---
title: "Separate brand and non-brand traffic"
description: "Define brand variants, compare equal windows, and check whether traffic mix changed."
canonical_url: "https://gscdump.com/gscdump-cli/guides/investigate-traffic/brand-traffic"
last_updated: "2026-10-03T07:15:31.532Z"
---

# Separate brand and non-brand traffic

A brand split depends on the terms you supply. Keep that list fixed across comparisons.

## Define brand terms

Include your product name, common spelling variants, and known abbreviations. Avoid broad words that also describe unrelated searches. The [Reports reference](/gscdump-cli/api/reports) names the required `--brand-terms` input.

## Run the brand Report

::pre{tabindex="0"}
```bash
gscdump report brand --site example.com \
  --brand-terms 'example,example.com' --period 28d \
  --vs prev-period --json
```
::

`--vs prev-period` is required here for a comparison. Read the current and previous dates in the output. If the Store covers only some required days, sync the missing range first. The concentration Section covers the whole Site, not just brand queries. It can be unavailable in a live run; check its coverage.

## Check changing queries

::pre{tabindex="0"}
```bash
gscdump query --site example.com --type web \
  --query '~example' --dimensions date,query --format table
```
::

Repeat for each relevant variant and matching date windows. A contains filter can include unrelated queries, so review the rows. The [query guide](/gscdump-cli/guides/use-data/query-and-export) explains filters and exports.

## Read the split

::table{tabindex="0"}
| Observation                         | Interpretation to check                                  |
| ----------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- |
| Brand clicks fell; non-brand held   | Check demand, Site naming, and affected pages.           |
| Brand share rose; total clicks fell | Non-brand may have fallen faster. Check absolute clicks. |
| Both grew; share changed            | Check the size of each group before claiming mix change. |
::

The percentage alone does not explain what happened. Google may omit some query detail, so label the returned-row basis.

## Follow the signal

Use [growth trends](/gscdump-cli/guides/investigate-traffic/growth-trends) for a longer pattern or [traffic drop](/gscdump-cli/guides/investigate-traffic/traffic-drop) for one page. Other questions: [Investigate traffic](/gscdump-cli/guides/investigate-traffic).

## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](/sitemap.md) for all pages.