Which problem are you trying to solve?
The original discussion contrasted getting more traffic with making better use of the visitors already reaching a retailer. Those are different jobs. A campaign to increase awareness will not automatically fix a difficult buying journey.
Start with the business goal, then decide which evidence will help you choose the next action.
Read branded searches in context
Separating branded and non-branded queries can help you understand how people find the site. Define the terms and keep the reporting filters consistent.
A rising brand share is not automatically good news: it can change because branded demand grew or because other traffic fell. There is no universal percentage that proves a healthy brand.
Keep diagnostic measures in their place
Engagement and conversion measures can reveal problems, but definitions and traffic mix matter. A movement in one number is a prompt to investigate, not an instruction to ignore everything else.
Compare the relevant pages, channels and customer outcomes. Decide whether the priority is acquisition, the buying journey or something outside the website.
Agree how an agency relationship will be judged
Start with the business outcome, not a shopping list of services. Before appointing an agency, agree the scope, the measures and their definitions, the review cadence, who controls the accounts and data, and what happens when the engagement ends. Ask how reported leads or sales will be reconciled with the system the business trusts.
A forecast can help with planning, but it is not a guarantee. A long report is not accountability if it cannot show what changed, what the business received and what decision should follow. The same test applies to the contract: the exit and handover terms should be clear before the work begins.
The useful question is which change would help the business, not which metric makes the report look better.
See our SEO services and CRO work.