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How to measure brand awareness
In the last blog, we talked about how brand awareness works, aka how people go from not knowing you exist to recognising, trusting, and choosing your business and even referring it/you.
But how do you actually measure brand awareness?
How do you know if all the time, effort, and money you’re putting into building your brand is making people more aware of your business?
Unlike leads or sales, brand awareness isn’t always something you can track with a simple number.
Why I hear you ask? Well, because it’s about recognition, recall, and perception. These are things that happen in people’s minds before they even engage with you or your business.
That said, there are some clear signs and measurable ways to track brand awareness.
Brand awareness isn’t just about being seen
Before we get into the numbers, let’s get one thing straight: Brand awareness isn’t just about getting more eyeballs on your business.
Lots of people can see your brand, but if they don’t remember, trust, or associate you with a solution they need, awareness isn’t doing its job.
That’s why tracking brand awareness isn’t just about impressions and views, it’s about seeing whether people recognise, recall, and engage with your brand.
Now, let’s look at these ways you can measure your brand awareness.
1. Direct traffic
Are people searching for you?
One of the clearest signs that brand awareness is growing? More people are coming directly to your website.
Direct traffic means people already know your business name and are typing it straight into their browser instead of searching for a generic service.
How to track it:
Check your Google Analytics for direct traffic (the visitors who land on your website without searching for a service or clicking an ad).
If your direct traffic is increasing, it means more people remember your business enough to look you up directly.
2. Branded search volume
Is your name popping up in searches?
Branded search volume is another strong indicator of brand awareness. It tells you how often people are searching for your business by name.
What is branded search volume? The easiest explanation is with an example:
A branded search is someone searching for Starfish Marketing Albury.
A non-branded searc is someone searching for “marketing agency near me”
Do you see the difference?
What this means is, that if more people are searching for your business name, it means your brand is sticking in their minds.
How to track it:
- Use Google Analytics to check the sources of visitation to your website and compare Direct (branded search) to Organic (non-branded search).
- Use Google Search Console to see how many people search for your business name.
- In Google Ads (if you run them), check the number of searches that include your brand name.
3. Social media mentions and engagement
Are people talking about you?
People don’t always Google a business when they need something, they often turn to social media (and even AI platforms these days)
If your brand awareness is strong, people will:
- Tag your business in conversations about your industry
- Mention you when recommending services
- Engage with your posts, stories, and content
How to track it:
- Check social media insights for mentions, tags, and shares.
- Use social listening tools (or just search your business name on platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn) to see how often people are talking about you.
- Look at engagement metrics. More likes, comments, and shares mean more people are recognising and engaging with your brand.
4. Referral traffic
Are people hearing about you from others?
Word-of-mouth is a huge part of brand awareness. If people are talking about your business and recommending you, that’s a sign your brand is sticking.
How to track it:
- In Google Analytics, check referral traffic to see how many people are clicking through from other websites.
- If other businesses or directories are linking to your website more often, it means your brand awareness is growing.
5. Surveys and brand recall
Do people actually remember you?
Sometimes, the best way to measure brand awareness is to ask people directly.
A simple brand recall survey can tell you:
- How many people recognise your brand in your industry
- Whether people associate your brand with the right services
- If your messaging is working the way you want it to
How to track it:
- Send a short survey to your email list or social media followers asking if they were aware of your business before following you.
- Ask new clients where they first heard about you (record the responses somewhere). This will help you understand whether brand awareness played a role in their decision.
- Run an annual client/customer satisfaction survey and include brand related questions. This gives you a benchmark to compare year-on-year.
6. Word-of-mouth and referrals
Are people recommending you?
If clients and customers are actively recommending your business, that’s a sign of strong brand awareness.
Remember the brand ramp? The final stage is advocacy, where clients don’t just recognise you, they refer you to others.
How to track it:
- Look at how many new clients come from referrals.
- If you have a referral program, track how many people actively refer your business.
- Pay attention to organic mentions in industry groups, networking events, and forums.
What do you do with this data?
Measuring brand awareness isn’t just about tracking numbers. It’s about then using that data to improve your marketing.
Once you know how well people recognise and recall your brand, you can:
- Double down on what’s working (e.g., if direct traffic is high, keep building brand recall)
- Improve weaker areas (e.g., if social mentions are low, focus on engagement)
- Adjust your messaging to make sure your brand is remembered for the right reasons
Brand awareness is a long game, but knowing how to measure it helps you track progress and make sure your marketing efforts aren’t going to waste.
Making brand awareness work for your business
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.
Brand awareness isn’t just about getting your name out there, it’s about making sure the right people remember you when it matters.
Tracking your direct traffic, branded search volume, social engagement, and referrals will help you see what’s working and where you need to focus more effort.
Need help strengthening your brand awareness? Let’s chat.
