You may be wondering, what does branding have to do with Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)? If you are just getting started with SEO, it may seem like the focus is purely on keywords and link building to really improve your website’s ranking. However, your business’s branding and brand image can contribute and improve your SEO too.

Remember that SEO is not something that can just be added to websites to rank, it is a core part of content creation and optimisation. Branding insinuates the same: it is a core foundation of your website and can dictate the meaning, mood, image and message of your business.

Here are 5 ways Brand Image can Improve SEO

Recognition

A brand image is a powerful technique for business as it creates a recognisable and positive impression on consumers. There are many elements to branding but it all contributes to making a lasting impression, attracting customers and providing a particular experience. Not only this, but your brand will be focused within a niche market and strive to establish it as an expert in the field.

Long tail keywords and LSI keywords allow Google to associate your brand name with certain keywords and related queries. Additionally, obtaining links from authoritative websites within the niche will strengthen your brands authority.

Click Through Rates

SEO is all about getting to the top spot on search engines, if not the top spot then the top page as click through rates are shown to dramatically decrease after page 1 of Google results. But, what if you make it to first page and still no traffic?

This can be due to the high competition of recognisable brands. People are more likely to click on a brand name that they recognise as they trust the information they are providing. Therefore, building a brand image is important in order to gain traffic and be recognisable to your target audience.

Backlinks

Link building is a huge part of SEO as it establishes a connection between your website, authoritative websites and your niche. By maintaining a strong brand, your business will be recognisable to your competitors as well as other websites and attract more backlinks. Also, with a brand in place it gives your business a strong voice and image to build relationships and conduct email outreach.

In addition to gaining links through branding, search engines also factor in brand mentions or implied links in search engine ranking factors. A strong and authoritative brand can be recognised and referenced or mentioned all over the internet including on social media, this can all contribute to websites SEO.

Content Creation

As established earlier, branding is not just about the logo but also determines the user experience and recognition on all of your content. So when creating content, you need to consider factors for both SEO and your readers. This is because search engines recognise the value of content, length, visuals and analyse the keywords, authority of the website and links.

Therefore, your brand contributes to the content that you create, the way you communicate with your audience and therefore can also improve your website’s SEO. Branding provides consistency, focus and trust to both your audience and search engines.

Social Media

Brand image is exclusive to just your website, it needs to be seen across all platforms including social media sites. Although social media does not directly improve search engine ranking but can contribute to other ranking factors.

Building a brand image that is relatable and popular on social media websites can lead to increased backlinks, engagement and shares. Social media profiles are also indexed by search engines and have the chance to be included in SERPs. Users also use social media sites in a similar way to search engines which makes your brand even more discoverable. Therefore, you need your brand to make an impression outside of your website too.

In conclusion, SEO is not just about link building and adding keywords to optimise your website, it is also about your brand and the business you are building. A brand image makes an instant impression on your audience and other websites as it influences the user experience, content, keywords and overall SEO.