Regaining Control of Branded Search
In competitive industries, controlling your brand’s visibility in search results is essential. But what happens when third-party affiliates - not direct competitors - start dominating your branded searches?
When affiliates Took Over the SERP, We Took the Brand Back
That was the case with one of our clients, a leading insurance provider. While their official website ranked first for their brand name, the rest of the first page was filled with affiliate websites. Unlike other major players, this brand didn’t fully own their presence on the results page. So, we set out to fix that.
The Challenge
Too Many Agents, Not Enough Brand Presence
The company works with a wide network of affiliates. Over time, many of them created optimized landing pages using the brand name in titles, headings, and content.
As a result, 8 out of the top 10 results for the brand name alone were agent websites. Even the company’s Google Business Profile (GBP) was often overshadowed by affiliate listings.
On top of that, they also outranked the brand for branded variations like:
- “[Brand] contact”
- “[Brand] reviews”
- “[Brand] pricing”
This meant the brand had limited control over how it appeared in search – even for its own name – and users were often directed to third-party sites.
Our Solution
Rebuilding Brand Authority Across Search
We’ve put together an SEO strategy to really boost how visible our brand is online.
Here’s How We Did It:
- Strengthened the connection between all brand-owned assets (website, social channels, Wikipedia page, YouTube page, GBP).
- Improved Google’s understanding of the brand using structured data and GBP enhancements.
- Optimized core branded pages like “Contact” and “About,” and created new pages to answer common searches such as:
- “[Brand] pricing”
- “[Brand] reviews”
- “[Brand] customer support”
Together, these moves helped consolidate authority and shift visibility back to the brand itself.
The Results
Page One, Back in Brand Hands
Since implementing the full strategy, YOY performance has improved significantly:
- Only two affiliate sites remain for the main brand name, and they have been pushed to the bottom of page one.
- The brand ranked 1st instead of 4th or lower for related searches like “contact,” “pricing,” and “reviews,”
- The updated Google Business Profile clearly stands out, outperforming affiliates listings.
The brand now owns its narrative – and its visibility – where it matters most.