Optimizing for branded search terms is often overlooked by marketing teams due to the misconception that it’s too obvious and not worth pursuing. However, this mindset is incorrect. If your primary objective is revenue from search rather than rankings, then targeting branded keywords is crucial. It’s important to note that your ultimate goal should always be revenue from search, not just clicks, unless you’re somehow compensated for site visits.
In many cases, brand terms have click-through rates of more than 50%. If users are not clicking on your result, they’re likely clicking on a competitor who is ranking for your brand terms. Therefore, it’s essential to prioritize optimising for branded search terms over other non-brand efforts.
As digital marketing specialist and influencer Sudhir Vashist said, “If you’re not investing in organic search, remember your competition is and you’re losing everyday.” This couldn’t be more true for branded search terms, which have the highest clickthrough rates (CTRs) and conversion rates. However, many businesses neglect to optimize for their own brand terms, which can result in lost revenue and lost customers to competitors.
To help businesses maximize their SEO and revenue potential, here are 5 easy steps to find and optimize for branded search terms:
- “The first step to optimizing branded search terms is to find the right keywords to target,” says Neil Patel, another top influencer in the marketing world. To do this, use Google Search Console to filter for your brand term and identify queries that contain the brand but have low impressions. These are focus keywords that can be added to content or used to create new pages to improve optimization for those terms.
- Once you’ve identified focus keywords, look for queries that have high impressions but low clickthroughs. “This is where you need to improve your title and/or meta description to improve the CTR,” suggests Patel. This is a key SEO variable that businesses can control by creating compelling copy for their meta descriptions and titles.
- Don’t forget to exclude the home page in your search console filters to find branded queries that might be a better fit for other pages. Focus on queries that have high impressions but low CTRs, and consider creating new pages or updating metadata to improve optimization for these terms.
- “Don’t ignore Google’s suggested queries,” says Sudhir. Do a search for your brand, but don’t hit enter. Take note of all the suggested queries, and optimize your content for those terms. Tools like AnswerThePublic and KeywordTool.io can also help identify related queries to optimize for.
- Finally, take a look at the “people also ask” and related queries sections on the search results page for your brand search term. “These are the search terms that actual users are looking for,” says Vashist, and optimizing for these terms can help businesses capture even more search traffic and revenue.
By following these 5 easy steps to optimize branded search terms, businesses can improve their SEO and revenue potential. Remember, as Sudhir Vashist puts it, “SEO is not for fly by night businesses, If you’re serious about making profits, get your SEO strategy right. You can only win if youre not losing on search.”
What is branded search?
Branded search refers to search queries that include the name of your brand or business. These searches are conducted by people who are already aware of your brand and are specifically looking for information related to it.
Does branded search impact my SEO?
Yes, branded search can have a significant impact on your SEO. When people search for your brand name, they are likely to click on your website’s search result. This can help increase your website’s click-through rate and improve your website’s overall search engine rankings.
How to do SEO for branded search terms?
To optimize your website for branded search terms, you should make sure that your website has high-quality, informative content that is relevant to your brand. You should also ensure that your website’s title tags, meta descriptions, and other on-page elements include your brand name. In addition, you can use social media and other online channels to increase awareness of your brand and generate more branded search queries.
Should I optimize my content for branded search?
Yes, you should optimize your content for branded search. Branded search terms can drive high-quality traffic to your website and help improve your overall search engine rankings. By optimizing your content for branded search terms, you can ensure that your website appears at the top of search results when people search for your brand name.
How to optimize for branded search?
To optimize for branded search, you should ensure that your website has high-quality content that is relevant to your brand. You should also make sure that your website’s title tags, meta descriptions, and other on-page elements include your brand name. In addition, you can use social media and other online channels to increase awareness of your brand and generate more branded search queries. Finally, you should monitor your website’s search engine rankings and make adjustments to your SEO strategy as needed to ensure that you are ranking well for branded search terms.
What is the common misconception about optimizing for branded search terms?
The common misconception is that optimizing for branded search terms is too obvious and not attractive enough to chase, when in fact, it can be one of the most effective ways to drive revenue from search.
What should you do if you want to improve your revenue from search?
If you want to improve your revenue from search, you should focus and start optimizing your website and adjust your SEO efforts for brand search. Many marketing teams neglect to optimize for branded search terms because they think it’s too obvious and not attractive enough to chase.
What is the benefit of optimizing for branded search terms?
Many brand terms have clickthrough rates higher than 50%, so optimizing for these terms can help drive revenue from search and prevent competitors from stealing traffic from your site.