As a business owner, utilizing Google Insights is key. Now more than ever before is data key to your business success. Google has a toolkit to choose from to gain plenty of business-driving data from, Google Insights is one of those data products to get to know. And now, Google Insights has even given us more data metrics to look at.
Let’s talk about Google Insight’s Branded Search.
What it is Branded Search?
Branded Search is a new metric being displayed in Google Business Profile (GBP) insights. This metric complements the current Direct vs. Discovery data and displays the volume of searches your business has received from Branded searches.
Originally GBP (Google Business Profile) insights would provide you with 2 key pieces of information regarding your total Searches:
Direct: Customers who find your listing searching for your business NAME or ADDRESS.
and
Discovery: Customers who find your listing searching for a CATEGORY, PRODUCT or SERVICE.
But with Google’s latest update, we now have a third piece of information, Branded.
Branded: Customers who find your listing searching for a BRAND related to your business.
Where is it?
This metrics is located within Google Business Profile insights. Login to your GBP listing and select “insights” on the left.
When will you see it?
Given your business has enough brand search volume to calculate this metric should be available within Google insights right now.
It means your business listing can now be tracked for the number of visits that branded searches produces. Those branded searches may be triggered by branded products, services or type of business you run.
For example: Let’s say someone does a search for ‘Samsung TVs near me’, and your business offers that brand of tv. This means that your location has a high possibility of populating the search results.
Another great example would be if you run a coffee shop that offers Starbucks branded coffee (and its publicly listed on your website/listing). Whenever someone runs a search for ‘Starbucks’, your listing will have a high possibility of populating the search results.
Here is an example of how Google Defines ‘Branded Searches’:
“Branded searches: A customer searched for a brand related to your business (e.g. a customer looking for fast food searched for “McDonald’s” and found your fast food restaurant listing). This category will only appear if your listing has appeared at least once for a branded search.” – Google
How does this affect my business?
Branded Search volume should give you an idea of who you’re competing against in local rankings. Your marketing team can assist with understanding how you’re being found and how you can improve your results.
Transparent information like this is vital for the healthy growth of a business.
So don’t forget to review your Direct, Discovery and Branded searches.
Read more? Search engine land has some insight on this new addition HERE, you can also read more about this metric in the Google Business Profile Help section.