Brand Recognition Proven to Improve SEO Results
We all know that brand recognition influences user behavior. The biggest brands like Nike and Coca-Cola are basically an embedded part of our existence. Everyone knows them and we're drawn to purchasing those products because of their brand identity.
But the question is: how much does that brand awareness affect SEO success? According to a new report that followed the eye-tracking of 400 search journeys, "82 percent of consumers will select a brand that they're already familiar with in search results, regardless of that brand's actual ranking within the SERP." One caveat here, the brands ranking in the SERPs needed to be prominent and visible enough to the consumer in order to be considered. So, ranking is still a major factor as position 8 vs. 9 are both on page one of Google. The real story here is that once your listing is visible and in the consideration set, brand recognition can improve you click-through rate at the expense of higher ranking listings.
As an example, the report noted that “For the search term ‘king-size duvet covers,’ someone clicked on Matalan, which ranked in position nine in the organic results - or for the search term ‘party dresses UK,’ ASOS ranked as the eighth result, and still got clicks."
So what do these findings indicate to us as marketers?