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Issue #117: Title Branding
----------------------------------------------------------------- SearchReturn Discussion List "Understanding Internet Search Technology" ----------------------------------------------------------------- Moderator: Published by: Disa Johnson SearchReturn http://www.searchreturn.com ----------------------------------------------------------------- February 15, 2007 SearchReturn Issue #117 ----------------------------------------------------------------- SEND POSTS: ----------------------------------------------------------------- Refer a friend: http://www.searchreturn.com/subscribe.shtml ----------------------------------------------------------------- .....IN THIS DIGEST..... ----------------------------------------------------------------- // -- ESSENTIAL TIPS -- // ----------------------------------------------------------------- ==> Title Branding Essentials: Now to a subject that has several SEOs confusing principles. We are going to examine how to choose whether to include the company name or website in the title and where to put it if you choose to include it. The reason there is a conflict has to do with the job SEOs are asked to do. Namely to achieve new search engine rankings for their clients. For the task of boosting rankings, SEOs will write titles for their clients and include keywords. This is the fundamental job but try to avoid confusing brand issues with rankings. A ranking alone will not take advantage of a branding effect unless the brand is there. Brand marketing is slightly more complex that requires more attention than simply thinking that the ranking supports it without the company name or website as part of it. At the same time, your job is to consider carefully whether the brand marketing should supersede rankings achievable through well written titles containing the best keywords. There is a way to do this after you speak with your client and come to a judgment about how important branding is going to be as you write titles. First, think of your sense for how big the brand is and where it falls on a spectrum from virtually unknown to fortune-sized brand. Once you can picture the importance in your mind, confer with your client to make a determination together whether it should be included. Unknown brands ought to be careful to not try to impress their brand with the title unless there are specific reasons for doing so, such as a new Web service where a goal is to become popular and recognizable like YouTube or Digg. If the brand recognition currently falls on the side of being generally unknown with little real equity, it might be determined to simply leave the business name or website entirely out of the title. Title space and character count is too precious to include it automatically when it won't noticeably increase clicks. If, on the other hand, you are working with a big brand, it becomes vital to include the brand and drive more clicks. The listing will also increase brand equity for these clients. Try not to allow a client with a small or unknown brand to convince you they want to "brand" their company, especially when they are after a local market. Joe's Westide Shell is only a brand people in Bend Oregon know about. It's just not always important to include a brand, and especially one that doesn't travel. If you have determined you are working with a client that requires the brand in the title, you must determine whether the character count supports it. If your business name is International Business Machines, you may want to rethink the equation. If you are lucky enough to be able to turn that into IBM, then you are golden. How much space does the brand require? If it requires too much space, you have to think your way around it for titles. Or if it isn't a big enough brand and has a large character count, really consider dropping it. Finally, you should just about never ever put the brand at the end of a title. If you choose to put the brand in, your thinking should be that it will drive more clicks. The only way it can accomplish that task is if it appears prominently at the front in the Golden Triangle. Appearing at the end only harms your overall character count reducing the importance of the terms which are your keywords. The only exception to this is when the brand itself consists of keywords, and even then consider placing it in the front. This is where many SEOs go awry. They often tell their clients to put their company name or website at the end of titles. If you are making this decision you may want to double think that and make certain you are giving the absolute correct advice. Suggesting company name or website at the end is nearly always wrong and something is likely wrong with your calculations during the process of determining whether the brand should go in or not. If you are thinking brand at the end, either the brand isn't actually as big a brand that otherwise requires appearance in the title, or the character count is large enough you are concerned it will get in the way of rankings. You have tough work with a brand that consumes a large character count and it's well worth the effort to figure out a solution if it deserves to be there. Remember the listing can attract additional clicks with major brand equity for those companies with it, and that search engines give special treatment to the first word or words of titles knowing webmasters typically put the company name or website in front. Altavista used to treat the first word of the title automatically assuming it was the brand or website name. In short, use a big brand for sure, always put the brand in front and don't include a brand at all if it won't increase clicks or is otherwise not important. Rethink your decision and go through the process again if you plan to advise your client to have the brand appear at the end of a title, (the most important HTML element in natural SEO). ----------------------------------------------------------------- Stay Tuned. Got feedback?: http://www.searchreturn.com/feedback.shtml Archives: http://www.searchreturn.com/digest-archive.shtml Alternate formats: http://www.searchreturn.com/info-formats.shtml Manage Subscriptions: http://www.searchreturn.com/help/manage-subs.shtml Problems unsubscribing? 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