Most of us would like to be easily found online by our ideal customers. The problem is that the internet is vast and brimming with competitors. In order to get more clicks without paying for ads, we go to great lengths to optimize our websites – ensuring we’re doing everything Google expects in order to rank.
When people reach your site by way of a Google keyword search, you’re given the opportunity to make an impression. If the search engine did its job, your offer should be at least close to what the site visitor is interested in.
Unfortunately, a lot of these visitors lack buying intent – meaning they are just exploring their options at the moment. In all likelihood, they’ll “take a look” and navigate elsewhere on the web.
When was the last time you Googled “comfortable hiking boots for warm weather” and bought some from the first site that popped up in search results?
While it varies by industry, the searches that typically yield the best revenue per click are what we call branded searches.
When you think of comfortable hiking boots for warm weather, you probably already have a few brands in mind:
“REI Hiking Boots”
“Lowa Hiking Boots”
“Merrell Hiking Boots”
At this point, you’re familiar enough with a set of options. You’re likely trying to figure out which one is the best fit for you right now.
This doesn’t mean showing up as “comfortable hiking boots for warm weather” on Google isn’t valuable. It’s actually a great way to grow initial brand awareness.
But in order for this awareness to have a measurable impact on your bottom line, you’ll need to grow your reputation through word of mouth and online reviews. This means clearly stating your brand’s promise and (over)delivering on it time and time again. You’ll also need to design an experience around your brand that makes it feel meaningfully different from competitors.
Once your brand starts to “stick,” people start looking for you by name – giving you an opportunity to hook a much more captive audience.
How are you planning on “sticking” in 2022?
