Why You Should Reduce Your SEO Budget and Focus on Branding

Google’s algorithm change this year has caused permanent damage to e-commerce websites, without any signs of recovery. Businesses who were hurt the most were the ones relying completely on SEO to gain traffic.

No longer can e-commerce businesses solely rely on SEO to bring them the bulk of new visitors – instead, they should be investing more into branding.

Instead of being found by high demand keywords, the business’s name should be the keyword. This strategy is the best long-term strategy businesses of all sizes could focus on. Especially with the emergence of social websites like Facebook and Twitter, it is now quick and simple for customers to share your website to friends and family. This, of course, is the cheapest form of advertisement.

Branding is not easy, especially if you are a small business or already carry a scarred reputation. They key is defining who your business is and where you want to go. What do you want everyone to think of when they think of you? If public perception of your business is not where it should be, look into ways of altering their perception by open dialog, such as with social media websites, and advertising.

Social media websites are an important tool for gauging what customers currently think about your business and ideas for improvement, as well as helping them spread the news about your company or products. For instance, if your business has a Facebook fan page and someone decides to “like” your page, your fan page link is then broadcasted to everyone within his network. With the average Facebook user having 100 to 200 people within his network, this is an excellent form of free direct advertising.

While SEO is still an important aspect of owning an e-commerce business, it should not be solely (or mostly) relied on for bringing customers to your virtual door. Fighting for competitive keywords for top ranking requires a large investment of time and money, which can be washed away by a click of a button – the button being on Google’s end. Protect your business by increasing traffic from other means, such as from branding efforts, pay-per-click ads, partnerships and sponsorships.