National Brand with Local Offices? Start with a Sustainable SEO Strategy!

Today’s advertising model teaches us that Search Engine Optimization or SEO offers the wonderful proposition of an improved return on investment of a particular campaign. Of course it makes perfect sense, Google counts two million searches per second. SEO works because people are so reliant on search queries, and because Google is a trusted source in producing search results. The more people visit a website, the greater the chances of generating leads and converting them into sales.

A company’s marketing strategy can no longer forego SEO and Internet marketing initiatives. They have simply become the norm. Thus, more and more companies are capitalizing on this low-cost and high return medium. Given its state of constant change, trial and error is expected. And slowly we are getting information on tactics that work versus those that only produce short-term gains.

Multiple Websites – Good or Bad?

Some companies are operating multiple websites for a single brand. The idea is that since the brand is available across regions, it is a good idea to localize content and dominate the SEO boards. Right? When it comes to SEO, the answer is no.

First let us consider the brand. Is it the same brand offering the same proposition or services? While it is a valid argument that having multiple sites will increase the traffic to your site, this has a downfall.

The key to SEO is content. It is virtually impossible not to duplicate any content if you have the same product across different websites. And from a branding perspective, you cannot keep rewording your content, as it will mess up your product’s positioning.

Some regional websites offer just a landing page and scrambled content. It might get your search ranking high for a while, but Google is aware of this method and will take you down quickly. So it does not in anyway help build your brand’s name.

Confusing Your Customers

Having multiple sites is also confusing for the consumer. If a product is available nationwide, and potential customers search online about it, they will be turned off by so many results that might look like spam.

Multiple sites are also a nightmare for marketing strategists. Imagine having to maintain a product’s positioning throughout countless websites?

So, What Works?

Google favors trusted and credible brands when it comes to search results. Building a brand takes time, and as the name grows, so will its search rank.

Google also values content. It is currently changing its algorithms to value high quality content versus SEO techniques. So invest in good writers and relevant articles to complement an innovative strategy.

And as a piece of advice for national brands, the best way to get organized is to have a national site that branches out to regional content. Make sure that the regional sub-branches are as local as possible. And take advantage of links and URL structures to improve SEO performance.