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It’s true that brand strength correlates with SEO results.\u00a0You\u2019ll often hear SEO professionals talk about branded keywords vs. non-branded keywords. It\u2019s all fairly straightforward. Branded keywords include the brand, company name, branded products or services, etc. as part of the search term. Non-branded keywords don\u2019t include any mention of the brand, just what the searcher is looking for, like \u201cbusiness planning software.”<\/p>\n
While looking at the data sets separately does make sense, since branded searches typically drive the most traffic and aren\u2019t competitive, it\u2019s really not that cut and dry. That\u2019s because the strength of the brand as a whole can help drive traffic from non-branded search terms. Here’s more information about it:<\/p>\n
The primary goal of an SEO campaign is to increase organic search engine traffic to a website over time. SEO work such as keyword research, optimizing on-site content, and building links from relevant and trustworthy sites improves organic search engine position which generates more impressions. In turn, these efforts should result in more clicks and thus a grater amount of traffic.<\/p>\n
However, there is something to think about while implementing an SEO campaign.\u00a0No matter how great your SEO efforts are, people are still more likely to click on a link of a company\/brand that they are at least somewhat familiar with. This means that even if you\u2019re ranking #4 for an important non-branded keyword, if your competitor that\u2019s ranking #5 has a stronger overall brand, there\u2019s a good chance that they\u2019ll get the click.<\/p>\n
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On some level, big brands have the strength of their name to help them in the search engines. On the surface, it may look as if it is difficult to compete with a stronger brand in the search engines and in a way, it\u2019s a never-ending cycle. Often, it’s the stronger brand gets the click, increasing their click through rate, which is a signal to the search engines that it\u2019s relevant, which can improve their search ranking.<\/p>\n
This doesn’t mean that their overall SEO work is better than yours. Their brand strength is driving their search presence.<\/p>\n
There are two things companies can do to compete with the larger brands. The first is to always put your best efforts forward when it comes to SEO. However, you should move beyond SEO to generate traffic using other methods. While\u00a0\u00a0SEO is certainly important but it shouldn\u2019t be the only marketing that your company is doing. Consider amping up your social media efforts or even investing in paid advertising. An SEO campaign has the best results when it\u2019s part of an overall integrated marketing campaign that includes both online and offline marketing efforts.<\/p>\n
The same is true if you\u2019re running PPC ads or social media ads. No matter how great the ads are, how high the bids are, or how targeted the ads are, it\u2019s nearly impossible to take clicks away from an established brand.<\/p>\n