Branded keywords are searches that include your company name or a close variant of it – “Serpwize SEO” or “Serpwize reviews,” for example. They behave completely differently from non-branded keywords and mixing the two in performance reporting hides what is actually happening.
Branded vs Non-Branded: Why It Matters
| Branded keywords | Non-branded keywords | |
|---|---|---|
| Example | “serpwize seo agency” | “seo outsourcing agency” |
| Intent | Already knows you, seeking you specifically | Discovering options, comparing providers |
| Ranking difficulty | Very low – you almost always rank first | Reflects real competitive difficulty |
| What it measures | Existing brand awareness | New customer acquisition potential |
Why Blending Them Skews Reporting
A site with strong brand recognition can show impressive overall click and impression numbers almost entirely from branded search, while non-branded, demand-generating traffic stays flat. Reporting that blends both makes SEO performance look healthier than the acquisition engine actually is.
How to Track Them Separately
Filter Search Console query reports to exclude your brand name and its common variants and misspellings. What remains is your genuine non-branded visibility – the number that actually reflects new-customer discoverability, not existing awareness.
Frequently asked questions
Should I optimise for branded keywords at all?
Yes, defensively – to prevent competitors or third parties from ranking above you for your own name – but it should not be counted as growth in SEO reporting.
What percentage of traffic is normal for branded search?
It varies widely by brand recognition, but a healthy growth-stage SEO program usually sees non-branded traffic growing faster than branded traffic over time.
Do branded keywords count toward domain authority?
Ranking for branded terms does not meaningfully build domain authority, since you are competing against almost no one for your own name.
Serpwize reports branded and non-branded performance separately on every account, so growth is never hidden by brand search. See our SEO outsourcing service.
