I’ve been seeing a lot of people on this forum sharing posts about big increases in organic traffic, showing impressive growth numbers for their clients. But when I take a closer look, a lot of it comes from branded search terms. Sometimes it’s even something like ‘[brand] login’, which really shouldn’t be counted as a win. Why do people still consider branded search as an SEO success, when things like social media campaigns actually seem to bring more brand awareness and interest?
RBT - Return Branded Terms
RBT = an SEO win.
What exactly are Return Branded Terms (RBT)?
An RBT is a search that includes your brand name with a more general term.
For example, ranking first for Bicycles is an SEO win.
But ranking for ‘Benzino’s Bicycles’ isn’t as much of a win.
That said, increasing searches for ‘Benzino’s bicycles’ is an SEO win and a helpful metric to track.
@frank
I like this perspective, thanks for sharing!
Mitchel said:
@frank
I like this perspective, thanks for sharing!
Here’s an image that might clarify this a bit more: https://placehold.co/600x400.png
This is definitely a big issue I see often in the SEO community. So many posts show how traffic grew, but a lot of it is just branded search. It feels a bit misleading. Sure, your client may have spent money on ads and PR, which boosted brand awareness, but that’s not real SEO success.
My take on SEO success? It should really be about non-branded traffic growth. Can you rank for competitive terms that bring in new people who weren’t already looking for you? That’s where the true value lies. Branded searches are going to happen anyway, so calling them ‘SEO wins’ is a bit like taking credit for the sun rising every day.
I always tell my clients to focus on things like:
- Year-over-year growth in non-branded traffic
- Ranking for competitive commercial terms
- Conversion rates from organic traffic
- Comparing share of voice for non-branded terms against competitors
Social media is a big player in brand growth, and SEOs should stop trying to take all the credit for it. Instead, we should focus on growing the brand by acquiring new customers, not just on the momentum that comes with a well-known name.
@Brad
Exactly! This is exactly why we created RBT.
I don’t think branded search should count as a win. If you’re not dominating for your own brand, something is definitely off.
If you can’t rank for your own brand, you’re doing something very wrong.
Blog said:
If you can’t rank for your own brand, you’re doing something very wrong.
Not always the case. What if there are multiple sites competing for the same brand name?
Blog said:
If you can’t rank for your own brand, you’re doing something very wrong.
Not always the case. What if there are multiple sites competing for the same brand name?
Why would anyone do that?
@georgefathom
Page one domination all the way.
It really depends on the company. I’m not impressed if a huge brand like Nike ranks for ‘Nike’, but I’m definitely impressed if a smaller company like a crypto exchange ranks for ‘crypto’. Nike is easy to rank for since it’s a brand name, while crypto is a very competitive, general term.
We work with several restaurant chains, and they don’t appear for around 60% of their branded long-tail queries.
They show up for their brand name, menu, locations, and a few other terms, but they’re not putting effort into appearing for things like specific food questions, holidays, or promotions.
I did some research using tools like GSC and SEMRush, and found hundreds of search terms people are using to find the brand. But when I do a site search, there’s barely any content on their website to answer those queries.
It feels like a missed opportunity to capture traffic that could be going to other sites, and we could also use remarketing to bring those users back later.
It seems like ignoring brand search can be a lazy approach if marketers don’t track what’s actually driving value beyond just the last click.
I don’t think it’s a win either.
It’s all about attention. That’s the point of this whole thing, right? I’m not saying I agree, but getting eyeballs is a win. If someone searches for a brand name, it means they’re interested, and that keeps them from going to the competition.
This might be off-topic, but if you add a ‘login’ term, those are navigational queries, not exactly branded searches. Still, any increase in brand-related searches is a win, in my opinion. As a business owner, brand recognition and awareness are what matter most, even beyond SEO.
Nope, doesn’t count as a win.
Brand search traffic is usually tied to paid ads or social media, but there are cases where brands don’t rank for important brand-related searches. Things like reviews, questions about their brand, etc., might be dominated by third-party sites. This is why it’s important for brands to own their search results. It’s not just about capturing traffic; it’s about protecting your reputation and outranking misinformation. So, while brand traffic might be driven by paid or social, improving your rankings for branded terms is definitely a win.
I’ve heard a lot about blogs and affiliate sites dropping in search rankings recently. If Google is prioritizing real businesses with products over affiliate sites, it makes sense to focus on growing brand awareness for SEO. That’s why I see growing brand traffic as a win for SEOs. It might not be your main job, but it definitely helps improve your organic rankings. Interested to hear other opinions on this.
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