UK Budget 2015: who is creating highly-ranked content?

It can be difficult for companies and organisations to get their voices heard on subjects such as the Budget, which attract so much mainstream media coverage. However some are already winning top search rankings and providing useful, timely content for their customers and readers. Here are some examples:

PwC

One of only two non-media organisations (apart from the Treasury’s own site) to produce a search result for ‘Budget 2015’ on the first page of Google on Budget day, the Budget section of PwC’s website is a very good example of a business thinking like a publisher and using its own website and social media channels to establish its position as an industry-leading voice. Of course not every company has the resources and clout of PwC, but the Budget page has elements others could recreate, such as video comment from senior staff, graphs illustrating the impact of the main Budget measures and PwC’s Twitter feed.

Moneysavingexpert.com and KPMG

Moneysavingexpert.com was the second non-media entry on Google’s first page of ‘Budget 2015’ search results on Budget day, with an income tax calculator to help people work out what their take-home pay would be in 2015/16 following the changes in the Chancellor’s announcement.

KPMG also produced a calculator to help customers and readers answer the question ‘what does it mean for me?’. Its ‘am I better or worse off?’ calculator went up on its website the day after the Budget and was promoted via LinkedIn.

Alcohol duty

One for the missed opportunity list – ahead of the Budget announcement, the top-ranking content in a search on ‘Budget 2015 + alcohol duty’ came from doctors in the Alcohol Health Alliance, with a piece on why the duty escalator should be reinstated. The various trade bodies representing wine, beer and spirits ranked far below and the drinks companies did not feature at all.

Following the Budget, in which duty was cut on beer, cider and spirits and frozen on wine, media organisations took all the top slots on Google on the subject of alcohol and the Budget. Given the strong debate over whether pricing has an impact on alcohol consumption, this is a space where the drinks industry could benefit from using content to make its views more visible.

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