A branded search hides weak non-brand discovery

What to change

Branded searches indicate that people already know some version of the practice's name. They answer a different discovery question from service or problem-led searches. Agree a transparent grouping of names and spelling variants, keeping ambiguous terms visible. Ask the analyst to show both groups and acknowledge unreported query detail. This produces a useful distinction without pretending the visible table captures every person's route to discovering the organisation.

A worked example

Illustrative example

Illustrative test: Compare a practice-name query with a specific service-question query.

How to check the result

The report states how much observed discovery depends on existing name recognition.

A mistake to avoid

Unreported queries prevent the visible query table from being a complete census.

Your action checklist

Use these checks to prepare a discussion with your team or supplier. Tick a check when you have recorded the decision or evidence, rather than when a feature has simply been promised.

Decisions to recordAgree the practice names and common spelling variants for classification.Review relevant non-brand questions separately from branded searches.Label ambiguous queries instead of forcing them into a convenient category.

Evidence, open questions and decisionsNext action and responsible role

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