Search Engine Optimization All-In-One For Dummies®

Chapter 2. Using SEO to Build Your Brand

In This Chapter

• Selecting keywords that help build your brand

• Using search to maximize brand awareness

• Distributing press releases effectively on the Web

• Increasing your chances of showing up through blended search

• Creating engagement objects

• Building an online community

• Using social bookmarking to promote your brand

Traditional marketing just isn't enough to build a brand name (company or product name) these days. You can't just have a good product and decent service, take out a yellow pages ad, print some business cards, and set up shop. Your marketing plan now needs to be bigger, more engaged, and more interactive. To build a successful brand name, you need to be where people will see you, hear what others say about you, and join in the conversation — and that's on the Web. A good marketing plan today needs to consider that "word of mouth" has gone digital, and somehow tap into that online buzz.

Search engine optimization (SEO) gives you the skills you need to make sure your Web site can be seen where people search. That's crucial because the majority of people coming to any Web site get there through a search engine. But to really grow your brand, you have to stretch beyond pure SEO and do some broader Internet marketing, which means to delve deeper into understanding your target audience and interacting with them. In this chapter, we discuss how you can associate your brand with other things that your target audience is interested in. We also ...