First, let me explain what non-branded keywords are.  A branded keyword is a keyword that is related to the brand name, such as “Pepsi”.  A non-branded keyword is a keyword that defines your product without using the brand name, such as “soft drink”.

At one time I was providing web analytics and SEO for a major web development tool.  They had been growing strong for over a year.  In fact, they had passed their competition.  However, they were aware that they needed to keep their edge.  As I began searching for areas of improvement, I noticed that they were ranking in search well for their brand-related keywords.  However, they were doing terrible with their non-branded keywords.

Basically, they were ranking wonderfully for “Pepsi”, but weren’t doing so well for non-branded keywords like “soft drink”.  As a result, I was able to steer them in a direction that allowed them to gain an even better edge on the competition.  Are you staying on top of your non-branded keywords?