Google’s New Branded vs Non-Branded Queries Filter: What It Really Means For Your SEO
Google Just Added a Branded Queries Filter: Here’s How to Actually Use It
Google Search Console is rolling out a new branded vs non-branded queries filter, and it’s more useful than it looks at first glance.
For the first time, you can see exactly how much of your search traffic comes from people who already know your brand versus people discovering you for the first time.
You’ll also start to see new Insights cards that show branded vs non-branded clicks at a glance. Some accounts will get this sooner than others, so don’t panic if it hasn’t appeared in your Search Console yet.
What exactly changed inside Search Console?
Previously, if you wanted to separate branded and non-branded queries, you had to hack around it with complex filters, regex, or exports to tools like Looker Studio. It worked, but it was messy and easy to break.
With this update, Google is doing the heavy lifting for you:
- You can toggle Branded vs Non-branded directly inside the Performance report.
- Search Console classifies which queries are brand-related for you.
- A new Insights view shows branded vs non-branded clicks so you spot trends without digging.
Think of it as a built-in lens on your data instead of yet another spreadsheet workaround.
Branded vs non-branded: what those buckets really mean
Branded queries
These are searches that include your brand name or very close variations of it. For example:
- yourbrand
- yourbrand login
- yourbrand pricing
- yourbrand reviews
They tell you:
- How strong your brand awareness is.
- How often people come back to you intentionally.
- How other marketing channels (social, email, offline) are feeding search.
Non-branded queries
These are generic or problem-based searches where your brand name is not included. For example:
- best crm for small business
- how to fix slow wordpress site
- local seo consultant near me
They tell you:
- How effective your SEO really is at capturing demand.
- How well your content matches user intent.
- Where your growth ceiling is in organic search.
Why this split matters more than it seems
On paper, your site might look healthy: rankings are strong, impressions are up, and Search Console graphs trend upward. But here’s the catch: if most of that is branded traffic, you’re not necessarily growing. You’re just measuring how many people already know you.
1. Branded queries show your real brand strength
Branded traffic is a reflection of everything working together: your product, marketing, sales, email, social, PR, word of mouth. When branded queries go up, people are literally typing your name into Google more often.
That means:
- Your brand is sticking in people’s heads.
- Offline campaigns might be doing more than your dashboards show.
- Customers feel confident enough to seek you out again.
If branded searches are flat or declining, that’s a signal to look at positioning, messaging, and retention, not just SEO titles and meta descriptions.
2. Non-branded queries show your true SEO growth
Non-branded traffic is where you see whether your SEO strategy is actually working to attract new people. This is where content, topical authority, internal links, and technical hygiene pay off.
When non-branded clicks grow, it usually means:
- You’re matching the language your audience actually uses.
- You’re ranking for pain-point and solution keywords, not just vanity terms.
- Your site is becoming a trusted resource in your niche.
If your non-branded traffic is flat while branded rises, your brand is carrying your search performance. That’s flattering, but risky.
3. It explains “great rankings, no traffic” problems
Most marketers have seen this pattern:
- Your report shows lots of high positions.
- Everyone is happy with the ranking chart.
- But actual traffic and leads barely move.
The new filter helps uncover what’s really going on:
- You might rank for low-volume or irrelevant terms.
- Your best rankings might be mostly branded queries.
- Your non-branded footprint might be weaker than it looks.
4. You get a clear read on how well your SEO is working
Instead of one blended performance number, you now get two very honest ones:
| Metric | Branded | Non-branded |
|---|---|---|
| What it measures | Brand recognition and direct demand | Organic discovery and new demand |
| Main driver | Brand, reputation, referrals, other channels | SEO strategy, content, technical performance |
| Risk if low | Weak brand loyalty and recall | No real organic growth, over-reliance on brand |
| Big opportunity | Improve positioning and nurture existing audiences | Own more problem-based searches and broader topics |
How to start using the branded vs non-branded filter
Once the filter appears in your account, here’s a simple, practical way to use it in your weekly or monthly reporting.
Step 1: Get your baseline
- Open the Performance report in Search Console.
- Set your date range to the last 3–6 months.
- Toggle between Branded and Non-branded views.
Pay attention to:
- The percentage split of clicks and impressions.
- Which queries drive most branded traffic.
- Which non-branded queries actually lead to clicks, not just impressions.
Step 2: Read the branded / non-branded mix
Roughly speaking, here’s how to interpret the mix:
| Scenario | What it usually means | What to focus on |
|---|---|---|
| Branded heavy (70%+) | Strong brand, weaker discoverability outside your name. | More non-branded content, broader topics, pain-point keywords. |
| Balanced (40–60% each) | Healthy mix of brand demand and organic discovery. | Double down on what’s working; refine high-intent queries. |
| Non-branded heavy (70%+) | SEO is working, but brand might be invisible or generic. | Brand building, clearer positioning, consistent naming. |
Step 3: Map queries to your funnel
Don’t just look at volume. Map queries against buying intent:
- Top of funnel: educational searches, “how to…”, “what is…”.
- Middle of funnel: solution searches, “best…”, “tools for…”, “software to…”.
- Bottom of funnel: brand + pricing, “reviews”, “alternatives”, “vs” queries.
Both branded and non-branded queries exist at each stage. This filter lets you see which part of the funnel is pushed by your brand and which part is driven by your SEO.
Step 4: Adjust your content strategy
Once you understand the split, decide what you want to shift:
- If non-branded is weak, create more content targeting the problems your audience is actually typing into Google.
- If branded is weak, tighten your messaging and make your brand easier to remember and spell.
- If one side is over-reliant on a few queries, diversify so one keyword or page doesn’t control your traffic.
How this helps you report SEO more honestly
This isn’t just a reporting toy. It’s a way to make your SEO updates actually mean something in a meeting.
Old way
- “Traffic is up 20%” without context.
- Blended rankings that hide what’s branded and what’s not.
- SEO gets credit for growth driven by brand campaigns.
- Hard to explain why conversions don’t match impressions.
New way
- “Non-branded clicks are up 18% in high-intent queries.”
- Clear split between demand for your name vs your category.
- SEO is judged on the part it actually controls.
- Stakeholders see how brand and SEO lift each other.
What about the new Insights cards?
Alongside the filter, Google is surfacing new Insights cards that highlight branded vs non-branded performance so you can spot trends without digging into every report.
These at-a-glance views help you quickly answer questions like:
- Is that traffic spike from a campaign that boosted branded searches?
- Did a new content cluster increase non-branded discovery?
- Is a drop limited to branded queries (e.g., seasonality) or across the board?
What if you don’t see the filter yet?
Some accounts will see this roll out slowly. That’s normal for Google. It doesn’t mean:
- Your site is too small.
- You did something wrong.
- You missed a setting somewhere.
Keep an eye on your Search Console over the coming days and weeks. The update will simply appear once your account is included in the rollout.
Quick implementation checklist
- Open Search Console and note when the branded/non-branded filter appears.
- Pull a 3–6 month view and record your current branded vs non-branded split.
- Identify top branded queries and check if your key pages match that intent.
- Identify top non-branded queries and group them by funnel stage and topic.
- Spot gaps: missing topics, missing formats, or intent you’re not serving.
- Update your SEO roadmap to explicitly target more non-branded demand.
- Report progress monthly with separate branded and non-branded graphs.
Need help reading the data or turning it into a plan?
This update is simple on the surface but powerful when you actually use it well. Interpreting the split correctly can change how you prioritize content, how you justify SEO spend, and how you talk about results with your team or clients.
If you’re staring at the new branded vs non-branded numbers and wondering what to do next, that’s exactly where I can help.
Let’s go through your Search Console data together
We’ll walk through your branded vs non-branded performance, figure out what’s really driving your traffic, and turn it into a practical SEO game plan you can execute.
Some accounts will see this branded vs non-branded filter and the new Insight cards roll out gradually. If you don’t see it yet, keep checking – it will arrive in waves.
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