In today’s digital age, organic search engine visibility presents a powerful opportunity for businesses. Every time your web pages appear in search results, you gain valuable exposure to prospects actively seeking information or solutions. This increased visibility isn’t just about driving traffic or clicks; it’s a strategic approach to building brand awareness and establishing your company as an authority within the industry – eventually paving the way for long-term success.
This guide delves into the concept of a search-first marketing approach. We’ll explore the core principles of this strategy and how it can be leveraged to build brand awareness, drive sales, and expand your market share. If a search-first strategy is new to you, this guide will equip you with the knowledge to harness its power for your ultimate success.
What Is a Search-First Strategy?
A search-first approach centres on maximising search engine visibility and optimisation as the cornerstone of your overall marketing strategy. This recognition stems from the undeniable importance of search within the buyer journey. By prioritising search engine optimisation (SEO) and crafting content that aligns with user intent, a search-first strategy helps your website to surface prominently when potential clients start looking for products or services related to yours.
However, the emphasis doesn’t stop there. A search-first marketing approach also underscores the critical role of high-quality website content and aligns the channels that drive traffic to this content with your overall SEO strategy. This allows businesses to craft the right message to consistently connect with the right audience at the right time.
While other marketing channels like paid advertising, social media, and influencer partnerships remain valuable tools, a search-first approach prioritises data gleaned from search engines as the primary driver for improvement across all channels. In other words, you’re using the wealth of data Google has in order to increase the performance of your other channels. The ultimate goal is to create a high-performing, optimised website that ranks well in Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). This strong organic presence not only validates your other marketing efforts but also serves as a powerful tool for generating leads and driving conversions through precisely tailored content.
How a Search-First Approach Builds Brand Awareness
Search is central to the buyer’s journey. Sometimes it’s the starting point, sometimes it falls in the middle, and sometimes it’s the last action a customer takes before signing up for a service, scheduling a consultation, or purchasing a product.
When I think about search engines, like Google, and brand awareness, the first thing that comes to mind is “gateway.” Search engines act as gateways to brand awareness. So, how would potential customers find you? Well, there are two key ways:
- Branded search involves users familiar with your brand (perhaps from prior exposure on social media) conducting a Google search for your company name directly.
- In organic search, your website content (e.g., landing pages, informative blog posts, videos, product descriptions) appears organically in search results when users actively seek information related to your industry, products, or services. Even if your target audience hasn’t encountered your brand before, repeated visibility in search results builds progressive brand awareness and familiarity.
A search-first strategy empowers you to target high-impact queries relevant to your business. By creating targeted, people-first content specifically designed to rank well in SERPs, you establish yourself as a valuable resource throughout the customer journey. This consistent and positive brand impression, meticulously crafted across all your marketing channels, builds brand awareness and sets you apart from competitors.
How to Use Search-First Marketing to Increase Brand Awareness
Implementing a search-first marketing strategy involves specific tactics to enhance your brand awareness and impact in organic search and across your other marketing channels. Here’s a practical guide to help you get started:
This guide provides an example – rather than a prescriptive formula – since a search-first strategy is bound by your data. It’s also an iterative process and, as we’ve said before, not linear.
You may revisit earlier steps as new data emerges and re-evaluate your keyword strategy and content accordingly. Moreover, a search-first approach requires ongoing analysis and testing to identify what works, what doesn’t, and what to try next.
#1 Start with Your Analytics Platforms
Utilise Google Search Console and Google Analytics for actionable insights. Before prioritising pages or keywords, understand your current website performance.
- Which pages are ranking well?
- What search queries and pages drive conversions?
- Which channels generate the most leads?
- What’s the breakdown of organic branded vs. non-branded traffic?
- What paths do users follow to convert?
- How do these pages fit into your marketing strategy?
Each question helps unravel the fabric of your current traffic, revealing additional queries worth exploring. Understanding which pages rank well and drive conversions provides insight into engaging content while assessing how these conversions align with your business goals. Plus, analysing the breakdown between branded and non-branded organic traffic offers valuable information on how users discover your site.
#2 Investigate Your Page Content
With a clearer picture of valuable pages, examine their content:
- Does it align with targeted search terms?
- Does it match the queries driving traffic to those pages?
- What’s the user experience like?
- How much copy is on the page?
- Does it present value to the reader?
Your content should position your brand as a trustworthy, authoritative source. Understanding what searchers seek and why allows you to write content that meets their needs, aligning with Google’s goal of providing relevant search results. Pages that don’t align with search intent or fail to provide value and ease of navigation will not retain visitors.
#3 Set Your Search Priorities
Develop a comprehensive keyword strategy to maximise ranking opportunities and guide content creation across different marketing channels. Focus not only on high-traffic keywords but also on areas that create the most positive brand awareness. Aligning your keyword strategy with your marketing objectives helps you to capitalise on SEO and search as growth channels.
At this stage, leverage the insights gained about your metrics, website, and content to refine your keyword strategy using your preferred research tools. Map cohesive keyword themes to specific URLs and actively search keywords to analyse their SERPs, including search intent and SERP features.
Focus your efforts on
- Optimising existing landing pages
- Creating new landing pages
- Updating or creating new blog posts
- Optimising your Google Business Profile
- Creating social media posts
#4 Create and Publish High-Value Content
To rank effectively, your pages need high-quality content tailored to your target audience. Engage your readers by delivering meaningful experiences. Publish content that helps readers answer questions, make decisions, or solve problems. Addressing your audience’s needs head-on fosters positive associations with your brand, increasing the likelihood of future engagement.
Thoroughly understanding your audience’s pain points, priorities, and search intents means your content has managed to address what matters most to them. Integrate insights from search data, marketing data, and audience research to create a solid foundation for your content marketing team.
Once your content is ready, optimise it for better SERP rankings and increased brand awareness:
- Create unique and descriptive title tags and meta descriptions.
- Improve readability with short paragraphs, bullets, and lists.
- Incorporate keywords into URLs, meta tags, headers, and content bodies.
- Use structured data to help search engines understand specific content pieces.
- Link between relevant pages using clear and descriptive anchor text.
Extend your content strategy to other channels by creating social posts, videos, and emails. These additional touchpoints demonstrate your expertise and build further brand awareness.
Increase Your Online Reach with a Search-First Partner
With billions of daily searches on platforms like Google, Bing, and Yahoo, a search-first strategy is essential for brand awareness. By focusing on this approach, you can enhance your business visibility and build the trust and loyalty needed for success.
Our experts can customise a search-first strategy for your business, including keyword research and content creation, as well as technical, on-page, and off-page SEO. Schedule a free consultation to get started today.
