Navigating SERP Volatility With a Brand-Audience-First Approach

This week, big thanks goes to freelance writer and SEO, Amaka Chukwuma, for her guide to navigating SERP changes using a brand-audience-first approach to ensure sustainable SEO. 

“Google is always changing” is a truth we can all agree on. 

Recent changes like the emergence of Search Generative Experience (SGE) and the removal of the continuous scroll feature are classic examples of the evolving SERP. This ongoing flux impacts SEO professionals, requiring them to navigate these shifts. The removal of continuous scroll, for example, may have altered click-through rates for Page 2 results.

Adapting quickly to these changes is crucial. But the risk is that strategies become purely reactionary, lacking stability and clear direction. When SEOs focus exclusively on responding to Google's changes, they may neglect the essential alignment between their strategies and their brand's audience. 

A brand-audience-first approach amidst SERP fluctuations ensures stronger and more sustainable SEO performance.

Contents:

• What is a brand-audience-first approach?
• Taking a brand-audience-first approach after a SERP change
• Real-world example: navigating SERP changes with brand integrity
• Long-term strategy amid SERP volatility

What is a brand-audience-first approach?

A brand-audience-first approach recognizes that while search algorithms may fluctuate, the core values and messaging of a brand should remain consistent.

While SEO landscapes are inherently unstable, a brand's essence should project stability in all aspects, including audience engagement. SEO becomes part of a broader marketing mix, where balance is crucial for maintaining overall stability.

This stability in brand identity provides a solid foundation from which to adapt SEO strategies without compromising the brand's integrity or audience trust.

In practice, this means:

1. Maintaining consistent brand voice and messaging across all channels, including SEO-optimized content.
2. Balancing SEO best practices with authentic, value-driven content that resonates with the target audience.
3. Using SEO as a tool to amplify the brand's message and reach, rather than allowing it to dictate the brand's direction.
4. Adapting to SEO changes in ways that align with the brand's established values and audience expectations.

Taking a brand-audience-first approach after a SERP change

Step 1: Perform manual SERP inspection 

While SEO tools are invaluable, they're not infallible. Manual SERP analysis catches those subtle shifts that tools might overlook. Regular hands-on checks of SERPs for your key terms can reveal game-changing nuances.

Image 1: Search Overview

Let's take the keyword "fixing 401" as an example. The search overview from SpyFu correctly identified the intent (Image 1), but the SERP analysis tool fell short, claiming "no analysis available" and offering unrelated keywords (Image 2). 

Image 2: SERP Analysis

In contrast, a manual search for "fixing 401" reveals the true state of the SERP in real-time. As seen in Image 3, the keyword appears in AI overviews, Featured Snippets, and "People Also Ask" sections (see Image 4), giving a more comprehensive understanding of the keyword's context and user intent. 

Image 3: Manual SERP Analysis

Performing manual inspections of the SERP for your primary keywords helps you identify new content types and trends that might influence user behavior and search results. This approach provides a clearer, more accurate picture of the SERP landscape, which could significantly impact user behavior and search results. 

Image 4: PAA SERP Result for “fixing 401”

Step 2: Evaluate changes before acting

It's always necessary to approach SERP changes with a measured perspective. Not every fluctuation demands an immediate response. Instead, take the time to evaluate whether these new elements represent fleeting anomalies or signal lasting trends before implementing significant strategy shifts.

A thorough analysis of SERP changes and their potential impact on your site is key to determining the appropriate course of action. I asked SEO expert, coach, and owner of Inkwell Content, Liam Carnaham, about this and he said: 

"One way to know if you should act or hold off is to see your performance on SERP. If you have dropped down off the first page or dropped more than 10-15 positions consistently, then it's time to do an analysis on who has replaced you and why."

While adjustments may be necessary, it's important to avoid frequent, drastic changes. Liam emphasizes that "SEO strategies are living documents, not something you do once and walk away. Strategies should be assessed quarterly and overhauled once a year. This will help you keep abreast of SERP changes and shifts in your client's goals or target audience."

To maintain this balance, establish regular review cycles to analyze SERP data and audience feedback from your data tools. This approach allows for informed adjustments based on actual performance and audience response.

Before making any strategy adjustments, consider these three key questions:

1. What's changed since our last assessment?
2. Which strategies are working and which aren't?
3. How do potential adjustments align with our goals?

Step 3. Leverage new opportunities

Use SERP changes to find new visibility opportunities without altering your core content. 

When Google introduces new features, it’s a great chance to boost your content's visibility. For instance, the AI Overview feature now displays website links prominently at the top of the page. Understanding the types of content and keywords that appear in these AI Overviews helps you tailor your content to fit these formats better. 

This might involve optimizing for explicit long-tail keywords or including relevant information that aligns with your brand’s messaging. Other options include incorporating multiple formatting styles, like lists, short paragraphs, and headings, to make your content more digestible for AI systems. 

Analyze the current content in your category and its formatting to increase your chances of displacing existing results.

Step 4: Revamp strategic content

Focus on updating content in areas where the SERP is more stable. You're more likely to achieve quicker wins for keywords where the top results are not changing much over time. This approach allows you to improve rankings and audience engagement without constantly reacting to every SERP change.

Identify pages that can be optimized quickly, particularly content that is already performing decently but could benefit from minor updates to enhance its relevance and accuracy. Ideal quick-win pages could be pages ranking on page 2 or at the bottom of page 1 in search results. You can make minor updates to these pages for major impact. 

This could involve:

• Updating statistics or facts
• Improving the content structure for better readability
• Enhancing the meta description or title
• Updating relevant internal links
• Incorporating more comprehensive or current information

Real-world example: navigating SERP changes with brand integrity

SEO Consultant Jill Caren posted on LinkedIn recently:

For me, this demonstrates how maintaining a brand-audience-first approach can guide strategic decisions in response to the changing SERP.

Initial SERP analysis results

Jill notes in her LinkedIn post that initially, the client's website was ranked third on the SERP, following a high-authority media brand and a nutrition coaching service blog. The SERP layout included:

• A People Also Ask (PAA) box
• Blogs
• Several videos

Changes observed

During a follow-up analysis, the SERP had undergone notable changes:

• A blog from a gym franchise (posted in 2022) appeared
• Discussions and forums became more prominent
• An Amazon link for a related book was introduced

These additions pushed the client’s listing further down the page, even though the ranking remained third.

Strategic decisions made

In response to the observed SERP changes, Jill made several strategic decisions, all while keeping the brand-audience relationship at the forefront:

• Backlink strategy leveraging SERP opportunity: Rather than immediately altering the existing content, she leveraged a new opportunity she discovered in the SERP. By obtaining a backlink from a highly relevant Reddit post that ranked for her client’s keyword, she enhanced the brand's credibility and authority. This strategic move took advantage of Google’s recent prioritization of Reddit in the SERP, without compromising the content quality that their audience valued. If she hadn’t checked the SERP, she would have missed this valuable opportunity.
• Content revamp focus: The client was advised to revamp content in areas where the SERP was less volatile. This approach aimed to achieve quicker wins and provide their audience with fresh, valuable content.

Despite the client maintaining a third-place rank, which will likely result in a decrease in clicks and impressions, Jill's strategic steps will help build brand credibility in the long run.

Long-term strategy amid SERP volatility for brand consistency

The key to maintaining a competitive edge amid SERP changes lies in prioritizing elements that remain relevant and are likely to remain so, i.e., sustainable SEO practice. Certain factors will remain important to Google. Therefore, your long-term strategy should center around these enduring practices.

1. Consistent messaging

Consistency helps in creating a reliable and trustworthy image in the eyes of your audience. Ensure that all updates and new content maintain your brand’s voice and messaging to build a cohesive brand identity. Follow a brand style guide for all content creation and updates. This guide should include your brand’s tone, voice, key messages, and visual elements. 

2. Topical authority

Establishing topical authority serves as the cornerstone of a sustainable long-term content strategy and closely correlates with Google's E-A-T principles: Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. In fact, Google's goals for search results mirror what you want for your brand. 

Two ways to achieve topical authority:

• Pick topics that matter to your field
• Write about the component parts of broad topics

We also can't talk about topical authority without emphasizing the importance of intent and keywords. These will remain fundamental and integral to aligning with search algorithms.

In the face of unstable SERP, topical authority built on a foundation of intent-driven, keyword-informed content is your brand's best defense against algorithm changes and your strongest offense for long-term success.

3. Local SEO

Don't overlook the significance of local SEO. It helps you establish a strong community presence and ensures your client’s business stands out when local customers search for their products or services. A key aspect of local SEO is leveraging the map pack SERP feature, which can significantly boost your brand's visibility.

4. PR and reputation management

When third-party sites mention your brand organically, it can enhance your online visibility through co-citation and co-occurrence. These are two important concepts in SEO that can boost your brand's authority and relevance in the ‘eyes’ of search engines.

Co-citation occurs when two different websites are both linked to or mentioned by a third website, even if they don't directly link to each other. For example, if your brand and a competitor are both mentioned in an industry report, search engines might infer a relationship between you, potentially boosting your relevance for related searches.

Co-occurrence, on the other hand, involves related keywords appearing near your brand name across different websites. This signals to search engines that your content is relevant to those topics. For instance, if your brand name frequently appears near terms like "sustainable fashion," search engines might associate your brand more strongly with that concept.

These benefits naturally arise from comprehensive marketing efforts rather than isolated strategies. By focusing on brand recognition and creating valuable content, you indirectly encourage co-citation and co-occurrence. This leads to more frequent mentions across the web and can improve your SEO performance. 

Strategic link-building can amplify these effects. For instance, you can do a targeted link-building campaign for co-citation. When planning your link-building strategy, consider targeting websites that already link to or mention respected brands in your industry. This association can strengthen your brand's perceived relevance and authority in your niche.

Google's focus on relevance means that these organic brand mentions and associations can enhance your visibility for users' search queries related to your industry or niche. By consistently producing quality content and engaging in meaningful industry discussions, you create more opportunities for beneficial co-citation and co-occurrence to occur naturally.

Wrap up

The current landscape presents both challenges and opportunities for SEOs and brands. The dynamic nature of the SERP requires SEOs to stay ahead of the curve by continually educating themselves on best practices. Moving forward, it's essential to produce top-notch content, reassess strategies as necessary, and ensure your client’s brand actively engages in industry conversations.

You might also like:

• How to Conduct an SEO Content Audit
• How to Optimize for Different Types of Featured Snippets
• How to Do a Link Audit for SEO