Branded Keyword
A branded keyword is any search containing your company or product name, such as 'central audit pricing'. These searches come from people who already know you, so they convert far better than generic terms but measure demand you created elsewhere.
Why it matters for your rankings
Branded search is the cleanest available measure of whether your marketing is working outside search. Nobody types your name unless something introduced them to it, so branded volume tracks the health of your brand rather than your SEO.
It also distorts reporting badly. A site can show organic growth that is entirely branded, meaning SEO discovered nobody new while a podcast sponsorship did the work. Separating the two is the difference between knowing your channel performance and guessing at it. The other trap is complacency: ranking first for your own name feels safe, but competitors can bid on it, review sites can outrank you, and a badly handled complaint thread can occupy position two on the search that your warmest prospects run.
How to check it on your site
Split branded from non-branded
In Search Console Performance, add a Query filter excluding your brand name and its common misspellings. Compare the two trend lines over 12 months.
Check who else ranks for your name
Search your brand in an incognito window. Note any competitor ads, review sites or complaint threads on page one.
Track branded volume as a marketing metric
Rising branded impressions usually mean brand awareness is growing, whatever your rankings did.
Confirm your own properties dominate
Your homepage, key service pages and Google Business Profile should occupy most of page one for your name.