The document discusses how branding, content, and SEO (search engine optimization) are interconnected and important for a powerful website. It explains that while content and SEO were initially most important, good design and branding are now also critical. The key is to integrate these areas by creating unique, keyword-optimized content on a consistently branded site and promoting it through social media to build links and traffic over time. This snowball effect will boost search rankings as more people engage with and share the content.

1. Branding, Content, SEO:
Connect the Dots to a More Powerful Web Site
Emily Brackett
President, Visible Logic
www.visiblelogic.com
Design + business blog: visiblelogic.com/blog
Branding, Content, SEO
COMPELLING BRAND IDENTITIES IN PRINT & WEB
Connecting the Dots for a Powerful Web Site

2. Definitions
Branding, Content, SEO
COMPELLING BRAND IDENTITIES IN PRINT & WEB
Connecting the Dots for a Powerful Web Site

3. Branding
Web design and branding are different and both are important.
Good design
Consistent brand identity
Readable fonts
Corporate fonts
Good use of color
Corporate colors
High quality imagery
Recognizable design elements
A “template” might work
A template will not work
Tone and voice goes beyond design
elements
Design and voice can be seen / heard in
other applications (consistency)
Branding, Content, SEO
COMPELLING BRAND IDENTITIES IN PRINT & WEB
Connecting the Dots for a Powerful Web Site

4. Content
Thought leadership, experience, expertise.
100%
Branding, Content, SEO
COMPELLING BRAND IDENTITIES IN PRINT & WEB
Connecting the Dots for a Powerful Web Site

5. SEO=Search Engine Optimization
Google wants to show results from good quality sources.
Every algorithm update moves them closer.
Branding, Content, SEO
COMPELLING BRAND IDENTITIES IN PRINT & WEB
Connecting the Dots for a Powerful Web Site

6. “My, how times have
changed”
Branding, Content, SEO
COMPELLING BRAND IDENTITIES IN PRINT & WEB
Connecting the Dots for a Powerful Web Site

7. Changing Influence over Time
More important
Content
Design & Branding
SEO
Less important
Beginning of
the internet
2014+
Branding, Content, SEO
COMPELLING BRAND IDENTITIES IN PRINT & WEB
Connecting the Dots for a Powerful Web Site

8. Changing Influence over Time
More important
Content
Design & Branding
SEO
Less important
Beginning of
the internet
2014+
Branding, Content, SEO
COMPELLING BRAND IDENTITIES IN PRINT & WEB
Connecting the Dots for a Powerful Web Site

9. Changing Influence over Time
More important
Content
Design & Branding
SEO
Less important
Beginning of
the internet
2014+
Branding, Content, SEO
COMPELLING BRAND IDENTITIES IN PRINT & WEB
Connecting the Dots for a Powerful Web Site

10. Changing Influence over Time
More important
Content
Design & Branding
SEO
Less important
Beginning of
the internet
2014+
Branding, Content, SEO
COMPELLING BRAND IDENTITIES IN PRINT & WEB
Connecting the Dots for a Powerful Web Site

11. Changing Influence over Time
More important
Content
Design & Branding
SEO
Less important
Beginning of
the internet
2014+
Branding, Content, SEO
COMPELLING BRAND IDENTITIES IN PRINT & WEB
Connecting the Dots for a Powerful Web Site

12. Best Practices
Branding, Content, SEO
COMPELLING BRAND IDENTITIES IN PRINT & WEB
Connecting the Dots for a Powerful Web Site

13. Branding
Consistency. Repetition. Think beyond your logo.
Branding, Content, SEO
COMPELLING BRAND IDENTITIES IN PRINT & WEB
Connecting the Dots for a Powerful Web Site

14. Branding
Connect back to your brand (contact info and brand identity).
Branding, Content, SEO
COMPELLING BRAND IDENTITIES IN PRINT & WEB
Connecting the Dots for a Powerful Web Site

15. Branding
Thoughtful content, presented by your brand builds trust in your brand.
Trust
Branding, Content, SEO
COMPELLING BRAND IDENTITIES IN PRINT & WEB
Connecting the Dots for a Powerful Web Site

16. SEO = Text
Search engines cannot read graphic files, only text.
Substitute, Surround, Tag
Branding, Content, SEO
COMPELLING BRAND IDENTITIES IN PRINT & WEB
Connecting the Dots for a Powerful Web Site

17. SEO: Link building
Generate high-quality links back to your own web site.
www.LinkToYourDomain.com
Branding, Content, SEO
COMPELLING BRAND IDENTITIES IN PRINT & WEB
Connecting the Dots for a Powerful Web Site

18. SEO: Headers & Tags
Branding, Content, SEO
COMPELLING BRAND IDENTITIES IN PRINT & WEB
Connecting the Dots for a Powerful Web Site

19. SEO: Keywords
Use your words!
Branding, Content, SEO
COMPELLING BRAND IDENTITIES IN PRINT & WEB
Connecting the Dots for a Powerful Web Site

20. Good Content
Original thinking.
Keywords that people are searching on.
Content that people want to read, share and react to.
Content that engages people.
Positions you and your brand.
Gives you something to promote in social media, e-newsletters,
and everywhere else.
Branding, Content, SEO
COMPELLING BRAND IDENTITIES IN PRINT & WEB
Connecting the Dots for a Powerful Web Site

21. Bad Content
Duplicate content.
Scraping content.
Is dull or hard to read.
• long
• boring
• no visuals when there should be
• cheap stock photos
• no subheads (helps readability and SEO)
Branding, Content, SEO
COMPELLING BRAND IDENTITIES IN PRINT & WEB
Connecting the Dots for a Powerful Web Site

22. Integrating
Branding, Content, SEO
Branding, Content, SEO
COMPELLING BRAND IDENTITIES IN PRINT & WEB
Connecting the Dots for a Powerful Web Site

23. No Silos
Branding, Content, SEO
COMPELLING BRAND IDENTITIES IN PRINT & WEB
Connecting the Dots for a Powerful Web Site

24. No Silos
Branding, Content, SEO
COMPELLING BRAND IDENTITIES IN PRINT & WEB
Connecting the Dots for a Powerful Web Site

25. Design vs. SEO
Myth:
Design doesn’t matter to SEO
(only to the user experience).
Branding, Content, SEO
COMPELLING BRAND IDENTITIES IN PRINT & WEB
Connecting the Dots for a Powerful Web Site

26. Design vs. SEO
Matt Cutts disagrees.
Matt Cutts, Head of Google’s Webspam team
Branding, Content, SEO
COMPELLING BRAND IDENTITIES IN PRINT & WEB
Connecting the Dots for a Powerful Web Site

27. Design vs. SEO
“If you look at the history of sites that have done relatively well, or of
businesses that are doing well now… they make design a fundamental
piece of why their site is advantageous to go to.
“If you get that sweet spot of something compelling where the design is
really good, where the user experience just flows, you’d be amazed at
how much growth and traffic and traction you can get as a result.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2mv1KSktLo#t=295
Branding, Content, SEO
COMPELLING BRAND IDENTITIES IN PRINT & WEB
Connecting the Dots for a Powerful Web Site

28. 3 Strong Legs
Branding, Content, SEO
COMPELLING BRAND IDENTITIES IN PRINT & WEB
Connecting the Dots for a Powerful Web Site

29. Snowball Effect
Write a great blog & post it on
your well-designed, branded site
Learn to optimize the post for
keywords
Create links in your own social
media channels
People share your content and
you get good inbound links from
other sources
Branding, Content, SEO
COMPELLING BRAND IDENTITIES IN PRINT & WEB
Connecting the Dots for a Powerful Web Site

30. Snowball Effect
Repeat
Branding, Content, SEO
COMPELLING BRAND IDENTITIES IN PRINT & WEB
Connecting the Dots for a Powerful Web Site

31. Snowball Effect
Repeat, repeat, repeat
Branding, Content, SEO
COMPELLING BRAND IDENTITIES IN PRINT & WEB
Connecting the Dots for a Powerful Web Site

32. Promotion not Duplication
Original content stays one place, but is promoted multiple places.
Branding, Content, SEO
COMPELLING BRAND IDENTITIES IN PRINT & WEB
Connecting the Dots for a Powerful Web Site

33. Case Study
Climb Technology
Branding, Content, SEO
COMPELLING BRAND IDENTITIES IN PRINT & WEB
Connecting the Dots for a Powerful Web Site

34. Case Study
Climb Technology
Branding, Content, SEO
COMPELLING BRAND IDENTITIES IN PRINT & WEB
Connecting the Dots for a Powerful Web Site

35. The future of content
The future of content is quality (over quantity).
Branding, Content, SEO
COMPELLING BRAND IDENTITIES IN PRINT & WEB
Connecting the Dots for a Powerful Web Site

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Branding, Content, SEO
COMPELLING BRAND IDENTITIES IN PRINT & WEB
Connecting the Dots for a Powerful Web Site

37. Integrating all three
Creating new content helps SEO. When the user clicks through to your site,
good design keeps them there and good branding makes it memorable. When
promoting your content on different channels, branding helps to reinforce the
connection to your product or service or company. As your social media channels
get more traction, you’ll see a boost in search results. Branding is what
connects your expertise back to your organization as you create and publicize
content. The next time someone sees your brand, they click through to view
your content. Search engines give preference to highly clickable content...
Branding, Content, SEO
COMPELLING BRAND IDENTITIES IN PRINT & WEB
Connecting the Dots for a Powerful Web Site