Competing with Big Brands in SEO
Having worked with some of the largest ecommerce companies on the web, I have an understanding of the benefits that come along with Google Favoritism. I know they will never fully commit to the stance that Google does indeed favor brands over small local businesses but you only have to do a couple of searches to see that its true. Its great to be a big brand in search but the web should be the great equalizer. Here are a couple of tips on how to compete with the Big Brands in Google Search.
Find a Niche:
If you can find and develop a niche market the more power to you. It is not as hard as it sounds because a niche doesn’t just have to mean the product you are selling. It could be your location, your user experience, your expertise and so on. If you can highlight some of the big differentiators between you and the Big Brands then you will be able to attract customers in search. It may not happen right away but the more content you can get out there that shows how you are a better solution in terms of buying the more Google will trust you. That being said, keep your attention on the customer. Always ask yourself, is this or will this information be beneficial to the customer? If the answer is yes, then you are producing great content that can help drive links, social shares, and citations. All of which help you in search.
Focus on the long tail:
Everybody wants to rank for the money terms. i.e. “Superbowl Tickets” These terms themselves drive a lot of traffic. Since they drive a lot of traffic they cost A LOT of money in terms of PPC. If you can write great content and do some research as to how people are finding your site you will start to narrow in on the “long tail” search terms. There are hundred upon thousands upon millions of variations of these terms. With that many variations they have the potential to make up the bulk of your referring keywords. And since they are “long tail” and there are so many variations they end up being pretty cheap in terms of PPC.
Go Local:
The local search in Google is truly a level playing field. The Big Brands have a difficult time competing in this space because most of the time they aren’t truly a “local” business. The keys to ranking well for local search differ slightly than the main SERPS but it still requires a bit of effort to rank well. The key here is to produce great “local” content. Mention the town you reside in, the areas served, top market places etc. and build out that content around these terms. Your goal here is to get “citations.” Citations are links that include your address, phone, email, etc. These help Google to verify that you are indeed a local to that area. From here, you are going to want to make it easy for your customers to review your business. Reviews are becoming much more important in the algorithm of Google and can lead to better rankings.
All of these tips taken holistically can help your small business compete with the Big Brands in search. The biggest rule of thumb is that you have to keep creating great content. The world of search is changing from just building out dozens of crappy links and ranking better to a world of great content being rewarded with great rankings. As always, we are here to help make that easier for you and to answer any questions you may have.