S1 · The 28-day numbers
20 minIn Search Console, write down clicks, impressions, CTR and position for the last 28 days, along with the window dates.
Done when: the spreadsheet has one row with the window dates and the four total numbers.
Lesson 1 · 15 min
Baseline: why almost every click is branded
The total clicks in Search Console are misleading. At the start, almost every click comes from people who already typed your name. That click is good, but it doesn't show whether your SEO works. In this lesson you pull a 28-day baseline and separate the brand from the rest, as INEMA did in September 2026.
Start the lesson
In this lesson you will
- 1Why the total clicks are misleading
- 2The three buckets: branded, non-branded, and anonymized
- 3Write your brand regex in the dashboard filter
- 4Record the baseline to compare a month from now
Goal: pull the 28-day baseline and separate how many clicks come from people who already search for your name.
01The total splits into three
Click each block.
Click each block in the diagram to see what it does.
Total minus branded minus non-branded gives you the anonymized queries. Write down all three numbers, not just the total.
02The baseline in four steps
All in the dashboard, no script. Click each step.
1. The window
In Search Console, open Performance, Search results. Choose the last 28 days and check clicks, impressions, CTR, and position.
Write down the total. It's the starting point, not the result.
2. The brand
Write your brand regex: the name, the domain, variations, and typos, separated by a vertical bar.
In the Query filter, choose the custom (regex) option and "matches". Write down clicks and impressions.
3. The rest
Switch the filter to "doesn't match" the same regex. Write it down again.
Add branded and non-branded and subtract from the total: what's left is the anonymized queries.
4. The record
Save the numbers in a spreadsheet with the date of the window. Four weeks from now, you compare the same 28-day window.
Without the record, improvement becomes a personal impression.
At INEMA (baseline from 08/25 to 09/21/2026)
inema.club had 787 clicks and a 34% CTR. It looked great. But 639 of the 647 clicks from the top searches were branded; non-branded searches added up to just 8 clicks and 72 impressions.
03The regex and the spreadsheet
Replace what is between < > with your own.
Brand regex (Query filter, custom regex)
<yourname>|<yoursite>|<your site>|<common typo> # INEMA example: any search that contains the word inema
Baseline spreadsheet (template)
| window | total (clicks/impr.) | branded | non-branded | anonymized | CTR | position | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | <dd/mm> to <dd/mm> | <c>/<i> | <c>/<i> | <c>/<i> | <c>/<i> | <%> | <n> |
Example from the repository
| property | clicks | impressions | CTR | position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| inema.club | 787 | 2,301 | 34% | 5.2 |
| inema.pro | 42 | 649 | 6.5% | 8.5 |
28-day window, 08/25 to 09/21/2026. In the top searches, 639 of 647 clicks were branded. Non-branded searches: 8 clicks and 72 impressions.
- A 34% CTR is high because people who search for your name click on your own site.
- 8 non-branded clicks in 28 days: that is your real starting point.
- Goal of the baseline: measure only the non-branded part, because the brand dominates the total and hides the effect of new pages.
04Practice: your baseline
One afternoon, all in the dashboard.
S2 · Branded, non-branded and anonymized
30 minWrite your brand regex, apply "matches" and "doesn't match", and calculate the anonymized queries.
Done when: the row has all three buckets filled in, and branded + non-branded + anonymized adds up to the total.
05Test what you learned
The explanation appears after your answer.
Question 1 of 4
Your site has a 34% CTR and an average position of 5.2. Is the SEO working?skill
Correct
At INEMA, a 34% CTR coexisted with 8 non-branded clicks in 28 days. The total mixes in people who already knew you.Not this one
At INEMA, a 34% CTR coexisted with 8 non-branded clicks in 28 days. The total mixes in people who already knew you.Review: The baseline in four stepsQuestion 2 of 4
Why don't branded + non-branded add up to the total?
Correct
Google anonymizes rare queries. They count in the total and disappear from the query filter.Not this one
Google anonymizes rare queries. They count in the total and disappear from the query filter.Review: The total splits into threeQuestion 3 of 4
What goes in the brand regex?
Correct
Someone who types "inema clube" is looking for the brand. If the variation is left out, the brand leaks into the non-branded bucket and inflates the number.Not this one
Someone who types "inema clube" is looking for the brand. If the variation is left out, the brand leaks into the non-branded bucket and inflates the number.Review: The regex and the spreadsheetQuestion 4 of 4
To compare a month from now, what do you need to keep?
Correct
Same window, same buckets. And the dashboard doesn't keep it forever: the history disappears after about 16 months (lesson 8).Not this one
Same window, same buckets. And the dashboard doesn't keep it forever: the history disappears after about 16 months (lesson 8).Review: The baseline in four stepsQuiz complete
You got {a} of {n} right. Get them all right and the lesson is marked as complete.Pick an answer. The explanation shows up after you try.
06Take with you
The total misleadsAt the start, almost every click comes from people already searching for your name.
Three bucketsBranded, non-branded, and anonymized. What matters is non-branded.
2026 yardstickThe generative AI report in Search Console shows impressions only. The click baseline is still the Performance report.