subject: Why Even Big Brands Need Seo? [print this page] Regardless of the size of your company and brand, the state of technology and of public access to it today, means that SEO is an entirely crucial part of your marketing and PR strategy and a tool that you would be at a massive disadvantage without. SEO - or Search Engine Optimisation - essentially means using content and links in order to build up your site's ranking on Google and other search engines. This in turn means that when someone searches for a service or product, or just types in something related, that they are more likely to find your page.
For small companies this is crucial and it is the only way that they can compete with the larger businesses for a share of the market. They can do this because of the cost effectiveness and the power of SEO which means that by paying a company to make some changes to their site and to supply them with some articles, they can get their page to number one on Google for a range of popular searches. Despite this usefulness however, many larger companies and brands make the mistake of believing that they don't need to promote their site in the same way. Large companies rely on an in-built user base, word of mouth, and on expensive marketing campaigns and advertising. Once a brand reaches a certain size this tends to generate its own business. People consider that company the company for the service and this means they don't always even bother looking around for other options.
That doesn't mean that large brands do not need SEO however, and this large oversight can prove the downfall of many successful businesses. All the above means that the playing field is being leveled as smaller companies can market themselves to as many people as the larger businesses for a fraction of the cost. Local companies can easily generate business in their area by targeting local keywords, and while this might not seem like a threat if you have enough of these steeling your market share then it can eventually leave you with little left. If your brand never comes up in searched meanwhile, this can eventually make your company seem inactive and begin to lose importance in the minds of those searching.
The good news is that a large company has far more money and can afford to pour a lot more into its SEO. At the same time, with an already well-known brand it should be relatively easy to secure some kind of foothold on Google (people will also search for your brand, and at the very least you should be number one for that search (lest number one be an unfavourable review)). By putting your money into SEO with the same zest and gusto as you might a new advertising campaign you can be sure to pull ahead and to prevent the smaller competition developing into a more serious problem. At the same time you can expand your business to areas that you might not otherwise have had the time or money to market yourself to - perhaps related services or nearby locations. You can expect a massive boom in custom, but as a larger organisation you should have the tools in place to deal with this explosion and increased demand.
SEO is a very modern and savvy way to market a business. The young companies and start ups are all doing it and this is what's dangerous for the larger organisations that are perhaps somewhat set in their ways. In order to keep up with the new competition and to future proof your business.
