].\u201d Then click \u201cApply<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n Scroll down and click \u201cMissing<\/strong>\u201d to get a list of your branded keywords that your competitors are all ranking for but you aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n You can also click a competitor\u2019s domain to sort their rankings from highest to lowest.<\/p>\n This is useful for seeing which of your branded keywords they\u2019re ranking highly for. (And you aren\u2019t.)<\/p>\n Google\u2019s autocomplete feature suggests possible search queries for keywords you type. Including branded queries\u2014if your initial search term contains your brand name.<\/p>\n Go to the Google homepage and type your brand name into the search bar.<\/p>\n Google will display a list of suggested searches containing your brand name.<\/p>\n These suggested searches are\u00a0related keywords<\/a>\u00a0you may want to target.<\/p>\n After that, type \u201ca\u201d into the search bar such that your search query becomes \u201c[your brand name] a.\u201d Google will suggest even more branded keywords as you do so.<\/p>\n Then, replace \u201ca\u201d with \u201cb,\u201d \u201cc,\u201d and the rest of the letters in the alphabet until you reach \u201c[your brand name] z.\u201d To get even more branded keyword ideas.<\/p>\n Google also displays keyword suggestions in the \u201cPeople Also Ask\u201d (PAA) and \u201cRelated searches\u201d sections on its search engine results pages (SERPs<\/a>).<\/p>\n Type your brand name into Google\u2019s search bar. Then, hit \u201cEnter<\/strong>\u201d on your keyboard to run the search.<\/p>\n Scroll down the SERP. Under its PAA and \u201cRelated searches\u201d sections, you\u2019ll find more keywords you might want to add to your brand keyword list.<\/p>\n Note<\/strong>: Apart from \u201cPeople also ask,\u201d the PAA section heading may appear as \u201cMore to ask\u201d or \u201cOthers want to know.\u201d And the \u201cRelated searches\u201d section may have \u201cOther searches\u201d as its heading instead.<\/em><\/p>\n Google Search Console\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0performance reports give an overview of the keywords that have led to your website being shown in search results.<\/p>\n Open Google Search Console and click \u201cSearch results<\/strong>\u201d in the left sidebar to view the \u201cPerformance by Search results\u201d report.<\/p>\n On this report, click the \u201cTotal clicks<\/strong>\u201d report to enable it if it isn\u2019t already.<\/p>\n Then click \u201c+ New<\/strong>\u201d > \u201cQuery\u2026<\/strong>\u201d to create a new filter.<\/p>\n Under \u201cFilter,\u201d change the \u201cQueries containing<\/strong>\u201d setting to \u201cCustom (regex)<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n Leave the filter condition as \u201cMatches regex.\u201d Then enter your branded keywords into the query field. You can separate multiple keywords with a pipe (|).<\/p>\n Finally, click \u201cApply<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n Scroll down to view the branded keywords that have contributed to clicks to your website.<\/p>\n In Google Analytics 4 (GA4), you can view a report of the organic keywords people have used to visit your website. Including branded ones.<\/p>\n Start by\u00a0connecting your website\u2019s GA4 property to your Google Search Console account<\/a>\u00a0if you haven\u2019t already.<\/p>\n Then, in GA4\u2019s sidebar, navigate to \u201cReports<\/strong>\u201d > \u201cRechercher<\/strong>\u00a0Console<\/strong>\u201d > \u201cQueries<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n GA4 will display your website\u2019s organic search query report. Type your brand name into the search bar just above the list of organic keywords, and hit \u201cEnter<\/strong>\u201d on your keyboard.<\/p>\n GA4 will filter the report to display just the organic keywords that contain your brand name.<\/p>\n After identifying your branded keywords, use these nine tips to boost the search traffic you get from them.<\/p>\n Implementing\u00a0on-page SEO<\/a>\u00a0improvements can help your pages rank higher for your branded keywords.<\/p>\n Such improvements include:<\/p>\n And if you aren\u2019t sure which aspects of your pages need work, Semrush\u2019s\u00a0On Page SEO Checker<\/a>\u00a0tool can help.<\/p>\n This tool analyzes how your pages rank for your target keywords compared to your top 10 competitors\u2019 rankings in the SERPs. It then provides suggestions for enhancing your pages to outrank the competition.<\/p>\n Open the On Page SEO Checker and type your domain into it. Then click \u201cGet<\/strong>\u00a0ideas<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n Choose your target location, then click \u201cContinue<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n Next, provide the tool with the webpages you want to improve. Options here include importing your pages automatically, manually, or via a Google Search Console integration.<\/p>\n If you want to specifically optimize the pages not ranking well for your branded keywords, click \u201cOrganic<\/strong>\u00a0Research<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n Click \u201cAdvanced filters<\/strong>\u201d and set up:<\/p>\n Then click \u201c+ Add<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n Finally, click \u201cCollect ideas<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n You\u2019ll see a report with a list of top pages worth optimizing at the bottom. Click the \u201c# ideas<\/strong>\u201d button next to any page to get suggestions for optimizing it.<\/p>\n For the \u201chttps:\/\/www.teeturtle.com\/products\/dad-jokes\u201d page, for example, the tool provides recommendations like:<\/p>\n If updating existing pages to better target your branded keywords isn\u2019t feasible, you could create new pages instead.<\/p>\n Such pages should contain informative content relevant to the branded keyword\u2019s\u00a0search intent<\/a>.<\/p>\n And after you\u2019ve written your content, optimize it for your branded keyword using Semrush\u2019s\u00a0SEO Writing Assistant<\/a>.<\/p>\n Go to the SEO Writing Assistant and click \u201c+ Analyze new text<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n Paste your content into the tool. Add your branded keyword and target audience in the right sidebar, then click \u201cGet recommendations<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n Under the \u201cSEO\u201d section, you\u2019ll see SEO suggestions to take action on, like:<\/p>\n Sitelinks are links Google may display under certain results in the SERPs. These links lead to other pages on the domain.<\/p>\n For example, here are the sitelinks for the homepage of restaurant chain Applebee\u2019s:<\/p>\n Having sitelinks appear for your domain on your branded keywords\u2019 search results:<\/p>\n Thus sending more traffic to you instead of other websites.<\/p>\n Google automatically generates sitelinks based on your website\u2019s structure. There\u2019s no guarantee Google will display sitelinks for your domain, but you can improve your chances using methods like:<\/p>\n Knowledge panels are information boxes that Google displays on SERPs for entities like people and organizations.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the knowledge panel for membership warehouse club Costco, for instance:<\/p>\n Knowledge panels tend to appear for branded keywords consisting of just the brand\u2019s name. Such as \u201cCostco\u201d or \u201cBellroy.\u201d<\/p>\n They also contain a link to the brand\u2019s homepage, which can direct more traffic to its website.<\/p>\n Google automatically generates knowledge panels based on the content it finds online. But you can claim your brand\u2019s knowledge panel and request edits to it.<\/p>\n This way, users Googling you will get the most authoritative facts about your brand\u2014provided by you. Which can also shape their impression of your brand.<\/p>\n To claim your brand\u2019s knowledge panel, Google will first need to verify that you represent it. You\u2019ll be able to submit edits to the knowledge panel after that. To keep it accurate and up to date.<\/p>\n Further reading<\/strong>:\u00a0How to Claim a Google Knowledge Panel<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Online reputation management<\/a>\u00a0is an important part of a branded keyword strategy.<\/p>\n Because people use branding keywords like \u201c[brand name] review\u201d to learn others\u2019 opinions of your brand.<\/p>\n Good reviews can send more website traffic and sales your way.<\/p>\n Bad reviews can have the opposite effect.<\/p>\n Use a local SEO tool like Semrush\u2019s\u00a0Review Management<\/a>\u00a0to monitor reviews about your brand\u2014and respond to them\u2014so you improve your brand\u2019s reputation.<\/p>\n Open the tool and type your business name into it, then click the \u201cRechercher<\/strong>\u201d icon.<\/p>\n Scroll down, click \u201cManage reviews now<\/strong>,\u201d and follow the process for signing up.<\/p>\n Afterward, you\u2019ll see your brand\u2019s reviews on platforms like Yelp and EZlocal in the \u201cReview<\/strong>\u00a0Management<\/strong>\u201d report.<\/p>\n The PAA section is a box on the Google SERPs that contains questions related to the original search term.<\/p>\n For example, here\u2019s the PAA section when you Google \u201cKickstarter\u201d:<\/p>\n Clicking any question in this section will display a short answer:<\/p>\n The answer will also contain a link to the website that provided it. Which users can click to read more.<\/p>\n So, aim to have Google feature your answer\u2014and your website\u2014for your branded keywords\u2019 PAA questions. Just like what crowdfunding platform Kickstarter has managed to do above.<\/p>\n To do this, review the PAA questions that appear when you\u00a0search for your branded keywords<\/a>. Add these questions and their answers in places on your website like:<\/p>\n Further reading<\/strong>:\u00a0How to Maximize \u2018People Also Ask\u2019 SEO Opportunities [Study]<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Maintaining an active social media presence can make it more likely that searchers use your branded keywords.<\/p>\n Because posting regularly on social media can help build brand awareness. And brand authority, if you\u2019re sharing valuable content.<\/p>\n If you find it challenging to engage followers on multiple social media channels at once, try a tool like Semrush\u2019s\u00a0Social Poster<\/a>.<\/p>\n It provides a calendar for viewing your past and upcoming posts on various social platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Google Business Profile.<\/p>\n Branded backlinks are links on other websites that not only direct users to your pages, but also include your brand name in their anchor text.<\/p>\n Just like\u00a0this press release<\/a>\u00a0on PR Newswire, which contains a branded backlink to the Semrush website:<\/p>\n A well-executed branded backlink strategy can increase your brand\u2019s visibility as your brand gets seen by users of other websites. Who may then use your branded keywords to learn more about you.<\/p>\n Plus, the backlink itself can give your website a nice rankings boost.<\/p>\n The focus of branded backlink building is having your brand name included in the link\u2019s anchor text (the clickable text accompanying the link).<\/p>\n So, seek opportunities for\u00a0branded content<\/a>\u00a0collaborations, such as guest blogging, where your collaborator can make your brand name part of the backlink\u2019s anchor text.<\/p>\n You can also check for new mentions of your brand by Googling \u201c[your brand name] -[domain name].\u201d Such as \u201csemrush -semrush.com.\u201d<\/p>\n Doing so will return search results for websites\u2014apart from your own\u2014that mention your brand name:<\/p>\n Sift through the results one by one to find unlinked mentions.<\/p>\n A more efficient and automatic monitoring method is to use Semrush\u2019s\u00a0Brand Monitoring<\/a>\u00a0tool. Which will regularly alert you of new mentions via email.<\/p>\n The tool can also tell you whether a mention links to your website.<\/p>\n When you discover unlinked mentions, reach out to the websites behind them. And ask them to turn the mentions into backlinks.<\/p>\n Further reading<\/strong>:\u00a0How to Get Backlinks: 10 Strategies That Work<\/a><\/em><\/p>\nWhat Can You Learn from Monitoring Your Branded Keywords?<\/h2>\n
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Branded Search vs. Non-Branded Search<\/h2>\n
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How Can You Benefit from Branded Traffic?<\/h2>\n
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How to Identify Branded Keywords<\/h2>\n
1. Use the Semrush Organic Research Tool<\/h3>\n
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2. Use the Semrush Keyword Gap Tool<\/h3>\n
3. Use Google Autocomplete<\/h3>\n
4. Look at the \u2018People Also Ask\u2019 and \u2018Related Searches\u2019 Sections on Google\u2019s Search Engine Results Pages<\/h3>\n
5. View Your Google Search Console Performance Report<\/h3>\n
6. View Your Google Analytics 4 Query Reports<\/h3>\n
Optimizing for Branded Search Traffic<\/h2>\n
1. Audit and Improve Your Current Pages<\/h3>\n
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2. Create New Pages Targeting Your Branded Keywords<\/h3>\n
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3. Optimize for Sitelinks in Search Results<\/h3>\n
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4. Manage Your Brand\u2019s Google Knowledge Panel<\/h3>\n
5. Use Reviews to Manage Reputation Issues<\/h3>\n
6. Answer Questions in \u2018People Also Ask\u2019 Sections<\/h3>\n
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7. Manage Your Brand\u2019s Social Media Channels<\/h3>\n
8. Build Branded Backlinks<\/h3>\n