How to build a brand online
When you’re trying to start a successful online business, figuring out how to rank well on Google is a major part of the equation. Earning strong rankings means that your website will receive plenty of traffic, and you can’t make sales without traffic.
Search engine rankings, however, are notoriously fickle. You might be riding high one day – and the next day, an algorithm change could force you to reevaluate your strategy. That’s one reason why it’s so important to build a brand. When you have a strong brand, you can weather algorithm changes – and new developments like AI-powered searches – with confidence because people are searching specifically for your company instead of just clicking the first result on a search results page.
Another key reason to build a brand is because it can also help your SEO efforts. Thanks to a recent leak of Google’s API, we now know that Google pays special attention to search queries that include companies’ brand names. If you build a recognized brand, it’ll help all of your content’s rankings in the long run. A strong brand becomes a machine that builds on itself and reinforces everything that you do.
So, how do you build a brand online? That, of course, is easier said than done. In this guide, we’ll help you figure out where to begin.
Increase your advertising budget
It’s a well-known fact that Coca-Cola is one of the world’s biggest advertisers. The company spends around $4 billion per year on advertising despite the fact that practically every human being alive already knows that Coke is. Why is that? It’s because advertising keeps the brand at the top of your mind and makes it more likely that you’ll choose Coke the next time you’re in the mood for some liquid refreshment.
Of course, you’re not in the same position as Coca-Cola if you’re in the initial stages of trying to build a brand online. Nevertheless, the principle is the same. Often, the ads that you see on TV or hear on the radio aren’t there to get you to buy products right away – they’re there to make you aware that brands exist. Awareness is the first stage of the customer journey.
Become a member of the online community
The more that you can afford to put your company’s name out there, the better. Let’s be honest, though – if you’re a small online startup, your advertising budget probably isn’t huge. Here’s an alternative to paid advertising that doesn’t cost anything but your time: You can become a member of the online community and put content into the world that your potential customers will find useful, valuable or interesting. The trick is that you want to be where your potential customers are. That’s why you’ll find artisan soap makers, for example, participating in an online discussion board about shaving. Contributing information from your expert perspective is a great way to build awareness.
As you look for ways to increase awareness and name recognition, don’t forget about the importance of social media. Although it’s true that the organic reach of non-paid content on social media is notoriously poor, that can change if you post something that generates an unusual level of engagement. A single piece of content that goes viral can change things for your business forever. You can’t go viral by copying what other companies are doing, though – strive to stand out.
Provide maximum value through your website
Your website will always be your primary way of communicating with your customer base and the rest of the world – so if your site is basically just a collection of products or a description of your services, it isn’t doing everything that it could be doing for your brand. That’s why just about every major business website on the Internet has a blog. Informational content has a much easier time than commercial content when it comes to ranking well on Google, so a blog can be a steady source of substantial organic traffic.
If blogging for you is basically a matter of looking for popular search terms and trying to write articles matching those keywords, though, you’re doing it wrong. Likewise, you’re not going to get anywhere if you’re just feeding keywords to ChatGPT because you’re just going to get a low-quality rehash of content that’s already out there. If you want people – and Google – to notice your content, you need to provide maximum value. Here are two ways to do that.
- If your goal is to write a blog post targeting a specific keyword that you know people are searching for, don’t just create a rehash of what’s already out there. Before you click the “Publish” button, look at the articles that already show up on the first page for your targeted search term. Can you honestly say that your content is better? What can you do to provide additional value that those other websites aren’t already doing?
- If you really want to get noticed, conduct your own original research on an interesting topic related to your field. If you do that, you won’t need to worry about competitors trumping your content because they don’t have what you have. Once you’ve published your research, don’t forget about the importance of outreach. Your work won’t get any attention if no one knows about it.
Work with people who influence buying decisions
When you see or hear the word “influencers,” you probably think about people who post video clips of their beauty regimens on TikTok. The truth, though, is that every industry or niche has prominent individuals who influence buying decisions. It’s in your best interest to know who those people are and form relationships with them. A well-known brand like Lost Mary doesn’t become famous overnight – it takes a concerted effort to reach the brand’s target audience.
Depending on your industry, the most influential individuals may include:
- People who post content on social media sites like TikTok, Instagram and Facebook.
- People who review products on YouTube or on their own websites.
- Journalists who cover news and events relating to your industry.