Brand Image v Search Engine Optimisation
Do you choose a domain name full of keywords or do you use the
business name which your present customers know?
Brand Images are a key to long-term marketing. They should
provide an immediate set of reactions to the potential customer that helps them
recognise trust and value. However, there is no 'image' until the customer
identifies the 'brand'; before then, it is just a name attached to a piece of
publicity.
Search Engines, though, have no understanding of brand image -
but they can read text and analyse word groups to identify patterns that are
likely to indicate whether or not a particular subject is being given serious
attention. Take, for example, my own domain name - web4marketing.
Search engines should identify two keywords, 'web' and 'marketing'. They will
probably treat the number '4' as a meaningless filler such as 'and' and 'or'.
So links to, and within, my site will automatically contain
useful keywords which the search engines can match with a host of other words in
the site content. They can compare that to patterns of text elsewhere to verify
that the site has a coherent subject. As a result when someone searches for 'web
marketing' they will list my site and rank it against others to decide how far
up the list it should come.
(Excuse the plug, but I can't resist it). Search in Google UK
on UK pages for 'web marketing' and you will find me on page 1. Search for 'web
marketing UK' and I am No 1.
My initial choice of a domain name was easy - given that I was
starting a new web marketing business from scratch.
However, if I already had a well-established business under
the name of 'Orr Consulting', the choice would have been harder. The
established name would have more credibility with existing customers but would
not have any relevance for those who did not already know me. A useful
compromise would be to choose 'web4marketing' as the domain name but identify it
clearly on the site as a service of 'Orr Consulting'.
You should use your existing brand name where the brand is
well known to both present and potential customers or where the main business
objective is to service your existing franchise.
If the prime objective of the website is to attract visitors
who have no knowledge of your existing business, choose a domain name that will
be meaningful to the search engines.
Regards
Stephen Orr
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