Businesses looking to build their brands should focus on fostering their web presence, according to data from Experian Hitwise and Ipsos Reid. EMarketer paired studies from the two companies to illustrate that websites generating the most traffic are recognizable brands.
Businesses with household names, like Google, Microsoft and Facebook, are highlighted in these reports. However, the data suggests the power of branding other companies can follow them in focusing on a strong niche web presence to build brand recognition online and offline.
On the matter of brands’ presence in SERPs, Google’s Matt Cutts has told marketers to “try to make a site that is so fantastic you become an authority in your niche.”
New media marketing channels should focus on sharing valuable information, more than overt selling tactics to achieve branding goals. As consumers and B2B buyers look to make new purchases or investments for their companies, it’s becoming increasingly common for their research to take place entirely on the web. Brafton recently reported that 89 percent of consumer purchase decisions begin with search engine research, and about half of B2B research starts with search as well.
Fostering a web presence with a multichannel marketing campaign can help businesses move up in search rankings, while also fueling popularity on Twitter, Facebook and other social networks.
Traffic gained through organic search and social media marketing is increasingly valuable for businesses. However, many undervalue it because it often doesn’t result in immediate conversion. Brafton recently reported that credit for direct website visits that result in conversions is often given to offline branding efforts, but an increasingly high portion of these visits are powered by brand discovery through some new media marketing channel.
