What It Is
"Hartley Plumbing" is a branded search. So is "Hartley Plumbing reviews," and so is the misspelled "Hartly Plumbing." "Water heater replacement near me" is not. The trade calls that second kind unbranded search. The difference is who is typing. The first person already knows you, from a referral, a truck, or a yard sign, and is looking for your number. The second person needs the work done and has not chosen anyone yet.
How It Works
A healthy business is the first result for its own name, with its Google Business Profile shown beside the results. Google Search Console, the free tool that reports what people typed before they reached your site, can split your searches into branded and unbranded once a site gets enough of them, so you can see how much of your traffic already knew your name.
When a business is not first for its own name, the cause is usually one of three things. The name is made of common words that also describe competitors, so "Denver Roofing Company" competes with every roofing company in Denver. A directory or review site outranks the business's own website. Or the website has a technical problem that keeps Google from reading it.
Why It Matters for Being Found
Branded search measures your reputation, not your reach. A business can get most of its clicks from people who already knew its name, conclude that search is working, and be nearly invisible to everyone who has not heard of it yet. Growth comes from the unbranded searches, which is what organic SEO and local SEO are for. Branded search is the floor under them. If you are not first for your own name, fix that before anything else, because those are customers already trying to reach you.