When companies first get started doing search engine optimization, they typically plug their site into a few tools and get a report that tells them what keywords people are searching to find their site. They take those keywords, weed out the obvious no-nos, put them in a list and let the optimizing begin.
Brand Reputation Management
One of the most often overlooked areas of SEO is “brand reputation management”. If your customers are looking for your brand, most likely these are folks that know who you are and what you’re about. If you’re lucky, they will remember your brand name and how to spell it. Hopefully they will find your listing at the top of the results page followed by brand related articles, blog posts, press releases and more.
Brand Real Estate
In some cases, they will also see positive and negative articles that talk about your products and services. Even if you are ranking #1 for your brand, there are many different types of searches that could produce brand related results of which you may not be aware. It’s important for your Brand to own Google search engine listings as much as possible.
See the example of the last 5-10 listings for “Nationwide Insurance” to see what I mean. Simply being #1 for your Brand name may not be good enough!
What is SEO Brand Reputation Management?
Below are some typical brand searches and what they mean:
Brand Search
These searchers know who you are, have seen an ad you just placed or want to do a little research on your company. These types of searches include “Company Name” or “Company Name + Location”. Growing brand searches are strong indicator that you are doing something right in your overall marketing and search campaigns.
Product Search
These are searchers looking specifically for your product. If you sell drills, then they will typically search for things like “Company Name + Drills”.
Product & Brand Reviews
These are searches for your company and brand for 3rd party sites that include positive or negative reviews. These include searches like “Company Name/Product + Reviews” or “Product + Feedback” or “Company Name + Scam”. These keywords are important to own since many potential customers will be doing lots of research before they decide to buy your products if they’re more than a few bucks.
Product Brand vs. Another Product Brand
These are searches for your company or product when someone is comparing two or more options and can’t decide what to buy. These searches are also important to own since these buyers are at a critical point in the purchase process. They are considering your product but want to make sure it’s the right one.
Please Share
I hope the details above help explain what and why people are using these keywords. It’s important to look beyond the obvious brand research Google and other tools give you to drill down into what your customers are thinking. You may uncover some real gems that can influence your campaign performance and brand image. If you found this information helpful, please share this on Twitter, Google+, Facebook, or Linkedin!
Reputation Management Strategy Resources
Read more online reputation management resources below:
Online Brand Reputation Management Playbook
SEO for Brand Reputation Management
Twitter SEO and Brand Reputation