A branded search occurs when a user types your company or brand name into a search engine query. What exactly are branded keywords? Branded keywords are the search phrases that individuals employ for this reason. Unfortunately, despite the fact that such brand references are simple to rank for, most search engine optimization (SEO) efforts are focused entirely on high-volume, non-branded terms.
However, just because a potential buyer searches for your brand name on Google, Bing, or another search engine does not ensure they will see your keywords for the brand name at the top of the results. So, you can’t simply stop there, can you? Unless you’re Apple, Coca-Cola, or another well-known brand, you’ll need to optimize your brand keywords to guarantee qualified leads to see you in search results.
A branded search strategy is built around the anticipation and planning that leads to brand optimization. After growing brand recognition, you anticipate a flood of high-intent leads, so you optimize relevant site pages to rank #1 for brand keywords and herd prospects to the bottom of your sales funnel. With a conversion rate of double that of non-branded search keywords on the line, you or your SEO firm must handle branded search in a systematic manner to avoid precious leads from leaking out of your sales funnel.
This blog will show you how to accomplish just that. Allow us to assist you in exploring and learning how to develop a convincing and successful branded search strategy in the next moments.
What Constitutes a Successful Branded Search Strategy?
Branded search is sometimes described as one-half of the competition, as in branded vs non-branded terms, but it’s designed to be integrated into your SEO strategy. It’s made to improve your online visibility in a variety of ways, from search and map results to purchasing and online marketplace listings.
Organic and sponsored search strategies are used, according to SEO specialists who understand branded search. This information may help you figure out how to improve your SEO marketing plan.
Organic Search
From the start, brand keywords, including personal brand keywords, should be owned and optimized. To attract customers in the contemplation, decision, and action stages, you’ll need them to dominate the search engine results pages (SERPs). People in these stages of the purchasing process have completed their research and window-shopping. They’re willing to pay a premium for the proper goods or service.
Incorporate branded keywords into your SEO content plan for this reason, and allow them to grow toward your intended conclusion.
Organic brand optimization may be used on any of the following:
- Homepage
- Product pages
- These branded keyword-based pages’ meta tags and descriptions.
- Content for after-sales assistance, such as instruction manuals and how-to tutorials.
Paid Search
In the context of sponsored search or pay-per-click marketing (PPC), what are branded keywords? They’re the same as your organic keywords, which include those that describe your products, services, and executives like the CEO (CEO).
Creating a brand search campaign, on the other hand, includes bidding for and owning branded search terms. When your target audience searches for any one of your branded keywords, you may have relevant advertising appear above organic search results. This strategy will help you increase click-throughs and conversions.
Aside from winning bids, paid brand mention services such as Google extensions can help you improve ad effectiveness. These extensions allow you to include more information that may tickle your prospects’ interest.
With these strategies in hand, you may use SEO services to run a brand search campaign. But first, you’ll need to create a branded keyword-based SEO plan to lead your efforts. The next section will show you how.
What Is the Best Way to Implement a Branded Search Strategy?
A strategy gives you a framework for putting the strategies listed above into action. Let’s get started on the stages of developing and implementing your brand optimization plan.
- Audit your brand’s search results.
It’s vital to execute this process completely, whether you’ve done it previously or hired an SEO professional to do it for you. Follow the steps mentioned below to get started:
- Find out what percentage of your keywords are branded versus non-branded. Pull up your last quarter’s performance report on your Google Search Console account.
- To filter the branded identity keywords list and non-branded keywords used by your site visitors, click the + heading on the report page and select Query. In a pie chart, compare the data and show the percentages.
- Remember to include misspelt variants of your brand name, as well as the names of your products and services.
- Find the brand mentions or searches that resulted in the most traffic using the same technique.
- Consider how branded searches and clicks led users to your site’s pages. In this case, determine the top web pages that resulted.
- You may also find out where your branded searches originated by looking at the statistics.
- Check for any faults or detrimental material including your branded keywords as part of your brand name search audit. This is important, especially if you’re performing digital public relations (PR) and managing your online reputation (ORM).
- Make Your Keyword Research Even Better
It’s time to do keyword research when you’ve completed your site audit and analysis. This assignment should help you figure out which keywords for brand names are the most suitable for your SEO content strategy or SEO marketing approach.
- Create rich content depending on the results of your brand name search, such as product demos and price.
- Instead of drawing a distinction between branded and non-branded keywords, consider how you might use both sorts of keywords in the same piece of content.
- Keep an eye out for any prospective reputation management difficulties that may arise as a result of unfavourable brand sentiment. Keep an eye out for branded searches that include phrases like fraud, sluggish, and tough.
- You may also go beyond your own personal brand keywords to find flaws in your competitor’s SEO content strategy. On the other side, brand mention services might help you discover what’s working for your competitors.
- Keep an eye on brand mentions
Assume you’re new to SEO marketing and don’t have enough data in Search Console. Perhaps your previous SEO firm didn’t offer branded search services. However, you’ve been in the company for a long time and have built up brand awareness across several digital channels. You’re in luck since there are alternative ways to keep track of brand references.
- One of the most accessible places to get brand references is social media, particularly popular sites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.
- If you’ve done digital PR or link building, you could have a portfolio of branded anchor text and links from blogs, online magazines, newsletters, and news sites.
- Local directories such as Google My Business, Bing Places, Yelp, and Yahoo Local may also be used to track brand mentions.
- Rating and review sites are a wonderful place to start if you want to assess brand sentiment and find brand references.
5 Reasons Your Business Isn’t Getting Found for Branded Searches
Whether you’ve run a brand search campaign before or have personal brand keywords that aren’t doing well in the SERPs, the causes may be found — generally with the help of a branded search company’s in-depth analysis.
Here are the most likely reasons you’re performing poorly for branded queries, according to SEO experts:
- Your website is brand new and has not yet been indexed by search engines.
- Your current SEO approach has flaws, the most notable of which is the lack of branded search integration within your SEO services.
- In your portfolio, you have a variety of brand names.
- Another company’s brand name or acronym is similar to yours.
- You’re not informing Google that you’re the owner of the branded keywords in the SERPs. Starting with your website, you must make it apparent across all of your digital properties.
These causes may appear to be straightforward and straightforward to resolve. In the instance of #4, though, you can’t just ask the other firm to drop the identical brand name. Any reputable branded search firm would painstakingly address each issue to guarantee effective SEO.
Conclusion
Knowing the answers to questions like What is a branded search? and What is branded keywords isn’t enough to get started. Your efforts must be organized around a branded search strategy. According to what we’ve discussed, that technique demands you to follow basic procedures, but you also need to do it well, select from a variety of tools, and figure out how to eliminate the reasons you’re not ranking for branded searches.
The cost of accomplishing all of this on your own might add up quickly. Meanwhile, a branded search agency exists to relieve you of the burden of doing everything yourself. It also takes your goals, budget, and timeframe into account while assisting you. GoFly Digital is the name of this SEO firm.
