How Seo Helps Brands Grow: Understanding The Science Behind The Service
There's a lot of confusion circulating about the workings of SEO, which unfortunately hampers investment in our industry. But don't worry, in this article, we're discussing all about it. You're about to discover precisely how and why SEO Services play a vital role in bolstering brand growth, boosting sales, and generating leads. So, without further ado, let's delve into it.
How Brands Grow
Marketing research has shed light on the key drivers behind brand growth. Essentially, brands expand by attracting new and occasional buyers, often referred to as "light buyers." These individuals make sporadic purchases within a specific product or service category and may not exhibit strong brand loyalty. So, the question arises: How can you enhance the rate at which you acquire these new and occasional category buyers? Once more, the research provides a clear answer. You amplify the brand's:?
These terms, mental availability and physical availability, have been widely accepted by marketing leaders for approximately a decade now. But the question remains: How does SEO fit into this framework?
Some SEOs Lack Understanding of Marketing?
I came across a tweet on X recently that read something like this: "When people search Google, they don't care about logos and brands; they care about finding a relevant page and solving their problems." Surprisingly, it garnered 17,000 views, over 200 likes, and was reposted more than 40 times. However, the advice provided is completely off base and highlights how disconnected some SEOs are nowadays. In reality, brand, logo, and website quality are crucial not only for your marketing efforts but also for SEO, as it's ultimately about delivering these assets effectively.
Multiple studies have consistently demonstrated that the quality of a website and the perception of the brand play a crucial role in building trust. Without trust, consumer purchasing decisions are unlikely to happen. However, it doesn't end there; logos and branding are instrumental in creating lasting impressions of businesses. In marketing, these elements are referred to as "distinctive brand assets." If you envision your website as a package, then our role as SEOs is akin to placing that package on the shelf. If we fail to grasp this fundamental concept, how can we effectively advise our clients?
How Online Purchasing Occurs
As SEOs, it's essential for us to have a clear understanding of the buying process and be capable of explaining it succinctly. Here's the simplified version:
1. Trigger
We all experience triggers that prompt us to search. These triggers can be internal, like a feeling or thought, or external, such as advertising or a significant life event.
At this point, one of two scenarios unfolds:
The key to driving brand growth lies in understanding the searcher's need state. You aim to be found or searched for by individuals who are actively in the market to make a purchase. These are people who are either researching products or are ready to buy immediately.
As an SEO professional, your role is to connect your brand with prospects in these two need states. There's a good reason for this approach:
2. Exploration
The next phase of the search process is known as the exploration stage, where things can become quite complex as we delve into researching the category. Interestingly, many people turn to social media apps during this stage to conduct their research.
It's at this juncture that a fierce battle for memory begins. Buying decisions often unfold over extended periods, particularly in the B2B sector. As many can relate, it can take considerable time to make a decision. For instance, it took me at least six months to settle on a car I liked. However, it's crucial to note that this research isn't a continuous process. Life's obligations and various tasks often interrupt our decision-making.
During this period, we're bombarded with retargeted ads across multiple platforms, where advertising plays a significant role. Businesses with strong advertising campaigns that consistently reach their audience are more likely to be remembered when the time comes to make a purchase decision.
However, I understand that many individuals reading this likely work for brands with limited advertising budgets. In such cases, appearing organically where your prospects conduct their research can significantly enhance the chances of being searched for, recognized, and remembered when it's time to buy. And with this, we transition to the next stage.
3. Evaluation?
Once we've completed our research, a few scenarios typically unfold. Either a brand is directly chosen, or it becomes part of a consideration set. However, our search behavior often doesn't follow a linear path. Let me illustrate this with my personal experience searching for a car:
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So, why did I choose this particular company? I was familiar with them because they had consistently appeared in my research. They are one of the largest lease car companies in the UK and had shown up in multiple searches I had conducted. This phenomenon is known as "transfer rate," as my colleague and SEO expert JP Garbaccio recently shared on LinkedIn.
In 2020, Google conducted experiments on 31,000 online shoppers and found that the most influential factor in the "Transfer of Preference" (TOP) process—where a customer shifts to buying YOUR brand—was simply being present in the buying journey. Merely being there resulted in 30% of potential shoppers choosing your brand, with TOP rates ranging from 18% to 44%.
This is where PPC (pay-per-click) comes into play. With PPC, you pay to reach today's buyers, hoping to influence their decision at the last minute. However, in my case, the car leasing company didn't pay to acquire me; I recognized them in the organic search listings, clicked, and called, and they excelled in sales.
I hadn't watched any videos or read any articles created by their brand. Still, I had clicked on their site a few times over several months, and when I needed to make a purchase, they were there.
And with this, we arrive at the final stage of the search process.
4. Buying
There's a lot of buzz online about TikTok being considered a search engine, but the real questions businesses should ask are: Where do their customers make purchases? What is their preferred shopping environment? And how can brands increase the likelihood of being recognized in these environments?
This is where advertising shines, particularly creative video advertising, as it helps to establish a strong association between a brand and its respective category within our memory architecture. For instance, if you were asked to name the first brand that comes to mind when thinking of basketball shoes, chances are you'd say Nike.
However, for many product categories, consumers may be unaware of the brands until they begin their research. This is where search engines and social media apps come into play.
But the purchasing environment matters significantly. This is what we refer to as physical availability. For instance, while there is a TikTok Shop, it may not be suitable for most brands. Moreover, TikTok is known for its difficulty in navigating away from the platform due to limited external links in organic results and a strong algorithm that keeps users engaged with fresh content. In essence, TikTok aims to keep users within its platform.
As a result, many consumers still turn to search engines when it comes to making purchases. Just as we observed in my car-buying example and the transfer of preference study, being present on the digital shelf is crucial for brands to be chosen. Simply showing up increases the chances of being selected.
And this brings us to the culmination of how SEO aids in the growth of brands.
Also read: What Is SEO Ranking And How It Works
SEO Attracts New and Occasional Category Buyers
When someone begins their buying journey by searching, they are typically open to considering different brands than those they've previously purchased from, or they might be entering a new product category altogether. This is where the power of organic search truly shines.
Paid search primarily focuses on efficiency, often measured in terms of Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) or Return on Investment (ROI). In contrast, organic search emphasizes marketing effectiveness, aiming to reach as many potential buyers in the market as possible.
Analyzing data from tools like Ahrefs' Keyword Explorer reveals that in most markets, the majority of traffic goes to organic listings. For instance, in the car leasing example mentioned earlier, 44% of clicks go to organic listings. Similarly, for the term "SEO agency," 47% of clicks go to organic results. Even for searches like "dentist near me," 44% of clicks go to organic listings, while only 4% go to paid search results.
While it's true that paid search can generate more clicks in certain sectors, such as for Nike trainers, it's essential to look beyond just the click-through rate. Acquiring a customer through a paid search click often reduces overall profits, especially when the customer would have made a purchase anyway. On the other hand, a significant number of buyers click on organic listings, which is crucial for growth because brands expand by attracting new and occasional category buyers.
Justifying the investment in SEO
Over the years, I've had numerous conversations with businesses that overlooked investing in organic search, all because they were chasing after the elusive dragon known as ROI. This mindset is often justified through mental accounting, such as questions like, "If I spend $3,000 per month on SEO, how long before I see results, and what will those returns be?"
As I've mentioned in a previous article, SEO performance shouldn't be measured solely by ROI; rather, its investment should be justified. By neglecting to invest in SEO, businesses miss out on reaching a vast pool of potential customers, allowing their competitors to swoop in and win them over. Meanwhile, those competitors are steadily growing their brands, while you're missing out on acquiring new and occasional category buyers.
I genuinely hope that more marketing managers and business owners come to realise the importance of investing in organic search. Yes, organic search is competitive, but then again, so is all business. Winning in organic search provides a competitive edge that leads to more business and how rank online —it's as simple as that.
If the answer is yes to both of those questions, the next step is determining how much you can afford to invest in SEO and deciding who you'll hire to deliver this growth.