Dominate your brand SERP by focusing on a few key areas.
Brand SERP: What is it and why does it matter?
Every brand should dominate their brand SERP (Search Engine Results Page).
It’s how people who search for your brand name find you at the top of the search results instead of your competitors.
This is what you want to aim for, and there are a few ways to achieve it.
But first, let’s define the term “brand SERP.”
What is a Brand SERP?
A brand SERP is a search engine results page that includes the brand’s name in all, or a majority of, the search results. Brand SERPs are important because they help users easily find a specific brand on search engines, and they help brands maintain visibility and protect their reputations.
For example, here’s what Google serves when you search for our agency, “RSO Consulting”:
We’re here, we’re there, we’re everywhere. RSO Consulting’s brand SERP on Google.
You can see our business displays on nearly every search result shown on page 1. This not only weeds out competitors from organic search results, but it also projects a sense of legitimacy by showing our brand’s information on a variety of other important sites, not just our own.
You can do this, too. Here’s how.
How to Optimize for Your Brand SERP
When you want your business to dominate the brand SERP, here are the steps to take:
Optimize your home page for your brand name. When someone searches for your business or brand name, they are certainly looking for you – not your competitors. One surefire way to make sure it happens is to include your brand name in your home page optimization, including in your meta title tag and meta description tag (these are what show up on the SERP).
Establish a presence on social media platforms. The reason social media profiles show up on page 1 for brands is search engines know that’s where people tend to research brands. Social websites also have very high domain authority, so they naturally rank higher than some other sites. You don’t have to establish accounts on every social network, but choose ones that make sense for your audience.
Get featured on review sites. Search engines also know that when people search for a specific brand name, they may be seeing what other people have to say about the brand. That’s why review sites tend to show up on page 1 for brand SERPs. The types of review sites that will display for your brand depend on your type of business and industry. For example, restaurants may be best served by having a presence on Yelp whereas tech companies may want to seek online reviews on Crunchbase or Gartner.
Complete your Google Business Profile. For many businesses, Google will display a Business Profile on the right-hand side of the search results. This is valuable real estate for any branded SERP, so be sure to complete your Business Profile as much as possible. This is also a great spot to ask customers or clients for reviews, as they show up directly in the profile.
Get listed in directories. Business directories tend to show up in brand SERPs, so be sure to do some research on which ones make sense for your brand. Better Business Bureau is a popular directory, but you can search online to find additional opportunities.
Compete for the People Also Ask section. In addition to searching for your specific brand name, people will sometimes ask a question about your brand or around your brand. These common questions and answers show up near the top of organic search results in the form of a People Also Ask section. It’s important to try and have your brand show up with the answers to these questions to support your brand-centric SERP.
If you search for “BlueJeans by Verizon” on Google, you will see a People Also Ask section is included in the SERP:
Source: Google
Learn More about Branded and Non-Branded SERPs
Branded SERPs are just the beginning. You’ll also want to optimize for search terms that don’t include your brand name. Here’s the guide to branded and non-branded keywords to help you learn more.
