Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Even if your brand already ranks number one in natural search, it's important to add brand terms to your keyword list. Why? Here are four reasons:
1) Control. You have much less control over your organic listing. The position of your brand on the page can fluctuate, and you cannot control the message that consumers see. Paid ads allow you to shape your brand's message exactly as you choose. You can even include common misspellings of your brand term in your keyword list to be sure that people get to your landing page.
2) Competition. Your competition is very likely advertising on your brand terms. If you’re not, and your competitor has an ad show up with a compelling offer, you could likely lose a customer. According to a recent study by Hitwise, one in seven brand searches does not end up at the brand's website. Capitalizing on your brand in both natural and paid search will better direct people to your brand's landing page. Studies show that over half of all searches include a brand related term:
3) ROI. According to eMarketer, the conversion rate for brand keywords is nearly 4 times that of non-brand keywords:
4) More is better. People respond to different types of messaging. Perhaps some are looking for basic information regarding a product, leading them to click on a natural search result; others may be seeking promotions, and are more likely to click on an ad.
Let us know if we can help develop a campaign around your brand terms. It's certainly worth testing.
