What Are Branded Keywords?
A branded keyword is a keyword that contains the name of a brand, product, or business.
The keyword could contain the brand name as a whole or in part. For example, Rank Math. It could also contain the brand name alongside some extra words, for example, Rank Math SEO plugin.
Branded keywords are often navigational keywords, though they could also be informational. They are typically used by visitors looking to access the brand’s website. Google typically returns the brand’s website in such cases.
For example, when you search for Coca-Cola, Google returns Coca-Cola’s websites:
Branded keywords usually have high conversion rates and generate the most sales. In many cases, keywords are used by visitors searching for your business.
Examples of Branded Keywords
Apple, Excel, and Adidas sneakers are examples of branded keywords. Long-tail keywords like “best smartwatches by Apple” and comparative keywords like “Nike vs. Adidas” are also branded keywords.
Commonly misspelled keywords like Googe, Micorosft, and Utube are also considered branded keywords.
As you can see, the keywords could be the brand name, as in “Apple.” They could also be the product’s name, as in “Excel,” or the brand or product name with some other generic keyword, as in “Adidas sneakers.”
Why Are Branded Keywords Important?
Branded keywords typically indicate a high search intent. Visitors who search for your product or service with a branded keyword already know about you and are considering using your product or service or may even use it already.
These searchers have likely interacted with your content and may have visited your site and homepage. They have some knowledge of your site and product and may be interested in becoming customers.
This makes branded keywords important for bringing prospective users into your sales funnel. For those who already use it, they are great for keeping them in and providing them with helpful resources that allow them to use your product and service.
Benefits of Branded Keywords
Branded keywords offer several advantages over generic keywords. Brands can use them to gain leverage over the competition. Competitors may also take advantage of a brand’s keywords and use it to improve their own market.
1 They Have a Lower Ad Spend
Branded ads are cheaper than generic ads. This makes it easier to advertise to visitors already searching for your brand. However, this also creates a potential drawback, as competitors can cheaply run ads that appear for your branded keywords.
2 They Have Higher Conversion
Branded keywords usually have high conversion rates and generate the most sales. They are typically used by visitors at the bottom of your sales funnel. These visitors are in the decision stage and are likely close to making a purchase or signing up for the service.
3 They Have Less Competition
Branded keywords typically have low keyword difficulty. This makes it easier for sites and businesses to rank for their own branded keyword. You will likely rank for your branded keywords even when you do not optimize your content. However, your competitors could also rank for these keywords, particularly long-tail ones.
How to Find Your Branded Keywords
You can generally find your branded keywords or that of your competitor using dedicated keyword research tools. You may also find them using Google autocomplete.
To do that, head to Google and enter the brand name, but don’t click Enter. You will see the branded keywords, as shown below.
You can enter the wildcard operator before the keyword to see more branded keywords.
You could also include common misspellings to see what branded keywords appear.
Once you are done, you can search for the keywords one by one and scroll to the People also searched for field to see more branded keywords.
