Brand keywords vs. generic search terms on otto.de: what you should really measure

Two kinds of search terms, two meanings

A shopper who types "emma mattress" already knows what they want. A shopper who types "mattress 140x200 firm" is still comparing. Both searches end on the same results page of otto.de, but they mean something completely different for your ranking.

In a brand search you compete almost only with yourself and with sellers carrying the same brand. A good position there is normal. In a generic search you compete with every product of the category. There, the position decides whether new customers see you at all.

Why brand positions mislead

Many sellers see five keywords at positions 1 to 3 in their tracking and are satisfied. On closer inspection, all five contain their own brand name. That is not a ranking success, it is a given. If the brand position drops to page 2, however, that is an alarm: either the product is offline, another seller offers the same product, or Otto now shows a different assortment for that term.

So tracking brand terms is still worthwhile, with a different goal: you monitor that nothing breaks, not that something grows.

Generic terms are the revenue lever

otto.de shows 120 products on one results page. A product at position 15 for "box spring bed 180x200" is seen; one at position 95 is scrolled past or never reached. Every improvement in this range brings clicks from shoppers who did not know your brand before.

These are also the terms where listing work pays off: a title that names size and firmness, better attributes or a promotional price move the position in generic searches. In the brand search nothing changes.

How to separate the two groups in your tracking

1. Mark them: for each product, decide which keywords contain the brand or product name. A simple rule: if the term contains a word only you use, it is a brand keyword.
2. Evaluate separately: when judging the effect of a change in the weekly comparison, look at the generic terms only.
3. Mind mixed terms: "brand + category" such as "hülsta wardrobe" belongs to the brand search even though a category word is in it.
4. Check the ratio: if you track more brand than generic keywords, you are missing the more important half of the picture.

Which generic terms to pick

Take the terms a shopper without prior knowledge would type: product type plus the most important feature. For a bed that is "bed 140x200", "box spring bed with storage" or "upholstered bed grey". Otto's suggestions in the search box show which additions shoppers actually type; the ones that fit your product are your candidates.

Add two or three long-tail terms where page 1 is realistic, and one or two hard head terms on which you measure progress over months.

An example from practice

A garden furniture seller tracked eight keywords, six of them with his brand name. Average position: 2. After separating them it turned out that for "stackable garden chair" the product sat at position 78 and for "plastic garden chair" at 104. Only a title naming material and stackability moved these terms to 31 and 44 within three weeks. The product's revenue rose clearly although the brand positions had not changed at all.

The lesson: without the separation, the seller would have taken position 2 as proof that everything was fine.

Frequently asked questions