Imagine you’re hungry and craving pizza. You might search for “best pizza in [your city]” or simply “dominos pizza.” The first search is a non-branded keyword, while the second is a branded keyword.
Understanding the difference between these two types of keywords is crucial for businesses of all sizes.
In this guide, we’ll compare branded vs. non-branded keywords, their importance in SEO, and how to optimize your content for each.
In This Article
- What Are Branded Keywords?
- Why Are Branded Keywords Important for SEO?
- What Are Non-Branded Keywords?
- Why Are Non-Branded Keywords Important for SEO?
- The Differences: Branded vs. Non-Branded Keywords
- Branded vs. Non-Branded Searches: Which Is Better for SEO?
- Next Steps: Optimizing Content for Branded & Non-Branded Searches
- Final Thoughts
What Are Branded Keywords?
Branded keywords are search terms that include your brand name or a product or service specific to your brand. These searches are directly related to your business.
Examples of Branded Keywords:
- Apple: “apple watch”, “ipad,” “iphone 16”
- Nike: “nike shoes for men,” “nike jacket,” “air force 1”
- Pizza Hut: “pizza hut near me,” “pizza hut delivery,” “pizza hut menu”
Branded keywords are often used by customers who are already familiar with your products or services. And even if they’re a first-time customer, at a minimum, they know who you are.
Because of this, branded keywords are tied directly to your brand identity.
Why Are Branded Keywords Important for SEO?
Branded keywords are essential for a strong online presence. When users search for your brand name, products, or services, it’s critical your website is the top result.
Here are some benefits of branded searches for SEO:
- Enhanced Brand Visibility: Ranking for branded keywords ensures that existing and potential customers can find your website. It can also promote brand awareness and help you reach a new customer base.
- Higher Conversion Rates: Users searching for your brand name are highly likely to be interested in your products or services. This targeted traffic can lead to higher conversion rates and customer loyalty.
- Improved Brand Reputation: Monitoring and optimizing for branded keywords allows you to proactively manage your brand’s online reputation. By addressing negative sentiment or misinformation, you can protect your brand’s image.
- Outcompete Competitors: By dominating search results for branded keywords, you can reduce competitors’ visibility and strengthen your market position.
What Are Non-Branded Keywords?
Non-branded keywords are generic search terms people use to find information, products, or services.
Unlike branded keywords, they do not include any brand name or brand-specific product associations.
Examples of Non-Branded Keywords:
- Tech: “16 inch laptop,” “foldable cell phone,” “desktop computer”
- Apparel: “gold sandals for women,” “magenta sport jacket,” “running shoes”
- Food: “pizza near me,” “pizza delivery,” “fast food pizza”
Non-branded searches focus on the product or service itself instead of who provides it.
Why Are Non-Branded Keywords Important for SEO?
Non-branded keywords are important for attracting new customers and expanding your online reach.
By targeting relevant non-branded keywords, you can:
- Attract a Wider Audience: Non-branded keywords can help you reach a broader audience who may not be familiar with your brand but are actively searching for products or services you offer.
- Generate More Organic Traffic: By ranking for high-volume non-branded keywords, you can significantly increase your website’s organic traffic.
- Improve Brand Visibility: Ranking in non-branded searches can enhance your brand’s visibility in your niche.
- Drive Lead Generation: Non-branded keywords can attract potential customers who are actively seeking solutions to their problems.
The Differences: Branded vs. Non-Branded Keywords
Here’s a quick comparison chart of branded vs. non-branded keywords:
| Feature | Branded Keywords | Non-Branded Keywords |
|---|---|---|
| Search Intent | Users are actively seeking your brand or specific products/services. | Users are looking for general information or solutions to a problem. |
| Competition | Generally lower competition, as users are directly searching for your brand. | Often higher competition, as multiple brands and businesses are vying for the same keywords. |
| Conversion Rate | Higher conversion rates, as users are already familiar with your brand and actively seeking you out. | Conversion rates can vary depending on the specific keyword and your website’s relevance. |
Branded vs. Non-Branded Searches: Which Is Better for SEO?
The debate between branded and non-branded traffic comes down to balancing brand recognition with attracting new customers.
While branded keywords can drive targeted traffic and boost conversion rates, non-branded keywords have the potential to reach a wider audience and drive organic growth.
Ultimately, a successful SEO strategy should incorporate both branded and non-branded keywords to maximize results.
Next Steps: Optimizing Content for Branded & Non-Branded Searches
Whether you’re targeting branded or non-branded keywords, all content optimizations follow a similar process.
To get started, you’ll want to perform keyword research.
Keyword research will help you discover the words and phrases your target audience uses to find information online.
As for which tool to use, LowFruits is one of the best SEO keyword research tools for small business owners.
LowFruits enables users to find easy keywords with high-ranking potential.
It uses exclusive metrics to help you prioritize which non-branded keywords to target in your content, such as:
- SERP Difficulty Score (SD): The LowFruits metric for keyword difficulty. It uses a scale of 1 to 3, with 1 being the easiest to rank for.
- Weak Spots: Each Weak Spot represents a low-authority domain ranking in the top 10 search results. The more Weak Spots there are for a keyword, the easier it will be to rank high in search results for that term.
While LowFruits focuses mostly on non-branded keywords, the good news is that it’s super easy to create a list of branded queries from your findings.
After all, a branded search simply includes your brand name in the keyword, so you can just add that to any keywords you wish to target.
After performing keyword research, you’ll want to investigate the search intent for your chosen keyword.
Search intent is what motivates a user to perform an online search.
Branded searches often reflect a commercial or transactional intent, meaning users are looking to buy. They can also have navigational intent, meaning users are trying to reach your website.
Non-branded searches, on the other hand, reflect buying or informational intent. The latter means users are looking to gather information about a specific topic, product, or service.
Understanding search intent is critical for your next step, which is content creation.
Specific content types best serve different search intents.
Take a branded keyword with transactional intent, for example. (Let’s say, “cartier love ring.”)
This type of query would align well with either:
- A product listing page (PLP) that shows the different Cartier LOVE ring models.
- A product detail page (PDP) of the most popular Cartier LOVE ring. (Shown below.)
Both pages allow users to find and purchase the product they’re looking for, boosting your website’s conversions.
Let’s look at another example.
This time, we’ll use a non-branded keyword with informational intent, “local seo for small businesses.”
This non-branded query leads us to the following article on our blog: How to Do Local SEO for Small Businesses.
This blog post provides a tutorial on a specific process since the user wants to learn how to do local SEO.
Finally, once you’ve settled on the most appropriate content type, you’ll optimize it using standard SEO best practices.
Some of the most critical include:
- Using your focus keyword in the H1, subheadings, URL slug, and metadata
- Optimizing images for search engines (image SEO)
- Including relevant internal links
- Acquiring backlinks from authoritative websites
Ultimately, optimizing for non-branded and branded keywords is very similar.
The biggest difference is to choose the correct content type for that keyword’s search intent. Then, align your content to serve the user’s needs.
Here are some additional resources for the content creation process:
- How to Improve Your Organic Clickthrough Rate
- How to Come Up With Content Ideas
- Keyword Research for Small Business Owners [Easy SEO Guide]
- Content Optimization in SEO [Easy Beginner’s Guide]
Final Thoughts
Understanding the nuances between branded and non-branded keywords is essential for SEO.
By leveraging both keyword types, you can attract a wider audience, enhance brand awareness, and drive your business’s growth.
Remember, a well-balanced keyword strategy is key.
Branded terms can drive targeted traffic with high conversion rates, and non-branded terms can help you attract new customers.
Together, they’re a powerful recipe for online success.
