Branded and non-branded queries are two different types of questions that require different work. With a branded query, the person asks directly about your company, and what matters is whether the model knows it and describes it accurately – here what decides is unambiguous identity, consistent data across sources, and how up to date the information is. With a non-branded query, the person asks about a solution to a problem or about a category, and what matters is whether you appear among the recommendations at all – here what decides is content that answers the sub-questions, and whether other sources mention you. Companies focus almost exclusively on the first type, even though the commercial value lies in the second. Measure both separately, and make sure your set of test questions includes both, otherwise you will get a distorted picture.
See also: Share of voice in AI responses, Monitoring prompt set, Building a company entity.
