Build that Brand – Marketing for SEO Professionals

Around a week ago I wrote about Google’s personalized search and search wiki and the impact it might have on SEO techniques. A 2 months ago at the TED conference there was a rather interesting speaker who went into depth talking about Google’s latest offering and put it a new perspective – it’s rather about building the Google brand. And brand is something that goes hand in hand with SEO.

Think about all the search engines out there – and the ones you use on a regular basis. Chances are that if you are like a majority of the internet users out there your first destination for search is Google. However, there are others out there as well we are all familiar with – Yahoo, Ask and MSN to name a few. So why goes Google get the lion’s share of traffic? There have been studies that have shown when the users had no idea what search engine they were using the results from their search were pretty much the same across the board – there was no noticeable “benefit” in the blind study for results that were returned from Google.

So what is it about Google that makes them special? It turns out it’s their point of differentiation of their product combined with their stronger level of trust amongst their users. One of the ways you build your brand is to cultivate an environment that is always looking at how to differentiate their product from the competition – something Google has done very well.

You can see this in companies that you interact with everyday, and not just online companies either. Take a look at Wal-Mart vs. Kmart. Wal-Mart has a much stronger brand than Kmart even though numerous studies have shown that there is no significant price differential between the two retailers. Yet while Kmart slept, Wal-Mart built their brand and point of differentiation (Low Prices, Always) with their customers.

So how do you build your brand on your website and within your company – even if you are a company of one? First, you have to learn to step out of the comfort circle. Sure, you may have been the hottest SEO company two years ago, but times change and you can’t keep living in the past. So many companies (Kmart, Yahoo, Ebay) were once king of the hill and now find themselves being beaten up in the marketplace by competitors. Instead of adapting to a changing environment they wanted to cling to the past. Start by reading new blogs, and not just SEO blogs. If you are an affiliate marketer for the automotive industry start reading blogs devoted to automobile enthusiasts – you might be surprised what insight you can gain!

Second, don’t just mimic what the competition is doing – do it better. Social media marketing is the buzz now, and this is a perfect way to differentiate yourself from your competition by having a presence and community on the social sites. Remember the old Apple slogan, “Think Different!”

Finally, when it comes to pure SEO, stop complaining about Google and start working with them. Sure, it may be unfair that they control the search arena – but you can either complain about it or you can work to make your site take advantage of their quirks and specialties. This is especially true for those in the affiliate marketing arena.