How is brand health evolving, measured by organic branded queries?

MetricVolume of organic branded search queries over time, and share of search against the competitive set

Unitmonthly branded queries or impressions, and % share of category branded search

Single line of organic branded query volume over time. Best single brand-health proxy most marketers ignore. Build from Google Search Console (organic) or Ahrefs (estimated). Rising branded search means brand is working without paid push. Example: 12.5K/mo Jan to 21.8K/mo Jul (74% growth, brand is working).

Cross-category guidance rather than a single measured panel; volume bands are for established consumer and technology brands, US and Western Europe, 2024 to 2026. Share of search is defined as your branded volume over total branded volume for the named competitive set · Confidence is low and should be read as such. No Tier 1 dataset publishes a branded-search growth distribution, so the 10 to 20% band is practitioner guidance from a consulting reference guide rather than a measured percentile. The Umbrex volume bands are 2024 vintage and pre-date the AI Overviews shift, which suppresses reported query and click volumes independently of brand health, so a flat 2026 line is not directly comparable to a flat 2024 line. The 69% correlation between branded search and sales is a widely repeated figure whose primary source is not independently verifiable here. Use this card for your own trend and share of search against a fixed competitive set, not for cross-company comparison.

Category split omitted: No two independent Tier 1 or Tier 2 sources publish branded search growth split by sector, so any category rows would be single-source practitioner estimates presented as benchmarks.

Branded search flattens or declines while non-branded organic traffic and paid volume hold steady, so the top of the funnel is being sustained entirely by purchased and category demand while the brand itself stops being asked for by name.

Branded queries fall from roughly 24,000 to 19,000 monthly across three quarters while non-branded organic sessions rise 8% and paid spend is flat, with share of search dropping from 27% to 21% as two competitors gain.

• Report share of search against a fixed competitive set rather than absolute volume; absolute branded volume is now distorted by AI Overviews and zero-click behaviour, while share against the same set of competitors cancels most of that distortion.
• Treat a persistent share-of-search lead as a forward indicator and plan capacity behind it; the observed lag from share of search exceeding market share to market share gain is 6 to 12 months, typically 1 to 3 quarters in B2B.
• Attribute movement to specific brand activity by marking PR placements, podcast appearances and campaign flights on the same time axis; branded search responds to those events with a measurable lift and it is one of the few brand metrics that can be tied to a publication date.
• Pair the trend with a paid brand-defence decision rather than assuming more brand spend helps; brand search incrementality measures around 19% where a strong organic result already exists, so rising branded volume is a reason to check whether brand-term paid spend is still buying anything.

1. ProoflyticsBranded Search Volume as a Pipeline Leading Indicator · 2026 · synthesis of share-of-search research across categories with Google Search Console methodology When share of search persistently exceeds market share, market share gain follows with a 6 to 12 month lag, typically 1 to 3 quarters in B2B prooflytics.io ↗
2. UmbrexBrand Search Volume Analysis Guide · 2024 · consulting reference guide with sector-level search volume ranges Healthy branded search growth is roughly 10 to 20% year on year; established brands typically run 10,000 to 100,000 monthly branded searches, newer brands 1,000 to 5,000 umbrex.com ↗
3. 321 Web Marketing5 Core Metrics for Measuring Brand Authority in Search · 2026 · cites a 2025 Ahrefs study of Google search composition Almost half of all Google searches are branded per Ahrefs 2025; trend direction matters more than absolute volume, with quarter-on-quarter growth the reportable figure 321webmarketing.com ↗
4. Search Engine LandShare of search: Measure your brand's visibility in the SERPs · 2025 · methodology guide with practitioner tactics Branded search volume responds to PR, podcast appearances and influencer mentions, and can be tracked against publication dates to measure impact searchengineland.com ↗
5. MidaShare of Search Measurement Guide · 2025 · methodology guide referencing category-level share of search practice Share of search is brand search volume over total category brand search volume; growing share of search is a reliable predictor of growing market share and captures offline campaign effect mida.so ↗
6. LinkedIn (Holland)The Metric That Will Save SEO: Why Share of Search Beats Every Other KPI You've Got · 2026 · commentary citing share-of-search correlation research Branded search volumes correlate with sales at an average rate of 69%, with the remainder explained by price and distribution linkedin.com ↗
7. BranquoThe Ultimate Guide to Share of Search · 2026 · methodology guide referencing Les Binet's share-of-search work Share of search formula and application, positioned as a predictive brand-health measure available at global and local market granularity branquo.com ↗
8. SerpstatHow to Measure Share of Search for SEO and Brand Growth · 2026 · methodology guide with worked calculation Worked share-of-search calculation across a four-brand competitive set, giving a 22% share on 20,000 branded searches serpstat.com ↗