Branded queries in SEO are searches performed on a search engine that include a brand name. These queries can be limited to the brand name or also include a generic term or product name. It’s common in SEO and online advertising to distinguish between branded and non-branded queries. Branded queries often reflect users’ desire to go directly to the brand’s or retailer’s website, thus providing an alternative to using bookmarks or directly entering the URL. In general, branded queries tend to generate high conversion rates.

Some branded queries include a brand name without necessarily targeting a specific website or retailer, such as “Sony watch.” Conversely, a non-branded query for a generic product often indicates that the user hasn’t yet decided on the website they want to visit. This is why these queries are crucial for attracting potentially undecided prospects. In SEO, brands and websites generally manage to easily rank highly in search results for branded queries that match their name or brand. This observation often fuels the debate about whether a brand should invest in sponsored links such as AdWords to promote itself.

It is interesting to observe the distribution of search engine traffic between branded and generic queries on clothing retail websites in order to better understand user behavior and adapt SEO strategies accordingly.