Branded keywords are searches that contain a specific brand or product name: your own, like “[your product] login” or “[your product] pricing”, or a competitor's, like “[competitor] alternatives”. Searches for your own brand show existing awareness, while searches naming competitors are often made by buyers who are actively comparing. Both deserve deliberate pages, and both should be reported separately from non-branded search.
Your own branded searches
People searching for your brand already know you. They want to log in, check pricing, read documentation, compare you with a rival or check reviews. You will usually rank first for your own name, but that does not mean you control the results page: review sites, competitors' comparison pages and forum threads can all appear for searches like “[your brand] reviews” or “[your brand] vs [competitor]”.
- [brand] pricing
- [brand] reviews
- [brand] vs [competitor]
- [brand] alternatives
- [brand] + [integration]
- [brand] + [feature] or “how to [task] in [brand]”
Competitor branded searches
Searches that name a competitor are some of the most valuable in B2B SaaS. Someone typing “[competitor] alternatives” or “[competitor] vs [another competitor]” is evaluating options. Well-made comparison and alternatives pages can earn a place in these results, provided they are fair and accurate about the competitor.
Separate branded from non-branded in reporting
Branded traffic mostly reflects demand created elsewhere: sales, word of mouth, ads, events. Non-branded traffic is the better measure of what SEO is adding. Mixing them can hide a decline in non-branded performance behind brand growth, or make SEO look responsible for growth it did not cause.
Search Console lets you filter queries with a regular expression, which makes it straightforward to split brand and non-brand. Include common misspellings of your name in the filter. Google has also added a branded query filter in some Search Console accounts; check whether yours has it.
Search Console > Performance > Add filter > Query > Custom (regex)
Matches regex: acme|akme|acmehqExample
A review site outranking the vendor
A made-up project tool, Tasklane, notices that for “Tasklane pricing” a review site ranks above its own pricing page, with an outdated plan list.
Tasklane makes its pricing page explicit and crawlable, with plan names and what each includes in plain text, and adds a page for “Tasklane vs [its main rival]”. The aim is that buyers who search the brand see accurate information from the source.
Common mistakes
Reporting SEO success on branded traffic
Brand searches rise with marketing and sales activity. Crediting them to SEO overstates its impact and hides what non-branded search is doing.
Leaving brand modifiers to third parties
If you have no page for “[brand] vs [competitor]” or “[brand] pricing”, someone else will answer that search for you.
Unfair competitor pages
Comparison pages with inaccurate claims about a competitor hurt trust and can create legal risk. Keep claims checkable and dated.
Questions
Writing honest comparison and alternatives pages that mention competitors is common practice. Keep claims accurate and avoid implying an affiliation. For paid search, trademark rules are separate and stricter.
Because the rest of the results page shapes what buyers read. Reviews, comparisons and AI answers about your brand appear alongside your listing.
