3 Ways to Enhance Local Visibility with Unbranded Search

Consumers Aren’t Searching for Your Brand. They’re Searching for What They Need.

Every day, millions of consumers search online for local solutions—not for brand names. Phrases like “best burrito near me” or “nail salon open now” dominate search behavior. In fact, a staggering 63% of all online searches are unbranded, meaning the majority of searchers are looking for products or services—not your brand.

That’s why unbranded search is the biggest untapped revenue opportunity for multi-location businesses today. If your locations aren’t showing up in these high-intent searches, your competitors are—leaving you behind and taking your customers with them.

To win where it matters most—at the local level—your brand needs to get strategic about unbranded search. Here are three high-impact ways to boost your visibility and start capturing the traffic you’re missing out on.

1. Check for Unbranded Traffic Opportunities

The first step to winning in unbranded search is knowing where you stand—and where you’re falling short.

Use tools like Google Search Console, Semrush, or the Searches Breakdown section in your Google Business Profile backend, to analyze the volume and performance of non-branded keywords relevant to your locations. Look for terms like:

• “Coffee near me”
• “Dog daycare in [city]”
• “Haircut open now”

Once you identify high-volume, high-intent keywords that you’re not ranking for, prioritize them. These are your missed revenue opportunities—searches where customers are actively looking to buy, but landing on your competitors instead.

Remember: If you’re only tracking branded search performance, you’re missing most of your potential traffic. Unbranded visibility is what drives new customer acquisition and store visits.

2. Optimize Your Secondary Categories in Google Business Profiles

Your primary category in your Google Business Profile helps define your core service, but secondary categories are your secret weapon for showing up in more searches.

Many businesses set their primary category and forget the rest. But optimizing your secondary categories allows your locations to appear in a wider range of unbranded queries. For example:

• A pizza restaurant qualifies as an “Italian restaurant.” If there are also sandwiches on the menu, add “sandwich shop” as well.
• A pet store could include “pet supply store,” “dog groomer,” and “pet adoption,” depending on the services offered.

As much as possible, make sure that every line of business you offer is represented. Don’t stretch the truth, though. If you’re a greenhouse, don’t list yourself as a flowershop if you’re not prepared to cut and package a peony bouquet in a vase. Instead, promote the gardening supplies and soil mixes you offer. Always make sure you can meet the needs of the searching customers you’re after.

Why it matters: Google uses categories to match businesses with relevant unbranded searches. If you’re not maximizing yours, you’re handing over visibility to competitors who are. The more accurately you describe what each location offers, the more likely it is to show up in local searches for those services.

3. Add Website Content That Reflects What You Want to Rank For

If you’re a multi-location business, individual pages for each location aren’t just for branding—they’re a key part of how search engines understand what your business offers, and how customers ultimately find you.

To increase your unbranded search rankings, create or update content on your location pages to reflect the specific terms you want to rank for. That means including:

• Targeted keywords (like “emergency dental services in [city]”)
• Location-specific service descriptions — even if they all offer the same services, lay it all out there
• Customer testimonials and FAQs related to unbranded needs

This way, you’re not just optimizing for traditional search. With AI-driven tools like ChatGPT pulling from website content to answer queries, having rich, descriptive content on your pages helps ensure your brand is recommended in conversational search experiences too.

Bonus tip: You can repurpose content from local blog posts, social media, or reviews to add unique value and build trust with both customers and search engines, or just link to it. Create top of funnel content related to the keywords you’re targeting, then link to it from your location pages. Use the keywords you’re chasing as the anchor text.

Final Thoughts: Stop Missing Out on the Traffic That Matters

Unbranded search is where buying decisions happen—but too many multi-location brands are focused solely on brand awareness. The result? Millions in missed revenue as local customers find and choose competitors who know how to win in unbranded search.

The good news? You can change that.

Start by uncovering your traffic gaps, refining your local profiles with better categories, and building content that reflects what customers are actually searching for. These simple but strategic actions can make a big impact—and help your brand show up when it counts.

Ready to Turn Unbranded Search into Your Biggest Growth Channel?

SOCi’s AI-powered platform helps multi-location brands optimize for unbranded traffic at scale—across search, listings, and local pages. Let us help you get found, get chosen, and grow locally.

Sign up for a demo to see what we can do for you.