With 8.5 billion Google searches happening every day, it makes sense to categorize them into useful buckets. In this blog post, we’ll discuss the differences between three common types of searches: direct, discover, and brand.
→ A direct search is when a user enters a specific query into a search engine with the intention of finding a specific website or piece of content. For example, a user may enter “www.example.com” into the search bar to directly access a website they’ve visited before. Another example is when a user directly searches for your business name or address like “Peet’s Coffee on 3rd St”.
→ A discovery search is when a user performs a more general search on a search engine, often with the intention of discovering new websites or content. For example, a user may enter a broad query like “best mechanics in San Francisco” in order to discover mechanics or car garages in that city.
→ A brand search is when a user enters the name of a specific brand or company into a search engine. For example, a user may search for “Nike shopping” in order to find the official website for the company, learn more about its products, or see businesses which sell that product.
One of the key differences between direct, discovery, and brand searches are the level of intent behind the search. Understanding the differences between them and how they can impact your SEO efforts is vital to being able to strategize for each.
A direct search often indicates that the user has a specific goal in mind, while a discovery search indicates a more general interest in a topic. A brand search, on the other hand, indicates that the user is specifically looking for information about a particular brand.
From an SEO perspective, this means that optimizing for direct searches often requires a different strategy than optimizing for discover or brand searches.
Before you start optimizing for specific searches, you need to make sure your basics are covered.
→ Having a strong SEO foundation starts by having accurate listing information (business name, address, and locations)
→ Add in keywords you want to rank for in your Google photos, posts, and in your online reviews responses
→ Showcase your inventory on Google to show up when people are searching for products that your business sells
It’s important to make sure that your website is easily accessible and that the specific query being searched for is directly addressed on your website.
You’ll need to focus on creating high-quality, relevant content that will show up in search results for the relevant keywords.
It’s important to make sure that your brand is easily recognizable and that your website contains information about your products or services.
Another key difference between the three types of searches is the level of competition.
Because direct searches are often more specific, they tend to have less competition than discover or brand searches. This means that it may be easier to rank highly in search results for direct searches, but it also means that the potential traffic from direct searches is often smaller.
Discover and brand searches, on the other hand, tend to have more competition but also have the potential to drive more traffic to your listings and website. When developing your paid keyword search strategy it’s worth keeping these competition levels in mind and allocating funds accordingly.
Understanding the differences between direct, discover, and brand searches are the first step to being able to target all of that incoming traffic. Show up in your customers’ searches by optimizing your listings to capture them at all levels of intent.
Want to grow your searches by 105% YoY? Check out our case study on how one Car Wash Chain saw that search boost when they implemented a Listings Management solution.
Understanding the differences between direct, discover, and brand searches are the first step to being able to target all of that incoming traffic. Show up in your customers’ searches by optimizing your listings to capture them at all levels of intent.
Want to grow your searches by 105% YoY? Check out our case study on how one Car Wash Chain saw that search boost when they implemented a Listings Management solution.
Understanding the differences between direct, discover, and brand searches are the first step to being able to target all of that incoming traffic. Show up in your customers’ searches by optimizing your listings to capture them at all levels of intent.
Want to grow your searches by 105% YoY? Check out our case study on how one Car Wash Chain saw that search boost when they implemented a Listings Management solution.
