"What have you searched Google lately?" Ask anyone that question 10 years ago, and who would look strange. But now, Google search is a part of life. When we need something, increasingly searching the Internet.

From a brand perspective, Google has much in common with Kleenex, Xerox and skates in the world. It's a brand that has become the name of a category far from the time, not long ago, when only urban liberals Tony Tiger knew what it was Google.

The yellow pages can not be gone, but his star is fading fast as more and more turn to Google (or other search engines) when the need to find a product or service. Why? Better, more complete and current information. There is no contest. When someone looking for a business on the agenda, they get your address, phone number and maybe a flashy graphic ads, depending on the amount of money they spent on the ad. In a Google search, get a link to the company's Web site where you can find all the information in a company and its offerings as needed.

For things like books, tickets and music, Google search often leads to an immediate purchase if the price is right. But even the most "shopping in mind," where you compete in more than price, Google search is often the first step of research buyers take to reach a decision. They look for keywords and keyword combinations, comparing each result set to the next, looking for the most relevant information.

In a perfect world, people systematically study from three to five competitors in a selection set, list the pros and cons of each and reaching a calculated decision. But a perfect world is not the real world. This is what happens: if the search result looks promising, the buyer must click through the company website and investigate the possibilities of a game more. If it looks like an attack, case closed. Customer won. Not
Additional research is needed, even if someone out there with a better deal out.

This is the reason for this "short list" of the search results ranking is essential at this time, the higher the better. The first places give you the opportunity to have prospective customers call your virtual door, aware of their offers and eager to buy before they ever say a word to them.

Do not be ashamed of himself looking on Google

Come on, you know you've done: type your name into a search engine such as Yahoo or MSN. Do not feel ashamed. We all do. It is, after all, it is interesting to see what others say about you.

In a business context, is not narcissistic at all. He's smart, especially when you are trying to build your brand online. But in addition to seeking specific name, try searching the category. For example, if you are a manufacturer of flash Denver, look up "Denver widget" or any other combination of words or phrases relevant to your business. Where rank? The first two? Top 10? Top 1000? It does not take a genius to figure out the best five results will click a lot more than numbers 75-80. Are you where you want to be?

How top-ranked sites get their positions

Especially for keyword searches more competitive, companies must participate in a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy, which includes strategic intelligence, hard work and clean code.

How search engines rank web sites

Computer programs called "spiders" are responsible for visiting, indexing and ranking websites. Each search engine has its own spiders with somewhat different methods to rank websites found, and there are strategies you can use to make yours more attractive, and also the errors that can negatively affect your rankings.

Urban Legends 4 SEO

Legend # 1: You can muscle its way into the top. Maybe in 1999, but not anymore. To repeat a lot of hidden keywords on your page or on labels and do not mislead search engines into giving you high marks. Algorithms that power the software behind these spiders have become more advanced, and the use of tactics like this is more likely to hurt your score to help them.

Legend 2: It begins and ends with the traffic. Many people go to them, click repeatedly in the hope of boosting their search rankings. However, this is wasted effort because spiders do not mind a bit of traffic.

Legend # 3: I can get rankings flights from the beautiful people to send all emails. If you fall for one of the schemes of spammers, who deserves to be scammed! Seriously, you would pay good money for an office job you could do yourself. But even if you do it yourself, you run the risk of getting a worse rating. It is a member at Augusta National, if you say you love him, do not get. Search engines regard as despair repeat presentations, reject wholeheartedly.

Key # 4: A search engine optimization service guarantees a top 10 in Google. In short, nobody can legitimately do that. These guarantees are a telltale sign of the art of selling snake oil. That's how the scam works: technically, at the height of his order to get top billing in a search term of your choice, it is so specific that only his mother is likely to search it.

Smarty pants spiders

Search engine optimization is much more complex than ever. The obvious shortcuts to major search engines have long been identified and closed by the search engine companies. These days, a high ranking have more to do with the structure of your HTML code, insight to avoid "trip wires" that send spiders away, where certain key words appear on a page, how to use JavaScript and style sheets and its formatting instructions appear in connection with your website copy. If you use a WYSIWYG editor of code written in programs such as FrontPage, GoLive or Dreamweaver, which has almost certainly get a much lower score of the
spiders.

It really does take a team of people, like we have in the Brand Identity Guru, dedicated to tracking the daily changes in the field of battle to maintain a web presence of high rank. And it does change frequently, search engines are known to change their search algorithms often.

What about pay-per-click?

Organic ("free" or "natural") are completely different classification Sponsored ("pay-per-click" or PPC) links. PPC can be an effective part of the overall online marketing strategy of a brand, and a great professional SEO companies work with customers to design PPC campaigns that are both profitable and attractive. But PPC will not be a substitute for SEO. High positioning in search for relevant keywords in Google, with its reputation for highly relevant results returned, is a good omen for your brand in a way that can not be sponsored links. However, it is advisable to conduct an SEO all, non-PPC strategy. Graves of online brand marketing best results with a comprehensive strategy by professionals with both the brand and technical expertise to determine the right combination of both.

Yes, it's complicated.

But get a lot in return for their investment of time and money. A more "Googleable" online brand strategy quickly improving sales performance and a more visible mark on the web, which in turn also positively affect the bottom line.