Should my search strategy focus on brand and non-brand?

Unsure whether to focus your search strategy on brand or non-brand, or both? This is a common thought for businesses, as no one wants to put their budget into a strategy that isn’t going to work. The world of search can be complex, but don’t fret; in this blog, I will outline key stats related to search, the difference between search strategies, which search strategy you should focus on, important metrics to track and best practices to ensure success.

So … what is a search strategy? Simply put, it is how a business optimises the online visibility of its digital ads and/or website. Having a successful search strategy provides businesses with an opportunity to drive traffic to their site, boost brand awareness and increase conversions (and ultimately make more sales!). Search strategies typically include both paid (PPC) and unpaid (SEO) approaches to attract customers.

Getting your search strategy right is crucial for the overall success of your business. That’s why knowing whether to focus your search strategy on brand or non-brand or both is crucial. By this I mean your strategy needs to focus on what people are searching for, e.g. whether people are searching for you specifically or for what you offer in general.

If you are looking for support with your search strategy, then get in touch. Our team of search experts are ready to help you boost online visibility and drive conversions.

Statistics on search

• Google processes nearly 9 billion searches everyday
• Google dominates search engine use with over 80% market share
• Google holds around 96% of the mobile search market share
• The first three organic positions for non-branded search earn more than 50% of the total click-throughs. For branded search, the numbers are even higher.
• In 2023, the combination of organic and paid search makes up 80% of all trackable website visits. The current split given my HigherVisibility is 53% organic and 27% paid.
• Search is the #1 driver of traffic to content sites, beating social media by more than 300%
• Almost 70% of all clicks go to the first five organic results
• 46% of product searches begin on Google
• 61% of B2B marketers agree that SEO and organic traffic bring more leads than other marketing approaches.
• Mobile Retail Search Statistics: Large retailers like Argos have already reached a 60% mobile search volume, indicating a shift to mobile-first search behavior.
• Mobile searches are more important than desktop searches, with almost 57% of keywords being mobile phone searches, and mobile is about twice as important as desktop at the keyword level.

Stats on branded and non-branded search strategies

• The average ad budget for Google Search is split 18% branded keywords and 82% non-branded.
• When it comes to Return on Ad Spend, our data shows that branded terms generated 1299% ROAS, while non-branded terms generated 68% ROAS.
• Just over 44% of Google searches are for branded terms.
• In 2018, firms were paying around $1 per click, with approximately one in five clicks converting into a contact. Fast forward to today, and CPC rates have increased tenfold while the contact rate has dropped by roughly 40%.

The difference between branded and non-branded search strategies

Ok, let’s get into the basics. What exactly are branded and non-branded search strategies?

Brand Search Strategy

What your strategy should target: Searches that include your brand name 

Examples of brand searches: ‘’Adidas running shorts’’, ‘’ASOS dress’’, and ‘’Superdrug Lipstick’’

Objective of the strategy: To increase traffic from customers who already know your brand. These are often customers who are ready to convert and aware of the services/products you offer.

When to use a brand search strategy: 

• You have a strong customer base and a popular brand 
• You would like to dominate the SERPs and stand out amongst competitors 
• You are investing in awareness campaigns elsewhere, e.g. influencer social campaigns or TV ads.

Non-Brand Search Strategy

What your strategy should target: Searches that include generic keywords related to your product/service but don’t mention your brand name.

Examples of non-brand searches: ‘’good running shoes for long distance runners’’, ‘’wedding guest dress’’ and ‘’best red lipstick’’.

Objective of the strategy: To increase traffic from customers who don’t know your brand and attract their attention so they explore your brand further. 

When to use a brand search strategy: 

• You are looking to grow your customer base
• You have a new service or product ready to launch 
• You want to increase brand awareness

Why you should focus your search strategy on brand

By implementing a brand search strategy, you can increase conversion rates, improve cost effectiveness, protect your brand space and improve rankings in the SERPS. All of these advantages can help your brand in the short and long term. 

1. Branded search strategies lead to better conversion rates
   As I said previously, by focusing on branded keywords in your search strategy, your approach should focus on users who are already familiar with your brand. These searchers are more likely to convert because they’ve already built some level of trust with your business. Therefore, a brand search strategy is likely to lead to higher conversions than non-brand search strategies. 
2. Branded search strategies are often more cost-efficient
   When it comes to paid search campaigns, branded keywords are often cheaper to bid on compared to non-branded keywords because they generally have lower competition. Because of the lower competition, this means you can see results without having to go over budget. Therefore, you can often experience a better ROI with brand search strategies compared to non-branded search strategies.
   
3. Protect your brand space
   As brand presence grows, so does competition; it is possible that competitors could bid on your brand name in paid search ads. Running a brand search strategy means that you can maintain visibility and dominate your own search results, so your audience is unlikely to get distracted by competitors.
   
4. Improved organic rankings
   A strong branded strategy can help boost your organic rankings. The more people search for your brand name, the more signals it sends to Google, which can ultimately increase your overall SEO performance. 

Ultimately, having a brand search strategy helps enhance your brand reputation, protect your market space and drive more conversions by attracting high-quality leads.  

Why you should focus your search strategy on non-brand

Although a brand search strategy is an effective way to increase conversions, non-brand search strategies help to expand reach and grow your customer base. This can help you fuel long-term growth and compete against your competitors in the space that matters most. Let’s explore some of these advantages even more.

1. Non-branded search strategies help your brand capture new audiences
   Because non-branded search targets users who are looking for solutions and answers but haven’t yet chosen a brand they want to commit to. As said above, examples of non-branded keywords are ‘’good running shoes for long distance runners’’ rather than ‘’Nike running shoes’’. Therefore, by showing up in search results for non-branded terms, you can attract the attention of new potential customers looking for solutions.
2. You can focus on long-term growth
   Branded searches reflect existing demand, whereas non-branded searches help create demand. By consistently appearing in searches for relevant keywords, you build awareness and attract users early in their buying journey. From this, you can build a loyal customer base and maintain consistent conversions.
3. By using this strategy, you can compete with rivals
   Non-branded keywords are where your competitors are also trying to win attention. A strong non-branded strategy helps you go head-to-head with them in front of undecided buyers, giving you the chance to influence decisions.
4. A non-brand focus allows you to increase organic visibility 
   Targeting non-branded terms pushes you to create valuable, search-optimised content that answers questions, solves problems, and builds authority — all of which boost your visibility over time.

In short, non-branded search is how you scale and grow your business. 

Should you focus on both brand and non-brand search strategies?

I would reccomend that you do use both brand and non brand search strategies. By using both you increase your chances for building a high quality, popular and well-rounded digital presence.

As mentioned, a brand search strategy is an effective way to target existing customers or those who are at least aware of your brand. Therefore, these customers are further down the marketing funnel and more likely to make a conversion, as they are already in a position to buy from you. If you are able to bid for branded terms and optimise your site using brand-related SEO, you increase the chances of attracting high-quality leads (e.g. those who are likely to purchase from you!)

However, we shouldn’t disregard non-branded search strategies either. As mentioned throughout this blog, non-branded strategies are great for targeting new customers and expanding reach. These are most likely people who are unaware of your brand but need a service/product that you offer. Over time, using non-brand search strategies can increase your online visibility massively and help you build a loyal, trusted customer base.

By balancing both of the strategies, you get the best of both worlds. You can ensure that you are driving conversions whilst also growing your customer base and business. By targeting customers at both stages of the buyer’s journey, you can satisfy demand while also creating new demand. What’s not to like?

I spoke to our Head of Organic, Jess Atikinson, about her thoughts on whether a search strategy should focus on brand or non-brand: 

Jess Atkinson

Head of Organic

"When developing a search strategy a balanced approach to brand and non-brand is the sweet spot. We know brand is increasingly important for Organic Search, a strong brand can help differentiate your business in the SERPs and highlight trust signals. Non-brand search is crucial for building awareness, and this is so important for smaller brands who don't yet have that brand power. When your strategy is built around both you're instantly considering the full-user journey. It will help you understand how far your search strategy can take you, and where you need to also consider other channels to support growth."

Which search strategy is right for your business?

I know this is the answer no one wants to hear, but it depends. The right search strategy for your business depends on your goals and stage of growth.

If you already have a strong brand presence and want to convert high-intent traffic, a branded search strategy is essential. However, if you’re looking to grow your audience and attract new customers, a non-branded search strategy is key. 

As mentioned just above, if you want to create sustainable growth for your company whilst also driving sales, then balancing both approaches is your best bet. Before you decide which strategy to implement in your business, think about your marketing goals and objectives; make sure these align with your wider business goals. Below are some key questions to help you get thinking about your search strategy. Once you have an idea of what you want to achieve, you can pick the search strategy that aligns best with your goals:

• Do you want to increase brand awareness? 
• Do you want to increase revenue? 
• Do you want to stand out among the competition? 

Once you have chosen your search strategy, it’s vital that you track the success of the strategy. Without knowing how well a strategy is performing, you can’t make data-driven decisions to refine it and improve it. Below, I have broken down some key organic and paid search metrics that you should track when monitoring your search strategies.

Important metrics that you should always track

Organic search metrics

• Traffic: This refers to how many users visit your site from organic (unpaid) search
• Keyword rankings: It is important to understand where your keywords are ranking on the SERPS and aim to improve these rankings.
• Click-through rate (CTR): This refers to the percentage of people who see your site and click on it. By comparing this metric to impression count, you can see how effective your titles and meta descriptions are at engaging the audience.
• Engagement rate: This will tell you how engaging and relevant your site is to your target audience. If you see a low engagement rate, it might be worth trying different techniques to stop users from bouncing so quickly.
• Conversion rate: This is a crucial metric, as it tells you how many organic visits lead to an action (e.g. sale!).
• Page load time: A fast site speed is very important as it is directly related to user behaviour. Research has found that a slow site speed negatively impacts how a user perceives a brand.

Paid search metrics

• Impressions: This is a key indicator of visibility and audience interest.
• Click-through rate (CTR): This is just the same as SEO, but with paid search, a bad CTR can actually impact cost per click so it’s important that you achieve a good CTR.
• Quality score: This refers to Google’s rating of your ad’s relevance and user experience. Therefore, the higher your quality score, the lower cost per click.
• Cost per acquisition: This metric is how much it costs you to get a conversion. When calculating ROI, you need this metric.

Now you know what metrics you should track, it is just as important to know how to successfully implement a search strategy. Below, I have broken down some key best practices that should help you when it comes to nailing your search strategy.

Best practices for search strategies

When creating a strong search strategy, it is important that you follow best practices for both organic and paid search success. Below, I have detailed just a few best practices to help you make the most out of your search strategy:

Organic search best practices

• Master your keyword research: By focusing on search intent and targeting a mix of short-tail and long-tail keywords, you can be sure that your keyword research is accurate and useful.
• Create high-quality content: Write for both users and search engines. Make sure your content is well-written but also relevant is vitial.
• Focus on technical SEO: Technical SEO refers to aspects like site speed, mobile-first design, crawl errors, and so much more. By making sure your technical SEO is on point, you can increase visibility and provide a better user experience.
• Gather lots of good backlinks: Make sure your backlinks are from authoritative sites and try to avoid spammy links. Digital PR is a great way to increase backlinks.

Paid search best practices

• Ensure your campaigns are strong and relevant: In order to do this, you can start by creating ad groups with tailored ads and use negative keywords to filter out irrelevant traffic.
• Write top-class ad copy: Copy should include strong CTAS and keywords.
• Optimise your landing pages: As with SEO, making sure your site speed is fast is important. You should also make sure your landing pages align with ad copy and provide clear CTAS.
• Test, test and test again: Use tracking methods and data to inform your decisions. If something isn’t performing well, try changing it. Experimentation is a great way to ensure success.

Need support with your search strategy? Look no further

Here at Embryo, our award-winning team crafts and curates research-led search strategies that drive results for a range of clients. If you would like our team to create and implement a personalised search strategy for your business, then please get in touch.

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