--- title: "Hill's vs Merrick: Which is searched more in the United States?" description: "Is Hill's or Merrick more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Dog food brands set in the United States. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/compare/hills-vs-merrick" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Hill's vs Merrick: Which is searched more in the United States? Is Hill's or Merrick more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Dog food brands set in the United States. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Compared**: Hill's and Merrick - **Competitive set**: Dog food brands - **Market**: United States - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Hill's Share of Search**: 5.3% - **Merrick Share of Search**: 1.9% ## Is Hill's or Merrick more popular in search? - In September 2026, Hill's had more branded searches than Merrick among dog food brands in the United States. Hill's had about 33,100 branded searches, while Merrick had 12,100. Hill's made up 5.3% of all dog food brand searches we track, and Merrick accounted for 1.9%. - The lead changed hands once in the 12 months ending September 2026: Hill's took it in February 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Hill's’ share of searches among dog food brands in the United States moved from 1.3% to 5.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 9.9K to 33.1K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Merrick’s share of searches among dog food brands in the United States moved from 2.4% to 1.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 18.1K to 12.1K. ## Top dog food brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Hill's was mentioned in three out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Merrick did not appear in any of the five answers. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Purina | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Hill's | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Royal Canin | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Pedigree | 4th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | The Farmer's Dog | 5th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Open Farm | 5th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Blue Buffalo | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Ollie | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Spot & Tango | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Orijen | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Acana | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Stella & Chewy’s | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Merrick | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Taste of the Wild | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Farmina | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about dog food brands - Asked ChatGPT "Which dog food should I buy?": 1. Purina, 2. Hill's, 3. Royal Canin - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best dog food brands?": 1. Purina, 2. Hill's, 3. Royal Canin - Asked ChatGPT "What is the healthiest dog food?": 1. Hill's, 2. Purina, 3. Royal Canin - Searched Google, AI Overview "dog food": 1. Purina, 2. Pedigree, 3. The Farmer's Dog - Searched Google, AI Overview "best dog food": 1. Royal Canin, 2. Purina, 3. Open Farm Not named in any answer: Blue Buffalo, Ollie, Spot & Tango, Orijen, Acana, Stella & Chewy’s, Merrick, Taste of the Wild and Farmina. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United States on October 26, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for United States dog food brands in September 2026? - In September 2026, Hill's gained share of searches among dog food brands in the United States, from 4.6% to 5.3%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Merrick in the United States fell 33.1% over 12 measured months, from 18.1K to 12.1K in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | Hill's estimated searches | Hill's Share of Search | Hill's rank | Merrick estimated searches | Merrick Share of Search | Merrick rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 9.9K | 1.3% | 15 | 18.1K | 2.4% | 12 | | Nov 2025 | 9.9K | 1.4% | 15 | 14.8K | 2% | 12 | | Dec 2025 | 12.1K | 1.6% | 13 | 18.1K | 2.5% | 12 | | Jan 2026 | 12.1K | 1.5% | 14 | 18.1K | 2.3% | 12 | | Feb 2026 | 18.1K | 2.7% | 11 | 14.8K | 2.2% | 13 | | Mar 2026 | 33.1K | 4.6% | 8 | 14.8K | 2.1% | 13 | | Apr 2026 | 27.1K | 3.7% | 9 | 12.1K | 1.6% | 13 | | May 2026 | 33.1K | 4.5% | 9 | 12.1K | 1.7% | 14 | | Jun 2026 | 33.1K | 4.9% | 8 | 12.1K | 1.8% | 13 | | Jul 2026 | 33.1K | 4.9% | 8 | 12.1K | 1.8% | 13 | | Aug 2026 | 33.1K | 4.6% | 8 | 14.8K | 2% | 13 | | Sep 2026 | 33.1K | 5.3% | 8 | 12.1K | 1.9% | 13 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Hill's’ and Merrick’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading. - **Hill's**: Measured on the search term “hills science diet”. - **Merrick**: Measured on the search term “merrick dog food”. - [Hill's profile](/demand/us/brands/hills) - [Merrick profile](/demand/us/brands/merrick) - [All dog food brands in the United States](/demand/us/categories/us-dog-food-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 15 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Hill's or Merrick more popular in search? In September 2026, Hill's had more branded searches than Merrick among dog food brands in the United States. Hill's had about 33,100 branded searches, while Merrick had 12,100. Hill's made up 5.3% of all dog food brand searches we track, and Merrick accounted for 1.9%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Hill's vs Merrick: Which is searched more in the United States?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/compare/hills-vs-merrick This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/compare/hills-vs-merrick. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.