Search engines have changed over the years as more individuals are using them to find products and services companies offer. Whether you have already begun, or are just getting started in the SEO process, your site is ranking based on basic keywords in your site’s content. Achieving top search engine rankings has become top priority for marketers as competition has intensified.
If you’re a marketer then you probably already know that SEO plays a viable role in online marketing. Keywords are the foundation of this strategy. Just like you would create a traditional print ad, comprising of brand and messaging, your website should be optimized with keyword-rich content. Oh, and don’t forget your brand, you would be surprised how many companies fail to include their brand when developing a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy.
How does this happen? Well for starters, when engaging in the keyword discovery process, you may be more interested in what your competitors are using for keywords and less at your prospects searching behaviors. Did you know that most people when searching for your product or service are actually searching by your brand name? It’s important to remember your brand identity when developing your list of keywords.
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, when brainstorming keywords you want to be sure to have a variation of branded, non-branded and industry terms. Once the keyword list has been vetted, they must be filtered for relevancy – you don’t want to just attract high traffic volume, you want to ensure that traffic is of high quality. High quality equals conversion.
Keyword-Rich Content
It is just as important to use brand-focused keywords on-page – in meta data, content, URLs and links. Don’t forget your home page this is typically the first page visitors will engage with your brand. Keywords with the best ROI are descriptive terms, three to four keywords in length. Descriptive terms have a higher conversion rate than single keywords due to people searching are further along in sales process – not your typical tire kickers. Again, showing the relevance of including your brand.
Authority
Stand out from the competition by gaining authority for targeted keywords. Use optimized keyword phrases in internal links and incoming external links to increase SEO rankings. By increasing the number of inbound or reciprocal links to your site, linking from quality, relevant sites to the home page as well as internal pages, will improve site visibility and, ultimately, increase search rankings.
Inbound links
Establish one-way links from directories or blog sites to your site. Link headline should incorporate descriptive keywords that relate directly to page content and brand. Recommend linking from relevant industry associations and professional organizations within your niche. Also investigate where your competition is linking.
Reciprocal links
Establish links to and from your site with partners, customers and social communities.
Social Media Sites
Brand is extremely important in social media, when individuals find you on various social sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, they need to be able to recognize you immediately. It’s also just as important to optimize your brand on social sites to secure high search results.
Takeaway – it is important that you’re consistent in the way your present your brand online. If your brand is recognizable by a trusted authority, has relevant content and fan base that engages with you, your website will rank higher and get noticed.
