SEO and Branding

Branding in the traditional sense is not necessarily achievable on a Search Engine Results Page (SERP). That is, having the company name on a SERP has little or no positive effect. However, branding is the inevitable outcome of the volume of visits that SEO generates. Even better, search engine traffic improves branding in its truest sense and it reinforces the correlation between a brand and the products that a brand offers. To achieve this branding SERPs need to be thought of separately. While advertising banners are designed to heighten brand awareness by way of well-designed images and copy, SEO achieves branding by reinforcing what a brand offers and by delivering visitors to a site.

A high ranking on a search engine should not be considered a branding opportunity in itself, but rather an opportunity to deliver traffic to the place where branding is strongest – the site itself.

SERPs also offer the ability to add to the understanding of a brand. By increasing the number of search terms that a site can be found for, brand recognition is also increased. Particularly for large companies with several product ranges, SEO offers a very effective means of conveying all the products offered under a single brand umbrella.

Branding decisions on a website should be made with the priority on achieving high rankings and attracting actual visitors. Issues like company names in titles, slogans and marketing jargon should take a back seat to actually getting relevant visitors to the site, where this information can be more effectively conveyed.

Written by Bill Vasiliadis