Automatic Traffic Segmentation in Google Search Console.

Great news! Google has introduced a native filter in the Search Console Performance report that automatically segments two distinct traffic categories that are frequently conflated in SEO audits:

1. Branded queries, which encompass the brand name, known variants, typical misspellings, and signature flagship products or services associated with the brand (for example, "Gmail" for Google), even when the brand name itself is not explicitly mentioned.
2. Non-branded queries, which aggregate all other queries, directly reflecting user discovery without prior navigational or brand bias.

The technical categorization mechanism does not rely on rudimentary keyword inclusion rules or manual regular expressions (Regex).

Instead, Google leverages an AI-powered classification model. This framework reliably identifies unique branded offerings without requiring tedious manual filter configuration from webmasters.

This major upgrade addresses a widespread analytical distortion, enabling practitioners to:

• Isolate branded queries, which naturally command higher click-through rates (CTR) and dominant average rankings.
• Gauge true organic expansion through non-branded queries, which represent the ONLY authentic indicator of pure SEO reach and discovery by prospective customers.

This filter is available exclusively for domain properties (top-level properties), excluding URL prefix or standalone sub-domain configurations.

The feature rolls out progressively across global Search Console accounts over several weeks.

Source: Google Search Central - Introducing the branded queries filter in Search Console - November 2025