What are you doing if you’re not doing SEO for Branding? SEO (search engine optimization) should be a part of your marketing strategy, especially since more consumers prefer to shop online.

Even before the pandemic, the ecommerce industry had been steadily growing. The crisis merely accelerated the process, which clearly shows no signs of abating anytime soon. Users will continue to rely on digital platforms to locate the services or products they require. And your competitors are well aware of this.

But simply creating a website, building a bunch of links, and publishing a blog article every week isn’t enough. SEO marketing has become far more sophisticated over the years. Creating and designing a website that adheres to best practices is only the first step. Building a trustworthy and authoritative brand online is where the real work begins.

SEO and branding are inextricably linked. Some people know what they want but don’t know which brand to buy from, according to Think with Google. According to consumer reports, mobile searches for the word “brands” have increased by 80% in the last two years, while searches for “top or best __ brands” have increased by more than 85%.

This clearly shows that you can raise brand awareness for what your customers want when they are in need. As a result, you can become their preferred brand.

Google also rewards businesses that can establish a strong brand presence. They rank higher even if they don’t put as much effort into building backlinks.

We’ve listed the building blocks you should use to create an effective SEO branding strategy and increase branded traffic to your website here at Public.

5 SEO Strategies for Branding

1. Identify and categories your branded keywords.

Branded keywords are search terms that your target audience uses when looking for your brand on the internet (or a variation of it). These users are typically those who are already familiar with your brand and are likely to purchase from you or are interested in your products/services.

Increasing the number of branded searches can help your business grow on multiple levels. Increasing your branded search volume can help you rank for non-branded, transactional keywords. If your brand appears in a high volume of searches alongside unbranded queries, Google may associate your brand with these keywords and boost your website’s ranking.

Here are four (4) ways your target audience searches for you online:

• Branded ROPO queries – ROPO (research online, purchase offline) describes customer behavior when looking for and purchasing products online. These are keywords that typically indicate that your customers are ready to buy. For instance, “brand” + reviews.
• Competitor’s branded keywords – You can benefit from ranking for your competitors’ brand names by creating comparative content such as ‘Brand A vs. Brand B: Which is better for you?’ Not only will you be able to directly compare the benefits of your products to those of your competitors, but it will also help you get found by customers looking for alternatives.
• Navigational queries – Your website should ideally rank first in both paid and organic search results. You can buy navigational keywords like ‘Official Site’ to ensure that they do, especially on paid search.
• High intent keywords are those that include your brand name as well as a product or feature.

2. Local Optimization

Local SEO is especially important for local brands because it allows for precise location targeting. To optimize for local search, make sure your business is listed on popular business listing platforms like Google My Business.

This will assist you in increasing traffic from local and map searches. Make use of its features such as local posts, service lists, and so on to ensure that your listing is fully optimized. Make sure your photos are geotagged before uploading them.

Make online reviews work in your favour. According to a recent Bright local study, businesses with 47 or more Google reviews are more likely to appear in the local three-pack results

A mobile-friendly website is also essential for Local SEO. Check that your website loads quickly on all types of connections. Remember to include alt tags and properly name your brand images. When naming your images, include the brand and product names.

3. Place a bid on Branded Terms

Why should you not do what your competitors are doing? We already know that users who search for branded keywords have strong purchasing intentions. Make sure your company maximizes its brand visibility by bidding on branded terms and dominating search results.

4. Post content on high-quality websites.

Contributing your ideas and content to high-quality websites is an excellent way to reach a wider audience, increase traffic, and gain potential conversions. It’s not just about building links; it’s about positioning yourself as an industry authority and building credibility.

The main idea behind content contribution is to be able to add value to the audience of a website while also demonstrating expertise in that field.

5. Track branded search traffic.

Determine the percentage of branded traffic you receive to get a better understanding of what strategy works for your brand and what doesn’t. Google Analytics is an excellent platform for tracking website traffic and search queries over a specific time period.

You can also use Google Keyword Planner to see if the volume of searches for your brand keywords increases over time.

Takeaway

Never underestimate the importance of SEO for Branding searches. By optimizing for your branded keywords in both organic and paid searches, you will be able to uncover previously unknown traffic and conversions.

Furthermore, branded searches can be the final point of contact for customers who are ready to buy. By optimising your brand, you will increase brand awareness while also providing a better experience to your customers.