Branded keywords

There are branded and non branded keywords used by every business to be found. But what is the difference between branded and non branded keywords? You can almost guess by the name. Keywords that are branded contain your company name. Here you can think of branded keywords from the webshop Zalando, for example:

• Zalando shoes
• Zalando vrouwen  
• Or just the keyword "Zalando"

Misspelled keywords are also counted under branded keywords. So Zallando, Zolando and Zolanda also count. Branded keywords are mainly used by companies that already have brand recognition and a high buying intent among visitors.

Tip: Start a Google Ads campaign focused on branded keywords. This will ensure that you show up at the top of your company's search results instead of a competitor. The cost per click(CPC) is often low because the ad is relevant and the quality score is high. Be sure to differentiate between non-branded and branded Google Ads campaigns. That way you can easily track where the visitor comes from. Give both campaigns their own budgets as well, since the costs can differ a lot from each other.

Non-branded keywords  

On the other side you have nonbranded keywords, keywords that are about products and services. This does not include your company name. Examples of non branded keywords are:

• Heels
• Women's sneakers
• Red dress
• Keymaker

On non-branded keywords, competition is higher because there can be a huge number of companies that want to be number one on that keyword. For example, not only Zalando, but also Snipes, Omoda and Ziengs want to be at the top for the keyword women's sneakers. It is smartest to focus on non-branded keywords. This will allow you to reach a newer target group and increase your company's brand awareness. This is especially true for smaller companies that are not yet extremely well known. Branded keywords should also be used with small companies but have a lower search volume than non-branded keywords.