First impressions matter, and Google is often a first touchpoint.
Customers use Google to look for products, services, brands, or even people. Eventually, they will run into a search result and make some quick judgements. Users will form initial impressions based on what they see, just like in real life.
That’s why brand protection matters so much in search results. Online reputation, controlling the narrative, trust, and hijacking, have to be monitored.
Why Brand Protection in SEO Matters
Credibility and Trust
A clean and well-managed presence in Google results improves a brand's credibility and fosters user trust. If the search results include accurate and positive information about the brand, users are more likely to perceive it as trustworthy. On the other hand, negative or misleading results can harm a brand's reputation and erode trust.
Time for a little research. What shows up when you google:
- Your brand?
- Your personal name?
- Info about you and your company from different parts of the country?
- Reviews, pricing, or horror stories about your brand?
Reputation Management and Mitigating Negative Impact
The most crucial brand protection in Google results involves monitoring and addressing negative content. Nothing quite says “don’t do business with them” like complaints, misinformation, or negative reviews. Proactively managing these helps mitigate their impact on the brand's image and ensures that potential customers are not deterred by misleading or damaging information.
When a bad review is put down, it can be addressed directly in several ways, or there may not be anything to do about it except generate more positive reviews. When negative content is produced on another website, there are several approaches to counteracting what is said, depending on the circumstance. Contact us for a list of ideas and approaches.
Consistent Brand Messaging
Brand protection involves ensuring that the messaging across various online platforms is consistent. Inconsistent or conflicting information in Google results can confuse users and dilute the brand's message. A brand can maintain a coherent and cohesive online presence by managing and optimizing the content that appears in search results.
Do your brand audits contain Google results? Does it include a consistency score across the web for where people are learning about you?
One difficult part about this is that Google’s results change every time they appear. There is no consistency in the Google results due to your location, search history, and other factors. With most things in life, it’s a little more complicated than what it should be. What is required is consistent monitoring of the good and the bad when it shows up.
Competitive Advantage
A website has the ability to broadcast their value proposition before a visitor gets to their site.
By actively managing search results, a company can control the narrative around its brand and differentiate itself from competitors. This control allows the brand to highlight its strengths, unique selling points, and positive customer experiences.
The most common one is to include "Best" in the page title. FreshBooks is one of many that do this.
Below is a local restaurant near the office in Gastown, Vancouver. By saying "Best" they are both attracting clicks from the "best" queries, but also communicating a value proposition before people have even gotten to their website.
Defending Against Impersonation and Counterfeiting
Brand protection can get legal. It extends to preventing and addressing instances of impersonation or counterfeiting. Unauthorized entities may attempt to exploit a brand's reputation by creating fake websites, social media profiles, or content. Proactive brand protection measures help identify and address such attempts.
In the SEO realm, search results may involve legal issues like trademark infringement or copyright violations. Proactive monitoring can snuff these out quickly as Google takes them quite seriously.
If you ever run into an issue, here’s Google’s trademark complaint form.
Enhancing User Experience
Brand protection on Google results enhances user experience by ensuring users find accurate and relevant information. A positive user experience increases customer satisfaction, loyalty, and positive word-of-mouth. If you’re hard to find, or your information isn’t trustworthy, it’s simply too easy to find a competitor that is doing it well.
