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Keywords and Branding (Part 3)

Posted on May 24, 2008
Filed Under Brand Elements, Brand Integrity, Branding, Christopher Kirk, Internal Branding, Internet Marketing, Marketing |

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The last two posts in this mini series dealt with finding keywords and then once you have found them, how to implement them on your site. This post really is the warning label for using keywords. You need to tread carefully because the integrity of your company’s brand is at stake. I am not trying to be sensational but I hope I have raised a red flag in your head and I hope you pay attention to it. When it comes to brand integrity, you should have a level of sensitivity to protect your company’s brand.

Just like in advertising, you do not want to say something that you are not or that you do not do. It will ruin your company’s reputation. So it is the same if you choose keywords for search engine optimization that really do not fit your company’s brand.

Examine this for a minute. Imagine that you are a jeweler of high quality, exquisite jewelry that you sell online.  You go ahead and do keyword research for your online business and find out that “cheap jewelry” is a highly searched and low competitive keyword (not likely but go with this). Then you decide to implement that keyword on your website hoping that you will get tons of organic search engine traffic. You just sunk your company brand.

Sure you might get lots of traffic, but notice two other things will happen. Those visitors who found you using “cheap jewelry” as their search term will be quite shocked to see that your high end, exquisite jewelry is not that. So you now have a prospect that will probably not buy and leave your site. You got traffic. It is just not the traffic that will buy from you. They are not your target market.

Also notice that there is something missing in the new traffic you have just acquired. People who really would buy from you now will not find you because they are not going to search for cheap jewelry and even if they inadvertently saw you in their SERPs (search engine results page), they will not chick for “cheap jewelry”.

WARNING! Do not undo your company brand by using a keyword that may drive lots of traffic, but does not promote what your company is about or does not reach your target market.

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