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September 01, 2011

Adapting your Online Brand Message

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is all about utilizing words and phrases to market products and services to your customers. It involves the words people search with, how they use them and exactly where to put them. Therefore, to create and maintain a successful SEO campaign, it is imperative to select the right keywords.

Unfortunately selecting these words is not as simple as it may seem. There are a number of companies that focus on specific markets and thus create messaging philosophies that may not always align with the way potential customers search. If this is the case, it is crucial to adapt your online branding message to align with the consumer.

This is not a new issue in the SEO world. There are many instances when a business is presented with SEO recommendations and chooses not to use that phrase on their website, despite the relevance and volume of the word. Therefore, there are four primary factors to consider when evaluating whether or not to include keywords in SEO strategy. These include:

1. Market position

2. Relevance and volume

3. Competition

4. Searcher intent

When incorporating a keyword onto a website, it is imperative to determine whether it will negatively impact your company’s market position. This is often the situation when the keyword describes a small part of your overall service. Therefore, if the word is unlikely to negatively impact your position, the risk is low.

Next, it is critical to determine if the word describes your business. If yes, the phrase should be included in your SEO program. Also, it is important to determine whether this keyword is commonly used by viewing the total search volume.

Another data point refers to the total number of direct competitors using the same keyword. If the majority of competitors are using these words on their websites, there is a good reason why. A good lesson is to be extremely cautious when going against the most common marking trends, especially with regards to search phrases.

Finally, for a keyword to be an effective aspect of an SEO strategy, the intent of the searcher must be factored in. For instance, acronyms have a high search volume but a searcher intent can be difficult to pinpoint as a result of the different meanings of different words.

Search engine optimization is extremely difficult. Professionals must always remain one step ahead of the consumer. It can be even more difficult to adapt your brand message to the changing marketplace. However, like anything a compromise must be reached to ensure effectiveness and success.

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