Search engine optimisation (SEO) is an effective way to build brand awareness, whether you’re a large corporation, local small business or individual.
SEO tactics focus on improving user experience on your website to grow visibility on search engines like Google. In other words, SEO can help targeted audiences discover your brand and boost your brand reputation.
From picking the right keywords to creating and marketing high quality content and optimising your site for mobile – there are many ways that SEO can benefit your brand awareness efforts.
Here are 5 ways to get started doing just that today.
1. Keyword optimisation
Keyword optimisation is the process of choosing the most effective keywords to increase visibility and engagement with your target audience.
Finding the right keywords and placing them in the ideal locations can help your website turn up higher in the search results. Ranking near the top of the search results pages is a form of social proof and can go a long way in building your brand’s credibility and authority.
Just be sure that you’re looking at the intent behind the search terms. In other words, it’s not good enough just to pick popular keywords without thinking about why someone is making that search.
When you align your content with search intent, people are more likely to stay on your website for longer, have a better brand experience and convert at higher rates.
Don’t just focus on short keywords like “wall insulation” – also think about long tail keywords like “what is the best wall insulation?”. Long tail keywords offer a great opportunity to rank for a wider range of searches and to capture an audience at the widest end of the sales funnel.
2. Content marketing
Creating regular, value-adding content on your website is a great way to show Google that your website is current and relevant. But it’s also a great way to attract a wider readership.
You can create content that educates your audience, gives them a new perspective on industry topics or answers frequently asked questions. When readers feel like they are getting value from your brand, it boosts your reputation and trustworthiness.
There are many different types of content you can create, including:
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Blog posts
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Infographics
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Case studies
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Videos
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Tutorials
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Webinars
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Podcasts
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E-books
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Images
Creating regular content that targets relevant keywords is a great way to increase brand visibility on organic search results, but you can also use your content in paid promotions to boost brand engagement and reputation. Social media campaigns are a great complementary strategy for your SEO content efforts.
3. Local SEO
If you are a local business or want to grow local brand awareness, using local SEO tactics is a good move.
Even if you operate over multiple locations, it’s important to optimise your content with specific audiences in mind. For example, the needs, interests and search queries in Perth might be different to those in Melbourne or Sydney.
For some companies, having different versions of their website is the best tactic, for others optimising particular pages or content is effective.
Here are some local SEO tactics to get started with:
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Create and optimise a Google My Business account. It’s free to use and can drive up engagement from local customers.
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Collect Google reviews from local customers. People are more likely to pay attention to and trust your brand when there’s social proof.
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Create content that is relevant to local news, events and interests. This is a good way to make your brand message targeted and inclusive.
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Include location-specific keywords in your onpage content.
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Add your business to a range of online directories and work on building reputable links from local sources.
4. Link building
Google ranks websites more highly if they are perceived as trustworthy and authoritative. Part of the way Google measures this is by monitoring the links from other websites that point back to your website.
A word of warning: there are a lot of black hat tactics out there about gaining more links. Never use these tactics as they aren’t effective and can have a damaging effect on your brand reputation.
Here are some ways to go about link building properly:
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Make link partnerships with quality, trustworthy and popular sites which share similar values to your brand.
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Create high quality, engaging content that others will want to share on social media and their own blogs.
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Offer valuable resources to other brands and organisations in your industry.
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Pitch guest blog post ideas to other websites and include links back to your website.
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Create press releases for new products or services.
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Work on your social media strategy to get people talking about your brand in a positive way.
5. Mobile optimisation
Mobile friendliness is a ranking factor for Google. In other words, optimising your website for mobile devices can help make your brand more visible in organic search results.
By making it easier for people to use their mobile devices to navigate your website, make transactions or find directions to your store, you’re creating a better brand experience for your website users.
Ways to make your website mobile friendly include:
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Use a mobile responsive design (or speak to a web design agency about responsiveness).
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Streamline your content to make the main goal of the page clear and easy to act on.
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Keep the text short and concise. Break up big paragraphs into bite sized chunks.
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Keep forms short and quick to fill out.
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Make sure links aren’t placed too closely together to avoid accidental clicks.
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Place buttons and call-to-actions in locations that are intuitive to click on by a mobile user.
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Remove pop ups or at least limit your use of them for mobile.
Putting best SEO practices in place
SEO can have huge benefits for large and small businesses, but getting it right isn’t always easy. As this article explores, there are a lot of cogs making the wheel of SEO turn. Using shortcuts or sup-par tactics can actually have a detrimental effect on brand awareness.
If you need help managing your SEO strategy or boosting brand awareness, consider working with an SEO Perth agency who knows how to achieve impressive long term results.
