What Is Non-Branded Search?
Non-branded search refers to any Google query that does not include the name of a specific company, product, or service. Queries such as "digital marketing agency Pretoria", "best car insurance South Africa", or "how to register a company" are all non-branded. The searcher has a need or question but has not yet settled on a particular brand to fulfil it.
These queries represent the vast majority of search volume for most industries and are the primary mechanism through which businesses acquire new customers through organic search. Unlike branded queries where you are simply being found by people who already know you, non-branded queries put you in front of potential customers who may have never heard of your brand. Winning these searches grows your market share rather than simply recapturing existing demand.
Non-branded traffic tends to convert at lower rates than branded traffic because the searcher is still in the consideration phase and has not yet developed a preference. However, the volume potential is far greater. A well-executed non-branded SEO strategy can deliver a continuous pipeline of new prospects who discover your brand through organic search and enter your funnel for the first time.
Separating branded and non-branded traffic in your reporting is important for understanding the true return on your SEO investment. When filtered for non-branded keywords in Google Search Console, you get a clearer picture of how well your content is reaching audiences who do not already know you, and you can compare this against your branded search trend to see how organic discovery is contributing to overall brand growth over time.
Non-Branded Search In Practice
A Durban accounting firm wants to grow their client base beyond referrals. Their existing website only ranks for branded queries containing their firm name. Their SEO partner conducts keyword research and identifies that several thousand South Africans search for terms such as "tax consultant Durban", "accounting firm for small business", and "SARS submission help" every month. None of these queries mention the firm by name.
Over six months, new service pages and blog content targeting these non-branded queries are created. The firm begins ranking on the first page for several of these terms. Monthly non-branded organic sessions grow from near zero to over 600. Of these, 4% submit an enquiry form, compared to 11% for branded visitors. While the conversion rate is lower, the volume is new: these are prospective clients who would never have found the firm without non-branded SEO, and many subsequently become long-term clients. The firm attributes three significant new retainer clients directly to non-branded organic discovery within the first campaign year.
What non-branded search is
Non-branded search refers to searches that do not include a specific brand's name, queries for a product, service, problem or topic in general terms, as opposed to branded searches where the searcher types a particular brand or business name. For example, searching plumber in Pretoria or how to fix a leaking tap is non-branded (the searcher is looking for a solution, not a specific company), whereas searching for a named plumbing business is branded. The distinction matters because the two behave very differently. Branded searches come from people who already know the brand and are seeking it specifically, so they convert highly but their volume is capped by how many people know the brand. Non-branded searches come from people who do not (yet) know your brand but are looking for what you offer, so they represent the large pool of potential new customers who could discover you, but they convert at a lower rate because the searcher is earlier in their journey, comparing options rather than seeking you specifically. Non-branded search is where most SEO growth opportunity lies, because ranking for the general terms your potential customers search, without them needing to know your name, is how a business reaches new audiences beyond those already aware of it. Understanding non-branded search matters because it is the route to acquiring customers who do not yet know the brand, and growing non-branded visibility is central to expanding a business's reach through search.
Growing non-branded search traffic
Growing non-branded search traffic is largely what SEO is for: ranking for the general, non-brand terms that potential customers search when they are looking for what you offer but do not know your business. Doing this means understanding the non-branded queries relevant to your business, the products, services, problems and questions your potential customers search in general terms, and creating and optimising content that ranks for them: service and product pages targeting the terms people use, and informative content answering the questions they ask, so your business appears when people search the category rather than the brand. This includes both commercial queries (people looking to buy or hire, targeted by well-optimised service and product pages) and informational queries (people researching or with a problem, targeted by helpful content that introduces them to your brand). Because non-branded searchers do not know you, ranking well, building the content, authority and technical foundations to appear prominently for competitive general terms, is what gets you discovered, and this is a longer-term effort, since ranking for valuable non-branded terms takes sustained SEO work. As non-branded visibility grows and more new people discover the brand through it, branded search often grows too, since discovery leads more people to later search the brand by name, so the two reinforce each other over time. For a South African business, deliberately targeting the non-branded terms its potential customers search, through optimised commercial pages and helpful informational content, is the way to reach beyond the audience that already knows it and acquire new customers through search, which is why growing non-branded search is a central SEO goal.
FAQ
Why does non-branded search traffic convert at a lower rate than branded?
Non-branded searchers are earlier in the buying journey and have not yet decided on a brand. They require more persuasion through strong landing pages, clear value propositions, and trust signals like reviews and case studies. Converting them well requires matching content precisely to their search intent.
How do I grow non-branded search traffic for my South African business?
Focus on keyword research targeting informational and transactional queries relevant to your services. Create well-structured, thorough content that answers those queries better than competitors. Build backlinks and improve technical SEO to increase your authority for generic category terms over time.
How do you grow non-branded search traffic for a South African business?
By understanding the general, non-brand terms your potential customers search, and creating and optimising content to rank for them: service and product pages targeting commercial queries, and helpful content answering informational questions. Building the content, authority and technical foundations to rank for competitive non-branded terms gets you discovered by people who do not know your brand. It is a longer-term SEO effort that also lifts branded search over time.