For the SEO industry, the Google Docs leak provided important behind-the-scenes information. While the leak wasn't a blueprint for how the algorithm works, it did provide a fair amount of confirmation that SEO experts were right about many elements of the algorithm.
From all the analysis and discussion following the leak, the only insight that stood out to me was how important branding is.
Rand Fishkin, who revealed this information, said:
“Brand matters more than anything…If there's one universal piece of advice I would give to marketers who want to dramatically improve their organic search rankings and traffic, it's this: Build a brand that's notable, popular, and well-known in your field outside of Google search.”
Mike King echoed these comments, saying:
“All of these potential demotions inform your strategy, but honestly, it all comes down to creating great content with a strong user experience and building your brand.”
Mordi Oberstein, an online branding advocate, posted on X (Twitter):
“I'm so happy that the conversation around SEO has shifted to thinking about brand.”
This isn't the first time “brand” has been mentioned in SEO – we've been covering the topic since around 2012, when it first became clear that Google was looking to make brands more important in the wake of Panda and Penguin.
Further fuelling this is the introduction of AI, which is increasing the importance of reducing reliance on Google SERPs and taking a more holistic approach to online marketing.
When I spoke with Pedro Diaz, he said, “Now more than ever, you need to focus on building your own communities with users who identify with your brand.”
As someone with 15 years of offline experience in marketing, design and business before switching to SEO, I've always said that this breadth of knowledge gives me a holistic view of SEO, so I welcome the shift to a mindset of building a brand online.
Mordi also stated in his X/Twitter post:
“I'm so happy to see the SEO conversation shift to thinking about 'brand' (a lot of this is a direct result of the great advice from @randfish and @iPullRank after the 'Google leak').”
As someone who has been in the world of brand marketing and SEO for nearly a decade, I believe branding is a lot harder than most SEOs realize and will require a big adjustment for many SEOs.”
Following his X/Twitter post, I reached out to Mordy Oberstein, Head of SEO Brand at Wix, to discuss branding and SEO.
What do SEO professionals need to know about “branding” to change their mindset?
I asked Modi, “In your opinion, what does brand and brand building mean, and can SEO professionals effect this shift in thinking?”
Modi responded: “Brand building basically means creating a connection between one entity and another, such as a company and its audience.
Two people meet, and that blending is what builds a brand. It's really a relationship. And I think that's what's hard about SEO. It's a different way of thinking, it's not linear, and there aren't always metrics that you can measure.
That’s not to say we don’t use data or that we don’t have data, but it’s becoming more difficult to measure to get the full picture.
You are trying to pick up on subliminal signals. A lot of conversation happens subconsciously.
It's the little things that add up, so you need to think about everything you do, all your signals, to make sure they're aligned with your brand.
For example, let's say a website has an article titled “What is a tax return?” But if I'm a professional accountant and I see this on your blog, I might think this doesn't apply to me because it signals that you have very basic knowledge. I don't need to know what a tax return is. I have a master's degree in accounting.
The underlying signals you’re sending can be very subtle, but this is where SEO thinking shifts.”
I was reminded of a recent conversation I had with Pedro Dias, in which he emphasized the importance of putting your users first and creating content that is relevant to them. Targeting high-volume keywords won't connect with your audience. Instead, think about what will attract, intrigue and entertain them.
He went on to say that there has been discussion online for some time that SEO professionals are moving away from a keyword-focused approach, but the move away from a focus on traffic and clicks will likely result in a temporary dip in performance.
How do SEO professionals sell this to their stakeholders, and how do they measure success?
I asked Modi, “How will you justify this approach to your stakeholders? How will they measure success?”
Modi responded: “I think SEO will get harder to sell over time, but if you don't take the branding aspect into account, you can miss the point of what's going on. Instead of accepting lower traffic volumes, your traffic will become more targeted.”
“You might have less traffic now, but the idea is to gain a digital presence and generate digital momentum to drive more qualified traffic in the long run.”
Modi added: “Just like having to go on a diet to improve your long-term health, this will be a difficult habit to break.”
The ecosystem will change and our approach will have to change too. SEOs may not have paid attention to the Google leaked docs, but they will as the entire ecosystem changes. They have no choice.
I also think it sends a message that executives don't care about overall traffic numbers, but they do care about whether users are rating their products and whether their brand is differentiated in some way.”
What will the industry segments be and what are their key roles?
I interjected to point out that it seems like SEO is finally making its mark on marketing as a whole.
Technical SEO has always been important, and paid/programmatic continues to be important as it is a direct result of it.
For the rest of SEO, we expect brand, SEO and content to come together and become a hybrid strategic role spanning those disciplines.
What we thought of as “traditional SEO” will disappear and SEO will be absorbed into marketing.
Mordy agreed and thought SEO traffic was part of a broader scope or wider paradigm, sitting beneath brand and communications.
SEO professionals who work as part of broader marketing and think about how to drive revenue, how to drive growth, what kind of growth they want to drive, and use SEO as a means to do that.
My final point is about whether social media will become a more integrated aspect of SEO and overall online marketing.
Morday likened Google to a moth attracted to the biggest digital light.
“Social media is a great way to gain momentum and establish the digital presence you need,” he said.
For example, the more active you are on social media, the more organic branded searches you get through Google search.
I don't think Google is ignoring branded search, and it creates a semantic connection.”
SEO Shifts to Include Branding and Marketing
An interesting perspective emerged from my conversation with Mordy: SEO requires a major shift in how you think about branding and marketing.
The full impact of AI on Google SERPs and how it will change the industry is yet to be fully understood, but I would urge anyone involved in SEO to consider how they can start incorporating a brand-first approach into their strategy and the content they create.
We encourage you to build and measure relationships with your audience based on how they connect with your brand, and move away from mass keyword chasing strategies.
Think about what the user will do once they click. That's where the real value lies.
Get ahead of upcoming changes.
Thanks to Mordy Oberstein for sharing his thoughts and being a guest on IMHO.
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Featured Image: 3rdtimeluckystudio/Shutterstock
