How to Measure Brand Awareness with Google Analytics
Two Free Metrics Every Small Business Should Track
If you're a small business owner posting consistently on social media but seeing low engagement, you might wonder if your efforts are making any impact. While likes and shares are visible metrics, they don't always reflect the full picture of your brand's reach. Fortunately, Google Analytics offers two free metrics that can provide deeper insights into your brand awareness: direct traffic and branded search.
Understanding Direct Traffic
Direct traffic refers to visitors who arrive at your website by typing your URL directly into their browser or through bookmarks. This behavior often indicates that someone has heard about your brand elsewhere and decided to visit your site intentionally. It's a strong signal of brand recognition.
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To view your direct traffic in Google Analytics 4 (GA4):
- Navigate to Reports.
- Select Acquisition.
- Click on Traffic Acquisition.
- Look for the Direct channel in the report.
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Monitoring changes in direct traffic over time can help you assess whether your brand awareness efforts are effective. For more detailed guidance, refer to this Semrush guide on direct traffic.
Tracking Branded Search
Branded search refers to users actively searching for your business name or close variations of it, such as your company name, product names, or domain. This is a strong indicator that your brand awareness is growing, as people are intentionally seeking you out rather than stumbling across your site through generic keywords.
You can track branded search in Google Search Console, which provides data on what queries are bringing users to your site from Google Search.
Here’s how to view branded search performance:
- Log into Google Search Console.
- From the left-hand menu, click on Performance to open the Search Results report.
- Under the Queries tab, review the list of search terms users have typed into Google before clicking on your website.
- Use the filter option at the top of the table to include your brand name (or specific branded terms).
This filtered view will show:
- How many impressions your brand-related queries are getting (how often they appear in search).
- How many clicks they receive.
- Your average position in search results.
- Your click-through rate (CTR) for those queries.
Monitoring branded search helps you determine if more people are becoming aware of your business over time. It also allows you to measure the downstream impact of your marketing efforts, especially organic social media, content marketing, PR, and advertising that are designed to build brand recognition. For a comprehensive tutorial, check out this LinkedIn article on measuring brand awareness.
Why These Metrics Matter
While social media platforms provide engagement metrics, they don't always capture the full extent of your brand's reach. Direct traffic and branded search offer a more holistic view by indicating whether people are actively seeking out your business. These metrics can validate your marketing efforts and guide future strategies.
Additional Resources
At Round 2 It Marketing, we specialize in helping small businesses develop effective marketing strategies. Explore our Marketing Compass to align your efforts with your goals. Also, read our insights on why agencies may not be the best fit for your business.
