Building Brand Strength Through Search Engine Optimization

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Search engine optimization is arguably the most essential part of any marketing campaign, especially if you’re trying to sell something.

In the early 2000s, when the internet was first widely adopted, SEO meant publishing content, using backlinks, and never thinking about performance again if you ranked high enough.

Times have changed—that approach will only get you so far.

That’s why we talked with Ken Knorr, CEO of That Company, about all things search engine optimization. Specifically, why it is critical now more than ever, the Google RankBrain algorithm, and how social media has forever left its mark on marketing strategy.

The SEO Landscape for Marketers

“Search engine optimization is the idea of helping improve your rankings on the search engines and what we call the natural organic results.”

Ken Knorr, CEO of That Company

Being close to number one or being number one on any search engine can be pivotal for companies simply due to the sheer volume of organic visitors that this can generate for your site. This means there are opportunities to grow lead generation, pre-sales, or sales through e-commerce.

How are you able to rank high on these search engines?

RankBrain with Google

Search engines can take various shapes and cater to a variety of people. The most notable search engine is Google.

Google’s technology that ranks the sites consumers see is called “RankBrain,” and this tech is similar to what’s being used by others. Basically, it combines the power of machine learning and artificial intelligence to understand consumer behavior and rank sites accordingly.

“User behavior has become much more of a ranking factor than ever before.”

Ken Knorr, CEO of That Company

For example, let’s say you were searching for “How to Drive Manual.”

You look at the first result, and it’s not interesting, so you move on to the second result.

You click on the second result, but it wasn’t what you were looking for.

You leave and click on the third result. Nope—still not exactly right.

Is the fourth time the charm? Yes! It’s perfect, but the good news doesn’t end there. You found their other content so valuable that you clicked through several other “how-to” manuals.

What did that path tell Google?

Well, the first thing Google picked up on was that you didn’t even click on the top result. Then it saw you were uninterested in the second and third results. Now, Google questions whether those should be ranked higher than the fourth option that you found most useful.

In essence, Google is analyzing you, but not just you. This same process happens across millions of users and behaviors.

If it sees many users having a similar experience to the one listed above, the fourth option that you found most helpful will move up, and the others will be de-ranked.

Key SEO Metrics for Marketers

Make your website work for you, not against you.

Now that you understand how consumer behavior plays a role in SEO rankings, you can tailor all of your content toward retaining consumers on your page.

This is achievable when you start actively observing consumer behavior through metrics. These metrics include:

• Organic Traffic
• Bounce Rate
• Conversion Rate
• Keywords Ranked
• Click-through Rate

These pieces are huge factors in SEO and have revolutionized how SEO practitioners think about curating content for the consumer on the web. Start thinking in terms of the above, and you’ll be well on your way to higher rankings.

For the more interviews with industry leaders, you can listen to The B2B Revenue Executive Experience.

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