Positions 2-5: Dominating With Owned Properties
Session 6.3 · ~5 min read
Your homepage occupies Position 1. Positions 2 through 5 are where you extend your control over the brand SERP. These positions are typically filled by social profiles, directory listings, and third-party pages. The question is: will they be pages you chose, or pages Google found on its own?
The strategy is straightforward. Create and optimize profiles on platforms that rank well for brand searches. Fill positions 2 through 5 with properties you own and control. Push down anything you do not want there.
Which Platforms Rank for Brand Searches?
Not all platforms are equal when it comes to brand SERP potential. Some consistently rank on page 1 for brand searches. Others rarely appear. The following table ranks platforms by their observed frequency in brand SERP results.
| Platform | Entity Type | Brand SERP Frequency | Setup Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| LinkedIn (Company Page) | Organization | Very High | Critical |
| LinkedIn (Personal Profile) | Person | Very High | Critical |
| Facebook (Business Page) | Organization | High | High |
| X / Twitter | Both | High | High |
| YouTube Channel | Both | High | High |
| Crunchbase | Organization | High (tech/startup) | High (if applicable) |
| Wikipedia | Both | Very High (if article exists) | Covered in Module 5 |
| Both | Medium | Medium | |
| Both | Medium | Low | |
| GitHub | Both | Medium (tech entities) | Medium (if applicable) |
| Bloomberg Profile | Organization | Medium-High (public companies) | If applicable |
| Wikidata | Both | Low (rarely in organic results) | Feeds Knowledge Panel, not SERP |
LinkedIn is the single most reliable platform for occupying a brand SERP position. For person entities, a LinkedIn personal profile almost always appears in the top 5 results for a name search. For organizations, a well-maintained LinkedIn company page ranks consistently.
The Owned Property Ranking Strategy
Search Query"] --> B["Position 1
Homepage"] A --> C["Position 2
LinkedIn"] A --> D["Position 3
Facebook or YouTube"] A --> E["Position 4
Twitter/X or Crunchbase"] A --> F["Position 5
Industry Profile or GitHub"] B --> G["All link to each other
via sameAs and cross-links"] C --> G D --> G E --> G F --> G G --> H["Entity Signal
Reinforcement Loop"] style A fill:#222221,stroke:#c8a882,color:#ede9e3 style B fill:#222221,stroke:#6b8f71,color:#ede9e3 style C fill:#222221,stroke:#6b8f71,color:#ede9e3 style D fill:#222221,stroke:#6b8f71,color:#ede9e3 style E fill:#222221,stroke:#6b8f71,color:#ede9e3 style F fill:#222221,stroke:#6b8f71,color:#ede9e3 style H fill:#222221,stroke:#c8a882,color:#ede9e3
The diagram above illustrates the core strategy. Each owned property links to the others, creating a closed loop of entity signals. This is the entity linking work from Module 3 applied specifically to brand SERP optimization. When Google crawls your LinkedIn and finds a link to your website, then crawls your website and finds a sameAs link back to LinkedIn, it gains confidence that these properties represent the same entity.
Key concept: Positions 2 through 5 are not just about having profiles. They are about having profiles that are optimized, active, and cross-linked to form a coherent entity signal network.
Profile Optimization Checklist
Creating a profile is step one. Optimizing it for brand SERP ranking is step two. Every owned property should meet these criteria:
| Optimization Factor | What to Do | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Name Consistency | Use your exact brand name. No abbreviations, no extra keywords. | NAP consistency signals (Module 1) |
| Profile Description | Include entity category and core activities in the first 160 characters. | Google may use this as a SERP snippet |
| Profile Image | Use your official logo (org) or professional headshot (person). Same across all platforms. | Visual consistency reinforces entity recognition |
| Website Link | Link to your homepage. Use the exact URL format (https://www.example.com/). | Entity linking signal |
| Activity Level | Post at least monthly. Google deprioritizes dormant profiles. | Active profiles rank higher than abandoned ones |
| Custom URL/Handle | Claim your brand name as the URL slug or handle on every platform. | URL-level brand signal |
Displacing Unwanted Results
Sometimes the problem is not that you lack profiles, but that unwanted results occupy positions 2 through 5. These might be outdated directory listings, negative reviews, or results for a different entity with the same name.
The displacement strategy works on a simple principle: Google ranks pages by relevance and authority. If you create a highly relevant, authoritative profile on LinkedIn, and that profile has strong entity signals linking it to your brand, it will outrank a random directory listing with weak signals.
You cannot directly remove organic results (except in specific legal cases). But you can create enough high-quality, optimized properties that they push unwanted results off page 1.
Platform-Specific Tips
LinkedIn: Fill out every section. The "About" section is critical. Include your entity description, website link, and industry classification. For company pages, add employee counts, specialties, and a complete description.
Facebook: Business pages need a complete "About" section with category, address, phone, website, and description. Even if you do not post frequently, the profile data feeds Google's entity understanding.
YouTube: Create a channel even if you do not publish videos regularly. A branded channel with a description, website link, and banner image can rank on your brand SERP. If you do publish videos, they may also appear in the video carousel.
X / Twitter: Your bio is limited to 160 characters. Use it to state your entity name, category, and one distinguishing fact. Pin a tweet that describes your entity clearly.
Crunchbase: For technology companies and startups, Crunchbase profiles rank very well. If your entity is in the tech sector, a complete Crunchbase profile is nearly mandatory.
The Priority Order
If you are starting from scratch, set up and optimize profiles in this order:
- LinkedIn (personal and/or company page)
- Facebook Business Page
- X / Twitter
- YouTube Channel
- Industry-specific platform (Crunchbase, GitHub, Behance, etc.)
After creating each profile, immediately cross-link it. Add the website link on the profile. Add the profile URL to your homepage's sameAs schema array. This bidirectional linking is what transforms a simple profile into an entity signal.
Further Reading
- Barnard, Jason. "Brand SERP Optimization: Taking Control of Your Google Results." Kalicube Pro, 2023. kalicube.com/learning-space
- Google. "Establish Your Presence on Google." Google Search Central. developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/get-on-google
- Schwartz, Barry. "How Google Understands Entities." Search Engine Roundtable, 2023. seroundtable.com
- LinkedIn. "Company Pages Best Practices." LinkedIn Marketing Solutions. business.linkedin.com
Assignment
- Search your brand name in incognito mode and record what currently occupies positions 2 through 5.
- For each position, classify the result as: Owned (you control it), Favorable (positive but not yours), Neutral, or Unfavorable.
- Identify which platforms from the table above you do not yet have profiles on. Create profiles on the top 3 missing platforms.
- For every profile you control, verify that it includes: exact brand name, entity description, website link, and profile image. Fix any gaps.
- Update your homepage's Organization schema sameAs array to include all your profile URLs.