Feature Article:
What’s Rank Got to Do with It?

In the world of search engine optimization (SEO), the focus is getting the top ranking position in the results index for a search phrase related to your product or service at web sites like Yahoo!, Google, or MSN. This top position is important because typically the most determined searcher for your products or services will spend time looking beyond the first 30 search results. Getting rank in this coveted top spot is what SEO is all about. But just how much should you be concerned about ranking and integrating this effort with your branding message?

The short answer is: a lot. In all of the over-hyped prospects of the Internet, this is one opportunity still open for exploiting. Obtaining a high-ranking position in search engine sites will increase your web traffic and even sales. Real stories are commonplace and often attributed to the early excitement of joining in the dot-com boom of becoming an overnight e-commerce success. What is often overlooked with all this attention regarding search engine ranking is how it relates to a company’s brand strategy.

The effort it takes to develop search engine ranking is similar to building a brand identity. In fact, they have many similar traits. They both require an investment in time to develop, advertising costs to promote, and share the same objective as an influencing tool in the buying process. The key difference is the direction of the message. Instead of you promoting your brand outwards, the reverse happens in search engine ranking where your target market is projecting back a generic brand message.

Let’s use an everyday example to illustrate this concept in practice. I’m shopping for a high end espresso machine, one that grinds, steams and cleans itself. I have an idea of the features I’m looking for, along with some bias against general consumer machines from Braun. So how do I find the right fit for me? Fire up the web browser and connect to my favorite search engine (Google for me) and enter a search phrase, “high-end espresso machines”.

The technical reason these entries are at the top is because they repeat those three words often. Side note, when you drop the word “high-end” to simplify the search phrase, a new set of results appears. Without “high-end” the search relevancy is based only on espresso and machine. The intense competition for this top spot means the search engine sites have to incorporate more advanced algorithms aside from counting keywords. They employ another technique called link popularity, which counts the number of relevant links pointing to your site. Well-established firms, with a recognized brand, and lots of web site referrals enjoy high link popularity. This improves their rank position. Notice a pattern here: the two efforts begin to contribute to each other.

Where there is sensible integration there is also diverging directions. Typical brand messages are broadcasted in a one-to-many format and target a projected demographic market. In the Internet marketing world, developing a brand identity is more of a one-on-one effort. By including the word “high-end” to the espresso machine search phrase, I’ve sent out a message “who is the best at high-end espresso machines?”. Consider this as my reverse brand message back to the manufacturers and sellers.

How should you begin integrating your Internet marketing strategies with your brand identity efforts? Research and understand the search keywords that will support your brand strategy. Think of these search keywords as the reverse brand message that is coming from your target market. Everyday, millions of these phrases proliferate the search engines. Studying the frequency of these phrases helps determine the creation of a new brand strategy.

Next, be sure you are leveraging these search keywords to support or develop your brand message after they arrive at your web site. Returning to our previous example, once I’ve landed at an appealing web site selling espresso machines, how are they influencing me with their brand identity. Is there a unique name or service that stands out? Is there a section of your web site supporting your brand identity? The “About Us” or company section of a web site is a great location for a brand message. Even better, make sure your brand messages across the web site link back to this brand identity section for consistent messaging.

One of the most important aspects about linking your brand identity with SEO ranking is to be wary about becoming obsessed with getting rank without purpose. In the SEO consulting services marketplace there are many firms who will succeed in giving you a high ranking. Before engaging them, ask yourself if these search phrases really support your brand image? What evidence proves it before you invest in those keywords? Once you have achieved a high-ranking position, will it bring in the targeted audience the brand message is best fit for? The real measure of success is not just visitors at your web site, but conversions to sales or more qualified prospects. Conversions are the real measure of how successfully you communicated your brand message to the target audience. If they click but don't convert, then you either have the wrong message or the wrong target audience.

On a final thought, branding both in the online and offline worlds requires equal strategic thinking and investment. The online world offers an extra benefit for quickly tuning a brand message by closely monitoring the results.

Previous Articles

• Predicting Ranking
• Reacting to the Google Dance
• 4C's of Internet Marketing
• Developing Trust
• Compelling Web Content
• Permission Marketing via Search
• Internet as Research Tool
• Gap between Sales & Marketing
• Budgeting for SEO
• Measuring Marketing ROI
• Building Brand
• Define Internet Marketing