When someone types your company name, a product name or a web address into a search box, they are using search as a shortcut. These are also called navigational or branded searches. They signal awareness, and they usually convert well, because the searcher already knows who you are.
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Why they matter
Growth in direct and branded searches is a useful sign that people are hearing about you elsewhere, through content, communities, referrals or ads. It is hard to cause directly, but easy to measure in Search Console by filtering queries that contain your brand.
Making the most of them
- Make sure your site holds the top result for your brand
- Check your brand results page for the profiles and reviews people see
- Use sitelinks and clear page titles so navigation is easy
- Report branded and non-branded traffic separately
Common mistakes
Counting branded clicks as SEO growth
Brand searches reflect awareness built elsewhere, so mixing them in flatters content results.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Direct traffic in analytics means visits with no referrer, such as typed URLs. Direct search is a search engine query for a known destination.
Keep reading
- Branded Keywords: Branded keywords are searches that include a company or product name, such as “Acme pricing”. They signal strong intent and need their own tracking.
- Brand SERP: A brand SERP is the results page people see when they search your company or product name. For a SaaS company it is often the last page a buyer checks before booking a demo.
- Direct traffic: Direct traffic is visits analytics cannot attribute to any source. It includes typed URLs and bookmarks, plus many visits whose referrer was lost.
- Navigational Intent: Navigational intent is when a searcher wants to reach a specific site or page, such as typing a brand name or “[product] login” instead of entering the URL.
- Alternative Keywords: “Alternative” keywords are searches like “Mailchimp alternatives” from people looking to replace a product. They often signal dissatisfaction and high intent.
- Best Keywords: “Best” keywords are searches like “best CRM for startups” where buyers want a ranked shortlist. Results are usually roundups from publishers and review sites.
- Click-Through Rate: Click-through rate is clicks divided by impressions: the share of times your result was shown that someone clicked it. Position and SERP layout drive it heavily.
- Commercial Intent: Commercial intent marks searches made by people researching a purchase, such as comparisons and “best” lists. For SaaS, they are often the most valuable.
