Creating an Online Brand | Search Engine Journal

What is the single most powerful tool a business can possess? There may be conflicting answers. I admit it is a wide open topic, but in this humble consumers opinion, nothing is more powerful than a great brand.

I see the silhouette of an apple with a bite missing and suddenly I?m thinking of smartphones and tablets and all things gadget. The wealth of content that is conveyed by a simple drawing of a piece of fruit is astounding. That logo has become the benchmark for corporate branding. There are many others just like it: the flowing script of Coca-Cola, the striated font of IBM, and the offest-x of Exxon Mobile.

I believe that every company can benefit from an online brand at the forefront of their marketing campaigns. Branding is more than just whipping up a logo and posting it on your website. There are several elements I think that need to be considered if you want to make your brand instantly recognizable.

Expression of Quality through Design

This is a big hurdle that I see most business tripping over. The lack of commitment to a brand can kill it before it even gets started. I know that some popular logos were probably sketched on the back of a placement. I know that quality graphic design is expensive, but if you don?t possess a lick of design talent, you need to spend the money to get a professional design for your brand.

Delivery of Information

Your brand will never take off if people can?t find the information that they need. I?ve experienced it countless times. You visit a website with a great look. It?s uniform and unique; clearly the product of many hours of intensive work, but it?s essentially empty. There?s no useful content anywhere. No brand can survive unless it actually delivers.

Added Value

When building your online brand, keep in mind and possible opportunities to add value to your services. Spending time and money to develop a brand that is too tightly focused can hamper your ability to easily expand your products and services.

Easy to Navigate

I think this one should go without saying. Today?s internet users have very short attention span. Your professional brand can grab their attention, but poor navigation will drive them away from your online site in seconds.

Brands in Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs)

I find almost everything I need using a search engine. So does the majority of the consuming public. Having a webpage that ranks high in the SERPs will help drive the maximum amount of visitors to your site, especially if they can instantly recognize your brand. When it comes to choosing which search result to click, I am more likely to click on the one that I recognize first and then sift through others.

Sidestepping the Competition

Like I said above, I?ll click on the link that I am more familiar with. A strong brand will have potential clients sidestepping your competitors and coming to you if you have more brand power than your rivals. Brand power is not only restricted to your online brand, but can also help you draw attention from your competition in print and other media.

Keep these few tips in mind while you?re developing your brand. They?ll help to ensure that you get the best results from your online branding efforts.

Brain Taylor is the VP, Business Development at Forix SEO in Portland, OR. Forix offers affordable and ethical SEO services in Portland helping small businesses with their Internet marketing needs.

Source: http://www.searchenginejournal.com/creating-an-online-brand/57453/

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