Getting branded searches right can be a bit tricky.

This is the “Whiteboard Friday” video on branded searches from Moz, which this post is based off of:

Moz says you want the user to either land on your website’s home or product page because these are the top two pages that should rank in Google search results.

They say that because these are the pages that will funnel users to your products, helping them get to know your company and learn about what you sell.

So, how do you get there?

Go for the Product Page

You definitely want your home page to rank, but you want your product page to rank even more.

It should be easier for users to find the information they’re looking for and these pages will also likely have a better impact on SEO and how visitors to your site perform.

What Should Go On This Page

The next step is deciding what should go on this page.

You know your brand better than anyone else. Ask yourself what you want users to know right away. What do you want to jump out at them when they click onto your site?

Getting this right could avoid pogo-sticking and overall indecisiveness that generally causes a user to have second thoughts and hit the back button.

For a real estate website, you may want to highlight your location, the community(s) you specialize in or a little bit about you—since real estate is based on personalization and the ability to connect with buyers and sellers.

Coffee and Shoes 

You want your titles and your intent to match.

When a user clicks onto your site from their Google search results, the last thing you want is for them to hit the back button because they’re not sure if they landed on the right page. This is called pogo-sticking.

Basically, if you’re posting an article about coffee because your site is a coffee resource, don’t lead users to an article about shoes or excessively talk about shoes throughout your site.

Coffee and shoes. Got it?

Be the Tour Guide

Also include links that will lead the way and guide users to their next destination.

Like I mentioned earlier, you know your brand better than anyone else. So, you know where visitors to your site should go next.

Since you have this top-secret information, be the tour guide and direct them.

That’s all for today. Make sure to check out the Moz video at the top of the page.