The Zen Approach to Balancing SEO and Brand Identity
Should your brand’s identity or SEO come first? Is it possible to create content that is both optimized for search engines and resonates with your audience?
Let’s try to imagine what will happen in each case.
If you decide to focus on your brand’s identity, you might end up with fantastic content that perfectly captures your brand’s voice and values. But, if this content is on a website that’s stuck on the second page of search results or worse, it’s not likely to be seen by many people. After all, only 1% of users check out the second page of search results.
On the flip side, if you go all out on SEO, you might get your website to rank higher on search engine results pages. However, there’s a catch. Overdoing SEO can lead to content that feels boring, repetitive, or even worse, has awkward grammar and phrasing. On top of that, too many keywords and your tone of voice is ruined. This can hurt user engagement and retention, as visitors are less likely to stick around on a website with poor or uncreative content.
THE SOLUTION
The answer to the question of whether to prioritize brand identity or SEO isn’t about choosing one over the other. It’s about finding a balanced approach that combines both effectively. You need to adopt a mindset that sees SEO and brand identity not as competing goals, but as complementary elements that work together to enhance your content’s visibility, relevance, and engagement. This means turning up one element in certain areas and turning it down in others.
But how do you know when to crank up which?
THE ZEN APPROACH TO CONTENT CREATION
The Zen approach involves finding a seamless integration of both aspects. It emphasizes the creation of content that not only ranks well on search engines but also reflects a brand’s unique values, voice, and personality.
Here are 5 recommendations you can apply in your organization.
1 — Focus on Brand Identity in Content Creation, Utilize Long-Tail Keywords for SEO
When creating content, concentrate on your brand identity to ensure your content brings value and resonates with your audience, while reflecting your brand’s values and voice. However, to ensure your content is also SEO-friendly, use long-tail keywords that align with the needs of your audience. In fact, over 90% of the requests typed by users on search engines feature longer phrases. For example, instead of stuffing your content with high-volume, competitive keywords, use longer, more specific keyword phrases that naturally fit into your content.
2 — Emphasize Technical SEO, But Maintain Brand Consistency
Remember that SEO is not only about links and keywords. In technical aspects of your website, such as site speed, mobile-friendliness, and URL structure, prioritize SEO to improve your website’s visibility and user experience. More than 50% of users tend to exit a website that fails to load in three seconds. This makes improving technical SEO impossible to ignore.
However, ensure that these technical elements align with your brand identity. For example, while optimizing your URLs for SEO, make sure they also reflect your brand’s name or the content’s topic, maintaining consistency with your brand identity.
3 — Concentrate on Brand Identity in Social Media, Leverage SEO for Profile and Post Optimization
On social media, prioritize your brand identity to build a strong online presence and engage with your audience. However, use SEO techniques to optimize your social media profiles and posts. For example, while maintaining your brand voice and identity in your posts, include relevant hashtags or keywords to increase their visibility. Don’t forget about your Google Business Profile. According to Google itself, adding more information to your profile will significantly boost your local ranking.
4 — Highlight SEO in Link Building, But Ensure Brand Relevance
In link building, prioritize SEO to improve your website’s authority and visibility. However, ensure that the links you build are relevant to your brand and provide value to your audience. Remember that 93% of link builders claim that the quality of links is more crucial than their quantity. For example, while guest blogging for backlinks, make sure the blogs you contribute to align with your brand identity and the content you create is valuable to your audience.
5 — Focus on Brand Identity in Visual Content, Use SEO for Image Optimization
In visual content, such as images and videos, ensure your content is consistent with your brand’s aesthetic and appeals to your audience. However, use SEO techniques to optimize your visual content. For example, use relevant alt text and image compressing to improve load speed. A good place to start on your image optimization journey should be this guide from Google.
PARTNER WITH US TODAY
Balancing SEO and brand identity requires a deep understanding of numerous factors. We specialize in creating content that resonates with your audience and ranks well on search engines. Let us help you achieve this balance and grow your brand.
