Abhishek Chauhan
Over the past decade, SEO earned itself a reputation of being one of the most efficient online marketing strategies in existence. Targeting the unpaid, organic traffic that originates from approximately 3.5 billion searches made on Google each day, SEO today represents a far more preferable choice than PPC for as much as 70% of active marketers.
However, very few of these people observe search engine optimization as a powerful branding tool as well. That is too bad because using organic traffic to boost brand awareness can create much more powerful results and improve brand image than developing SEO and branding strategies separately. Let us take a look at how this dynamic works in more detail.
Link Building
If we break down this to the very core, branding is nothing more than increasing recognition, visibility, and recognition of one company. All these areas are, essentially, what makes SEO one of the marketing strategies with the highest return in the industry. So, how do you tackle both these requirements at the same time? One of the ways could be participating in social media communities like Reddit and creating content designed to get more shares and tractions. Aside from doing wonders for the awareness of your brand, this content also serves as a platform for building an incredibly powerful back-link following, so it plays its SEO role as well.
Using long-tail keywords
Proper use of keywords is one of the most effective strategies for boosting SEO rankings. However, not all keywords are made the same. For instance, short tail keywords have much higher search volumes, so it is safe to assume they generate more traffic and boost brand awareness. But, short-tail keywords also feature very low conversion rates, which makes them less efficient and more expensive. On the other hand, long-tail keywords that are more cost-effective also target the more motivated audience, so they are a better option for branding. Creating word of mouth in these circles is an excellent way to get ahead of the completion.
Cornering down the local markets
Although the local searches often end up overlooked, this is the point where the line between branding and SEO becomes virtually non-existent. In short, local SEO creates accurate and consistent local citations, lists the business in online local directories, manages reviews, adds hyper-local content to the website, and overall makes the company in question much more visible to local communities. So, for instance, if some brand wants to expand to Sydney and improve regional visibility, it is perfectly reasonable to reach out to local Sydney SEO experts with great knowledge of the local trends and culture to lay down the SEO infrastructure.
Branding optimized content
Speaking in terms of SEO, it is not that big of a secret that optimized content gets more leads. However, this topic doesn’t have to be observed purely from a technical standpoint. Top-tier, well-optimized, useful, and engaging content is a perfect way to turn your brand from a company that catches customers with a fishhook to a place where people come for information, guidance, or even to spend some quality time. This kind of reputation is priceless and there are many online reputation management companies to do the same. Being one of the most authoritative voices in your industry is not something you can simply buy with paid ads.
Integrated marketing channels
As we mentioned in the introduction, SEO and branding strategies are usually seen as two separate efforts. However, these tracks do have a couple of converging points. We have already talked about the results of creating social-media-friendly SEO content. Imagine what you could do if you add your social media profiles into the equation and leverage the promotions you are already paying. Also, you should remember that YouTube is the second most popular search engine on the planet. This platform makes a perfect ground for integrated SEO and branding moves.
SEO discloses the content and strengthens brand
Google’s algorithms have become so advanced that ranking on the first page of SERP is no longer possible without valuable content that offers solutions to everyday problems and explores the needs of the audience. So, we can say that aiming for good SEO results inherently builds trust in the brand. However, good SERP results also create a very strong aura of prestige and exclusivity. Keeping in mind recent research that says that websites on the first page of SERP receive as much as 95% of the overall internet traffic, it should be obvious how joining this exclusive club could benefit the visibility of your brand.
Over to you
We hope these few arguments will help you to see the dots connecting branding strategies and search engine optimization. Although these two things often sound like two separate tracks, the whole point of SEO is to make your business more visible, which makes the activity inherently related to trying to raise brand awareness. The only thing you need to do is to craft the marketing strategies that will leverage this fact to the fullest extent. Now, you know where to start!
