This document discusses how engagement and branding can serve as important ranking signals for search engines. It emphasizes that engagement metrics like time on site, bounce rate, and backlinks are less important for rankings than ensuring users are actively engaged with high-quality content that solves their needs. The document provides tips for identifying underperforming pages, increasing relevant content, using analytics to understand audiences, and employing different tactics like content marketing, social media, and other channels to engage users and build a brand.

1. Engagement & Branding
as Ranking Signals
Tim Grice – Director of Search

2. Branding
Citations
Social
Authority
Engagement
Anchor Text
Keywords
Links
Ranking Signals

4. BrandingEngagement
Ranking Signals

5. SEO Task List
Find relevant keywords
Add keywords to content
Build links (From anywhere)
Anchor text

6. £
Traffic You have to
Engage
YOUR SITE
Engage

7. …Return to Search

8. Anyone Remember Panda?
Low quality content
Unclear or no call to actions
Poor navigation
Does your content serve the user
…they leave

9. Where do we
Start?

10. Identify Poor Performance

11. Cross Reference with Keyword Data

12. Most Panda issues can
be solved through better
Engagement

13. How do we increase
Engagement?

14. Google
Analytics
Social
Listening
Market
Research
Customer
Feedback
Focus
Groups
Who are you trying
to Engage?

15. Blogs
Site Search
Competitors
Market
Research
Forums
Social Sites
Reviews
Keywords

16. Audience Reporting

17. Consumer Surveys

18. Relevant
User Experience
Fast
Comprehensive
Want
What

20. Content Strategy
Manual Action/Panda
Manual Action Revoked
Content Strategy
No Link Building

21. Put your best content in
front of people.

22. Rankings without Links
20%
Bounce Reduction
200%
Time on Page

23. If you have enough links
to be in the top 5 you have
enough to be at the top.

24. What about
Branding Popularity?

25. Your website has to be Popular

26. 60,500
22,200
14,800
12,100
33,100
14,800
All things being equal,
branding wins…

27. Useful
Entertaining
News
Worthy
Insightful Provoke
Engagement
Audience
Lead
Creative

28. TV
Outreach
PR
Display
Social
Paid Search
Creative
Apps

29. You’ll always rank position
‘1’ for brand search

31. 2014 – The year of
building better websites.

32. Tim.grice@branded3.com
@Tim_Grice
Thank You!