Branded vs non-branded search
Branded searches are queries that include your business name; non-branded searches are queries that describe a need without naming you ('plumber near me').
What it is
In Google Search Console — and in most marketing analytics — searches divide into two buckets. Branded queries include your business name in some form ("Acme Plumbing", "Acme Plumbing Tampa", "Acme reviews"). Non-branded queries describe the need without mentioning you ("plumber near me", "tankless water heater repair", "emergency drain cleaning Tampa").
The two have different meanings. Branded queries are almost always people who already know you — past customers, friends-of-customers, people who saw your truck. Non-branded queries are new demand — people who don't know you yet and could just as easily call a competitor. SEO and AEO work primarily moves the non-branded number; word-of-mouth, ads, and offline marketing primarily move the branded number.
Why it matters for your business
If your branded queries are climbing but non-branded are flat, you're getting better at being remembered but no better at being discovered — which usually means marketing is working but SEO isn't. If non-branded queries are climbing but branded is flat, you're getting more discovery clicks but they aren't sticking — which usually means a follow-up or reputation issue. The split tells you where to invest next. Looking at total clicks without the split hides which engine is actually growing.
Example
A landscaper saw total Google clicks climb 20% over six months and called it a win. When they segmented the data, branded clicks were up 60% (driven by happy customers searching their name) and non-branded was actually down 5% — their non-branded keywords had been quietly slipping. The fix was a focused effort on the three highest-intent service pages, not a celebration.
Related
- Related terms: Impressions, CTR, Attribution, How did you find us?