Introduction
What do y’all know about branded vs. non-branded search? How about the 80/20 rule? Turns out that non-branded search accounts for 78 percent of all search engine referrals, according to “the Goog” -or- Google. So, what does this mean? The theory is that a well-optimized site should attract 80 percent of non-branded referrals, and only 20 percent of branded search referrals. For instance, a meta title like “St. Louis financial advisors” should bring in 80% more traffic than a meta title like “Plaza Advisory Group”, which is a financial advisor firm in STL.
Most brands find it easier to dominate for the name of their company, service, or product; they are ignorant to the landscape of search marketing and SEO. People don’t search for brand names when they’re researching, comparing, or looking to buy a product. They search for what they need: furnace repair -OR- flower delivery -OR- physical therapy. Let’s step into the first reason.
Research
It’s probably not a shock that research is the first phase of most buying decisions, especially online. As we said before, customers use non-branded phrases to find information, answer a question, or find the solution to a problem. These customers have not committed to a particular brand because they aren’t searching for a specific company; therefore, these customers are up for grabs.
People are looking for answers, whether it’s finding a new place to live or getting a better night’s sleep. Create a list of questions your customer might ask about your product or service and think of ways to answer them.
You can start to imagine how keyword value plays a huge role in their quest for information. If you wish to reach those customers, your website should answer questions that are relevant to your product. Keyword research might yield something like this:
- flower delivery company
- st louis flower delivery
- best flower delivery in stl
- quick flower delivery in stl
Your keyword efforts can be enhanced if you create content based off the long-tail keyword approach.
Comparison
Once customers narrow down the solution to their problem, they begin to compare. Customers look for clear articulation of the solution you offer and how the solution differs from the competition.
Blogging for business is a great way to answer these questions on your website. Often times, blog entries even appear in search results, giving you more equity for that long-tailed keyword game we mentioned earlier. Also, you might find that it’s a good idea to get customers to write reviews about your company, or investing in some reputation management. Here are some possible comparison-based search queries:
- flower delivery vs flower pick-up
- walter knoll vs forget me not flower delivery
- cheap flower delivery vs expensive flower delivery
- real florist delivery vs others
You may find that branded search terms may apply when customers are comparing companies, products, or services. It’s okay to address these keywords in blog posts, etc.
Buy
This is what we all want, right? We want people to BUY. Consumers are more savvy than ever and there are a lot of variables that go into attraction: geo-local, reviews and ratings, brand recognition, and price.
Your website should be the best possible place for customers to purchase your solution to their pain, unless you are a direct seller to clients and customers. Ie. distributors, vendors, etc. Purchase driven queries look like this:
- best price on flower delivery
- short notice flower delivery
- best value on flower delivery
- best flower delivery reviews
When doing SEO, make sure to optimize your landing pages for those high traffic keywords you own in the rankings. Landing pages without forms or call-to-actions are useless. If you got the customer to click on your listing, you might as well send them to a page that will sell your product.
Conclusion
You can sell more products and beat out the competition by practicing the long tailed keywords in non-branded search. Remember, non-branded search accounts for 78 percent of search engine referrals, according to Google. Also, SEO efforts require constant measurement, analysis, and ongoing optimization in order to realize the potential created with each on of these three ways.