SEO-Brand Sync
Describe yourself the same way everywhere so Google can connect the dots.
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 75%
SEO-Brand Sync is Vinnie's principle that your search strategy and brand strategy must be the same strategy. If you describe yourself one way in social and your services are described differently on your own page, you're breaking the connection Google needs to understand your relevance. By taking a linear approach — copying the same verbiage from social into your online presence — you let Google connect the dots between your keywords and your site. He calls profiles the biggest and easiest area of improvement, and adds a tactic: turn off platform features like LinkedIn's similar-accounts option that divert viewers away from your profile.
Origin
Vinnie developed this advising brands as a social and content executive, watching how LinkedIn and Google populate keywords from profile sections and how mismatched self-descriptions sever the SEO connection.
Core principles
- 01If your SEO strategy and brand strategy aren't in sync you do yourself a disservice.
- 02The words you use to describe yourself in social must match the words describing your services on your own page.
- 03A linear, matching approach lets Google understand why your site is relevant to your keywords.
- 04Profiles are the biggest and easiest area of discoverability improvement.
- 05Turn off platform features (like LinkedIn's similar-accounts) that divert attention from your profile.
How to run it
- 1
Audit your self-description everywhere
Look at the words you use to describe yourself across social platforms and on your own website.
Watch out If the words don't match your services page you're doing a big disservice.
- 2
Sync social and site verbiage
Copy the same descriptive language from social into your online presence so the verbiage matches.
Pro tip A linear approach lets Google understand why your website is relevant to your keywords.
- 3
Optimise your profiles first
Treat profiles as the biggest and easiest place to improve, completing the searchable sections on each platform.
Pro tip On LinkedIn, use LinkedIn's newer creator profiles to prioritise content over resume.
- 4
Turn off attention-diverting features
Disable options like LinkedIn's 'similar accounts' that show viewers competitors and pull them away from your profile.
Pro tip Someone came to watch your show — don't point them at other shows.
In the wild
Vinnie points out that LinkedIn lets people see accounts similar to yours, and advises turning that option off — because when someone comes to watch your show, showing them all the other shows is a distraction that takes them away from your profile.
→ Turning the option off keeps a visitor's attention on your profile instead of routing them to competitors.
Common mistakes
Mismatched keywords across surfaces
Using words to describe yourself in social that aren't used to describe your services on your own page breaks the connection Google needs and hurts your relevance for those keywords.
Is it for you?
Best for
Creators and service providers who want their website and profiles to rank for the terms they use about themselves.
Not ideal for
Those without a website or consistent set of services to describe.
From the transcript
“if your seo strategy and your brand strategy are not in sync and you're using words to describe yourself that aren't being used to describe…”
“allowing the the verbage to match it allows google to understand why your website is relevant to these certain keywords”
From the episode
Vinnie Potestivo: How To Shine
Vinnie Potestivo