It is noticed that businesses do not pay much heed to the process of search engine optimization (SEO) while dealing with business operations online. Or some business entities that actually incorporate SEO, do it at a much later stage when it has lost most of its utility or significance .
Search engine optimization is an important branch of digital marketing that sets the foundation of building a brand online. Even Google itself testifies to the fact that it is highly beneficial to have an SEO strategy sorted at an initial stage itself. For example- You should have a clear SEO plan in hand before launching your website rather than doing it the other way round .
Why is SEO important for online branding ?
Search engine optimization or SEO is directly linked with enhancing user experience. Google algorithms provides importance to the overall working of a website and the scale of its user friendliness to the audience .
To establish your company online as a brand, factors like web design, website speed, its mobile responsiveness, rich and relatable content and so on makes a great difference .
These are the things that a brand plans well in advance to ensure a seamless and satisfactory experience to its users .
The online brand image of a business directly translate what its users feel about it
There are 7 key factors as to how your website should be
- Useful
- Usable
- Valuable
- Desirable
- Accessible
- Findable
- Credible
If you are new to the concept of search engine optimization and striving to build your brand online. You can consider these 7 attributes as your destination and SEO as a way of meeting them all
Therefore, SEO is indispensable while building brand awareness for your business .
UX and SEO
As we have already established that UX and SEO go hand in hand. And rather than search engine optimization focuses on enhancing the experience of a user .
Generally, there is a great amount pof buzz about the conflicting nature of SEO and UX with each other, which is nothing but a big hoax .
Let us quickly dive into the process of how SEO leads to a better user experience in detail .
- RESPONSIVENESS
These days millennials and other generations as well have turned their mobile phones into a moment of need. They turn towards their mobile phone for searching, reading and ordering. Hence, if you fail to build a responsive website (website that works well on mobile phones) you lose a great amount of audience. A study suggested that 70% of mobile searches result in action being taken within an hour as opposed to a week for desktop .
As per Google’s update, if your website is not mobile friendly or responsive to a mobile phone, google will simply not display it in the mobile search results .
To check whether your website is responsive according to the google, you can use Google’s mobile-friendly test tool
In case you are wondering, you need different websites for different devices. Then no, all you need is a great website design that is fluid and adaptable to all screen sizes . - SPEED
The satisfaction of a fast loading website is not subjected to any explanation. According to Google’s search expert Urs Hoelzle, When you speed up service, people become more engaged – and when people become more engaged, they click and buy more .
Engagement is the key word here. Speed of a website is directly proportional to the user engagement of the website. Naturally fast the speed, better the user engagement. Since slow loading websites irritate the customers and force them to leave .
Generally large video and photo files, junk codes or unused plugins make your website slow. This article has the best tips and tricks to find solutions of all such problems and make your website lightening fast . - NAVIGATION
No navigation or invisible navigation can do more damage to your website traffic than you can probably expect. A poorly structured website with no clarity of directions can get highly frustrating for your visitors persuading them to leave your website. Thereby, increasing your bounce rate. Which will affect the relevancy of your website to the Google bots .
To convert your website into a professional brand website,you need to first create its Information architecture .
SEO for online brand reputation
A business cannot simply miss the online reputation of the brand. Whether you are a new business or been in the business for a long time, reputation is inseparable to your business .
It is believed that before your business reaches your audience its reputation reaches them. A case study suggests that more than half of millennials refrain buying from a brand with poor reviews .
In Fact a study from BrightLocal has found the growing importance of online reviews in the purchasing decision. It highlighted that 88% of consumers stated that they trusted online reviews as much as personal recommendations .
Online reviews not only affect buying decisions of the customers but are also crucial to satisfy google algorithms. Google takes note of what is being said about your business on the internet. Which eventually affects the search rankings .
step review checklist for impeccable review management
- Ask for reviews
Motivate your customers to write reviews. Good and genuine reviews adds value to your business and its google rankings while also motivating other to buy from you or subscribe to your business . - Monitor brand mentions
You need to keep a tab of what is being said about your business on the internet. To do that simply set up your account at Google Alerts to get notified everytime someone mentions you on the net .
This will make it easier for you to manage your reviews . - Fight negative SEO
There are chances that you might get targeted by the illicit black hat SEO tactics of another brand wherein your social media accounts can be spammed by fake accounts or you may see your site getting spammy links .
This low level linking can cause serious damage to your website in becoming a brand. So be aware and take a corrective action as soon as possible .
Google disavow links tool is one of the most effective ways of disavowing links .
CONCLUSION
As a business people not only need to resonate with you but to find you online. Your brand needs great search engine optimization for people to find you, trust you , connect with you and buy from you .
SEO enhances user experience. Thereby, helping your business establishing itself as a brand online .
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