Branding for SEO – The Power of a Name

Did you know that in Manhattan, NYC, there’s a restaurant called ‘Thai Food Near Me’? Closer to home, there’s a clothes shop in London called ‘Closing Down Sale’. Odd choices for sure, but there’s a reason we know about them.

With the right brand name, you can soar past your competitors or hit the ground running as a new business. We’re not suggesting you be as blatant as TFNM, instead choose a name that means something to you, and find a way to optimise your brand for SEO.

 

How do Brand Names help SEO?

Depending on your business, the brand name you operate under can help with your SEO. Of course, any website or company can do well with the right SEO support, but you can gain an advantage if you have a strong brand.

Take TFNM (Thai Food Near Me). Local SEO is vital for a restaurant, they aren’t interested in appearing in Google searches for people in other countries. If you live in Manhattan, and search ‘Thai Food Near Me’, guess which business pops up?

TFMN have jumped the queue. They’ll always rank well in their area because their brand name is what people are searching for. If you search your brand name, it should be the top result on any search engine. But if that isn’t the case it may be because you have a name that is holding you back.

 

Bad Brand Names for SEO

After years of providing SEO services for a wide range of businesses, in dozens of industries, we’ve seen every type of business name under the sun.

The biggest brand name hurdle can be if you share a name with a bigger business. Say you’re a finance supplier called ‘Lancashire Finance’. You won’t be the only Lancashire-based finance company and will likely be a small fish in a big pond. This means that even when you Google your brand name, you aren’t guaranteed to be no.1.

It’s even worse if there is a bigger company that isn’t in your industry. For another example, imagine you are a law firm called ‘Harrison & Williams’. These are fairly common surnames, meaning it’s not out of the question that there will be another company with that name. If they aren’t a law firm, and instead supply pillowcases, that’s a lot of traffic you could be losing if they’re well established.

The solution is to have a URL that’s more unique: harrison-williams-law would rank a lot better and would ensure you stand out.

Using your name as your brand has a lot of advantages too.

 

Using your Name as Your Brand

Because of the amount of AI content still being used on websites, despite Google’s best efforts to discourage it, a brand that is more ‘human’ has more potential for success.

The key to emphasizing your company’s human side is through the content you produce. A friendly yet professional tone, using the first person, goes a long way to please both readers and search engines.

If your name is your business, you need to capitalize on it. Being a sole trader isn’t easy, but it can make you much more trustworthy, and your clients or customers will respond well when they see the face behind the operation. So be sure to share as much of yourself as you can, with plenty of insight into your story, and what makes your business the best.

The only issue is expansion. If your business takes off, you’ll need new team members to grow. This will be an important crossroads for your brand: do you stick with the single name or create a new brand and work hard to continue growing?

 

Choosing a New Brand Name

If you decide to bite the bullet and rebrand, first of all well done! It’s a bold move, but it pays off in the long term. With the right SEO experts in your corner, you can hit the ground running with your new name and quickly get back to being on top.

Here are the things to consider when choosing a new brand name:

·       Does it explain my business?

·       Is it unique?

·       Is it catchy and memorable?

·       Is it future proof?

·       Will it improve my SEO?

This is a lot to consider; be sure to take your rebrand seriously.

 

How SEO Helps with Rebranding

You may be surprised to hear that we know a thing or two about SEO (we choose our brand name for a reason!). We’ve guided multiple clients through the rebranding process, as well as providing SEO and copywriting services that provide the initial boost they need.

If you’re looking to rebrand, or just want to know more about SEO and content, please get in touch.

We look forward to hearing from you, and best of luck with the rebranding! 

Written by Nathan Locke