When people search Google for a brand's name, a YouTube video from that brand appears on page one only 21% of the time. Facebook pages show up on 61% of the same searches, nearly three times as often.
Analysis of 140 brand-name searches · Google search results (US desktop), September 23, 2026
Key Findings
- 1.A YouTube video from the brand itself appears on page one for 21% of brand-name Google searches, and 74% of brand-name searches show no YouTube result at all.
- 2.Facebook appears on page one for 61% of brand-name Google searches, against 36% for LinkedIn, 36% for Instagram and 26% for YouTube.
- 3.YouTube appears on page one for 26% of brand-name Google searches, less often than the 34.2% of general Google searches that show a YouTube result.
- 4.The brand's own website ranks first for 97% of brand-name Google searches, so the fight is for the results below it.
- 5.Brands with a bigger search footprint show their own YouTube video on 26% of their brand-name searches, against 17% for brands with a smaller one.
Summary
Someone hears about a brand from a friend and searches its name on Google. The brand's website sits at the top, as expected. Below it are its Facebook page, its LinkedIn page, its Instagram account, perhaps a Yelp listing. In most cases there is no video from the brand anywhere on the page.
Brand-name searches come from people who already know you and want to learn more before they buy, apply or call. Page one for your own name works like a free landing page, and every result on it is either something you control or something you do not. A video from your own channel is one of the few extra results a brand can earn there, and it shows a searcher your product, your people or your story in motion.
Most brands leave that slot empty. A YouTube video from the brand itself appears on page one for 21% of brand-name searches, about one in five. Facebook appears on 61%, nearly three times as often, and LinkedIn and Instagram each appear on 36%.
What we measured
On September 23, 2026 we collected page one of US desktop Google results for 140 searches that exactly match the name of a leading brand. We flagged every result that links to YouTube, including standard listings, video carousels, short videos and posts from Google's "perspectives" feature. We also recorded which other social platforms and review sites appeared on the same pages, and compared the YouTube rate with 20,000 general Google searches collected the same way.
A result counts as the brand's own video when the brand's name appears in the YouTube channel name or the video title. A video carousel is the row of video thumbnails Google shows inside its results. A brand's search footprint is how many searches its website ranks for; brands were split into two halves at the median.
Four in five brand searches show no video from the brand
A video from the brand appeared on 30 of the 140 brand-name searches. On 7 more, YouTube appeared but with someone else's video, such as a review or a news clip. The remaining 103 searches, 74%, showed no YouTube result at all.
Source: Suff Digital analysis of 140 brand-name searches · Google search results (US desktop), September 23, 2026
Brand videos reach page one by two main routes. On 17 searches a brand video held a standard listing, the same kind of blue link as a web page, and on 14 it showed inside a video carousel. When YouTube ranked as a standard listing, its median position was 4th, so a brand video that makes it onto page one usually lands high enough to be seen.
Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram all beat YouTube on brand searches
The brand's own website ranked first on 136 of the 140 searches, 97%. Below it, social platforms take many of the remaining places, and YouTube is fourth among them. Facebook appeared on 61% of brand-name searches, LinkedIn on 36% and Instagram on 36%. YouTube tied with Yelp at 26%.
Source: Suff Digital analysis of 140 brand-name searches · Google search results (US desktop), September 23, 2026
The pattern reflects what brands maintain. Nearly every company keeps a Facebook page and a LinkedIn company page, and Google treats them as official profiles for the brand. A YouTube channel only earns a place when it has videos that clearly belong to the brand, and many brands either have no channel or name their videos in ways that do not match their brand search.
Brand searches show less YouTube than searches in general
Across 20,000 general Google searches, a YouTube result appeared on page one 34.2% of the time. For brand-name searches the rate was 26%. Google treats a brand search as a request for the brand's official presence, and it fills the page with the website, social profiles and review sites before video.
Bigger brands do better. Brands with a larger search footprint showed their own YouTube video on 26% of their brand-name searches, 18 of 69, against 17% for brands with a smaller footprint, 12 of 71. A brand that invests in content across search tends to invest in video too, and Google rewards the channel that is clearly and consistently named.
What this means for brands and marketers
Search your own brand name and look at page one. If there is no video from you, a YouTube channel is one of the simplest ways to add another result you control. Put your brand name in the channel name and at the start of your video titles, so both Google and searchers can tell at a glance that the video is yours.
Give Google a video worth showing for your name: a short brand overview, a product demo or a customer story. Link the channel from your website and your other profiles so it is clearly connected to the brand. The same videos can run as ads, and a youtube advertising agency can turn your best brand videos into campaigns that reach people before they ever search your name.
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<p style="font:14px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif">Source: <a href="https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/youtube-brand-search-visibility">Brands' Own YouTube Videos Show on Page One for Only 21% of Brand-Name Searches - Suff Digital</a></p>
Cite this study
Suff Digital. (2026). Brands' Own YouTube Videos Show on Page One for Only 21% of Brand-Name Searches. https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/youtube-brand-search-visibility
Brands' Own YouTube Videos Show on Page One for Only 21% of Brand-Name Searches - Suff Digital - https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/youtube-brand-search-visibility
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