Separating branded from non-branded queries is one of the most important steps in SEO analysis. Branded queries (people searching for your company name) behave very differently from non-branded queries (people discovering you through topic-based searches). Mixing them together distorts your CTR, position, and traffic trend data.
What Are Branded vs Non-Branded Queries?
Branded queries include your brand name, product names, or close variations. Users searching these terms already know your brand — they're looking for you specifically. Examples: "sequel app", "sequel analytics", "sequel.sh".
Non-branded queries are all other searches — topic-based, problem-based, or competitor-based. These represent organic discovery: users finding you without prior brand awareness. Examples: "sql analytics tool", "how to query google analytics".
Why This Separation Matters
Branded queries almost always have very high CTR and strong position 1 rankings. Including them in your overall metrics inflates your average CTR and makes position look better than it is. Non-branded performance is the true measure of your SEO effectiveness.
Method 1: Use Google's Native Branded Filter (Recommended)
Google added a native branded/non-branded filter to Search Console in 2025 for eligible sites.
Step 1: Open the Performance Report
Go to Performance → Search results in Google Search Console.
Step 2: Add a Query Filter
Below the metric boxes, click "+ New" to add a filter, then select "Query type".
Step 3: Select Branded or Non-Branded
Choose "Branded" to see only brand-related queries, or "Non-branded" to exclude them. Click Apply.
The report now shows clicks, impressions, CTR, and position for only that query type.
Limitations of the native filter:
- Only available for domains (not URL prefix properties)
- Requires sufficient query volume — sites with very low traffic may not see this option
- The classification is done by Google automatically and isn't fully customizable
Method 2: Manual Query Filter (Works for All Sites)
If your site doesn't have access to the native branded filter, use a manual query filter.
Step 1: Open the Queries Tab
In the Performance report, click the "Queries" tab.
Step 2: Add a Query Filter
Click "+ New" → "Query" → "Does not contain".
Step 3: Enter Your Brand Name
Type your brand name (e.g., sequel) and click Apply. This excludes all queries containing your brand name.
Repeat for common brand variations, misspellings, or product names as needed.
Step 4: Save the Filter (Optional)
Bookmark the filtered URL or use GSC's "Save" function if available to return to this view easily.
What to Look For After Filtering
- Non-branded CTR — typically much lower than branded CTR (often 2–5%). This is your true organic performance benchmark.
- Non-branded impression growth — a rising impression count for non-branded queries means you're gaining visibility for new topics.
- Non-branded clicks — the cleanest signal of SEO-driven audience growth.
Common Issues
- Brand name appears in non-branded results — some queries mix your brand name with a topic (e.g.,
"sequel vs postgres"). These are borderline — treat them as branded if the intent is to compare your product specifically. - Branded filter not available — use Method 2. For large sites with many brand variations, build a regex filter that excludes all variants at once.
Using Sequel
Connect your Google Search Console account to Sequel and ask:
"Show me non-branded queries with more than 500 impressions this month"
"What's my average CTR for non-branded queries compared to branded?"
"Which non-branded queries are getting impressions but fewer than 10 clicks?"
Sequel queries the Search Console API and applies the brand filter in your question automatically — no manual filter setup required.