Google Debunks SEO Myth: Branded Keywords Won’t Hurt Rankings via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

In a recent exchange, Google’s Search Liaison addressed concerns about using branded keywords in articles.

The discussion, which unfolded over several tweets, centered on the impact of mentioning specific brand names in product reviews and other content.

Jake Boly, a content creator, initially asked why his articles featuring unique content consistently ranked on pages 3-4 of search results, speculating that it might be due to the presence of branded terms.

This sparked a debate about SEO best practices and Google’s ranking algorithms.

Conflicting Advice from SEO Experts

Taleb Kabbara, an SEO professional, suggested mentioning branded keywords could harm rankings, advising against using terms like “new balance” in review titles.

He claimed to have audited numerous sites and observed negative ranking impacts due to such keywords.

Jake, trust me it’s the word “new balance”. Don’t expect to rise to page 1 with 3rd party branded content.

On a related note, your site tanked because of those keywords.

I sound like a conspiracy theorist here, but i’ve audited dozens of sites already, feel free to disagree…

— Taleb Kabbara (@TalebKabbara) June 25, 2024

Google’s Official Response

Google’s Search Liaison refuted these claims.

In a detailed response, they stated:

“No, you shouldn’t be afraid to mention the brand name of something you are reviewing. It’s literally what readers would expect you to do, and our systems are trying to reward things that are helpful to readers.”

The Google representative explained that writing a review without mentioning the product being reviewed would be counterintuitive.

They emphasized that Google’s systems aim to find and rank content that’s genuinely useful to readers, regardless of using branded terms.

I'll disagree. No, you shouldn't be afraid to mention the brand name of something you are reviewing. It's literally what readers would expect you to do, and our systems are trying to reward things that are helpful to readers. How would you write a review of something and not…

— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) June 25, 2024

Evidence Supporting Google’s Stance

To further support their point, the Liaison provided evidence from a specific search query for “new balance minimus tr v2 review.”

They highlighted that the top result for this query was not from a big brand but from an individual reviewer, demonstrating that Google can rank independent content when it’s relevant and helpful.

As I said in my earlier reply: "This is something anyone can easily debunk themselves by simply searching on the results."

Top result for this query isn't a big brand. The YouTube videos aren't from big brands. They're from Jake. And ideally, I would agree that if our systems… pic.twitter.com/hKhGZxLuOH

— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) June 25, 2024

Reaffirming Best Practices

The conversation took an additional turn when Mike Hardaker shared advice he had received about no longer ranking for branded keywords. Google’s Search Liaison responded succinctly, “Yeah, don’t do that,” reaffirming their stance against avoiding branded terms in content.

Yeah, don't do that.

— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) June 25, 2024

Why SEJ Cares

This exchange clarifies a misconception with direct communication from Google on its approach to ranking content containing branded keywords.

It reminds publishers to write the best content for readers rather than attempt to game the system by avoiding specific terms.

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