On November 20, 2025, Google announced a new feature in its Search Console Performance Report called the branded queries filter. This tool builds on last month’s Query groups launch and helps website owners better understand how traffic comes to their sites by distinguishing between branded and non-branded search queries automatically.

What Are Branded Queries

Branded queries include searches containing your brand name, its common misspellings, and associated products or services. For example, searches including “Google,” “Gogle,” or “Gmail” would be categorized as branded for google.com.

Separating branded from non-branded queries helps clarify which visitors are already familiar with your brand versus new audience discovery.

Typically, branded queries drive higher click-through rates and site ranking, while non-branded queries represent organic growth sources by attracting users without prior intent.

How the Branded Queries Filter Works

Accessible in the Search results Performance report, this filter divides query data into two categories:

• Branded: Queries with the brand name or related products
• Non-Branded: All other queries

It supports all search types, including web, image, video, and news. Applying the filter lets you view metrics such as impressions, clicks, average position, and click-through rate (CTR) specific to each category.

Accompanying this, a new card has been added to the Insights report, showing the distribution of total clicks from branded versus non-branded searches. This visualization aids in measuring brand recognition and comparing traffic from loyal users against new visitors finding your site organically.

How Are Branded Queries Identified

Rather than relying on basic keyword filters or regular expressions, the system uses an internal AI-assisted method to classify queries. It recognizes your brand name across languages and common typos, and even detects queries focused on unique products or services related to your site, even if the brand name isn’t explicitly mentioned.

Since brand classification depends on dynamic context, a small number of queries may occasionally be misclassified. However, the filter’s intention is to simplify data analysis within Search Console; it does not impact Google’s search rankings or algorithms.

Rollout and Availability

The branded queries filter is gradually rolling out over several weeks. It is only available for top-level domain properties with sufficient query volume, excluding subdomains and specific URL paths. If you don’t see the filter in your reports yet, it could be due to rollout timing or insufficient data signals.

Google encourages website owners to explore this new segmentation within the Performance report to gain clearer insights into site traffic patterns.