A less popular but equally powerful application of SEO is its use for branding purposes.
Bloggers, social media/community websites, content producers, news outlets, and dozens of
other web publishing archetypes have found tremendous value in appearing atop search results
and using the resulting exposure to bolster their brand recognition and authority.
The process is fairly simple, much like the goals in traditional advertising of ad repetition to
enter the buyer’s consideration set. (Read about the three laws of branding at http://www
.palgrave-journals.com/bm/journal/v16/n3/full/2550139a.html for more information on this topic.)
Similarly, online marketers have observed that being at the top of search rankings around a
particular subject has a positive impact on traffic, consideration, and perceived authority.
Here are some factors to think about when considering SEO for mindshare/branding:
When to employ
Use it when branding, or communicating a message, is your goal. If you do not have direct
monetization goals for the moment or for the foreseeable future, this is the approach for
you.
Keyword targeting
A keyword focus is less critical here—you’ll likely have a few broad terms that receive the
high traffic you want, but the long tail may be far more achievable and the better target.
Focus on keywords that are going to bring you visitors who are likely to be interested in
and remember your brand.
Bloggers, social media/community websites, content producers, news outlets, and dozens of
other web publishing archetypes have found tremendous value in appearing atop search results
and using the resulting exposure to bolster their brand recognition and authority.
The process is fairly simple, much like the goals in traditional advertising of ad repetition to
enter the buyer’s consideration set. (Read about the three laws of branding at http://www
.palgrave-journals.com/bm/journal/v16/n3/full/2550139a.html for more information on this topic.)
Similarly, online marketers have observed that being at the top of search rankings around a
particular subject has a positive impact on traffic, consideration, and perceived authority.
Here are some factors to think about when considering SEO for mindshare/branding:
When to employ
Use it when branding, or communicating a message, is your goal. If you do not have direct
monetization goals for the moment or for the foreseeable future, this is the approach for
you.
Keyword targeting
A keyword focus is less critical here—you’ll likely have a few broad terms that receive the
high traffic you want, but the long tail may be far more achievable and the better target.
Focus on keywords that are going to bring you visitors who are likely to be interested in
and remember your brand.
