How to Optimise Your Brand for Search Engines
Both online and offline brandings are equally important. This is especially true for crowded spaces where effective market penetration largely depends on standing out from the competition. Here are some ways to optimize and improve brand search volume
Use your brand name in meta titles
The main benefit of including your brand name in meta titles is that it strengthens your website’s relevance to the brand. A website that has its brand name included in its meta titles is unlikely to be mistaken for another entity, thereby ensuring that every branded search term leads users to the right domain.
Also, an often overlooked brand marketing avenue is the SERPs (search engine results pages). Practically everyone reads the title of a search result before deciding whether or not to click on it. So including your brand name in the meta title of your web pages whenever possible can help increase brand awareness.
Identify branded keywords
Branded-term keyword research will also identify questions that consumers have about your products. Consumers that have questions about your brand are usually either already customers or interested in buying a product. In either situation, they should get the answers they want from you instead of a competitor, or elsewhere. I’d recommend answering each question with Branded queries that are extremely valuable because, as previously noted, commercial intent is high. Some companies even bid on their competition’s branded search terms via PPC (pay-per-click). I’d recommend conducting keyword research to identify all relevant brand search terms.
You can use a tool like Google Keyword Planner. Use your brand name as the starting point or seed keyword. This will return all keywords related to your brand. Export your findings into an Excel spreadsheet and filter out any keywords without the brand name.
Once you’ve uncovered the branded keywords consumers are using to find your products/services, use the information to create content that addresses them, dedicated content pages on your website, though you can combine related questions.
Own the local map packs
Optimize your business locally so that it appears at the top of map packs when people search for location-specific branded terms. The map pack is a box that displays on the SERPs and contains the names, addresses, and phone numbers of nearby businesses. Adding your business and website address on Bing Places or Google My Business (GMB) further strengthens your brand’s online presence.
You can optimize your map pack in the following way. First, make sure your brand name, address, and phone number are accurate in every web directory. Then use structured data markup to specify your brand name, address, and phone number on the company website. “Structured data” is an HTML markup that is used to provide more information to search engines. I recommend speaking to your web developer or SEO expert for implementation.
Create useful tools unique to your brand
Consumers enjoy applications that make life better, such as online calculators, calendars, etc. Creating useful online tools can increase branded term searches, which naturally improves how your website performs on the SERPs. People will often search for tools using your brand name instead of painstakingly typing in the web address. Furthermore, these tools can become additional consumer touchpoints that generate leads and traffic.
Contribute or publish content on high-traffic sites
Contributing or publishing content to high-traffic websites can build brand awareness and increase your company’s reach and website traffic. The key is contributing content that demonstrates your organization’s expertise. A great and inspiring article can drive readers to search for your brand name on search engines because they want to know more.
Utilize offline promotions
Offline promotions, like regularly hosting events or sponsoring groups, can increase the number of people that search for your brand online. Even something as simple as handing out more business cards can improve branded term searches. If implemented strategically, every offline marketing activity can spark curiosity, which can lead consumers to investigate your brand further online.
Conclusion
SEO can prove extremely complex, but knowing the basics will give you a running start.
Begin by collecting as much data as you can and conducting thorough research. Write content geared toward your audience, but make sure it’s better than your competitors.