Google has always given big brands preferential treatment including better rankings with fewer links. However, small brands don’t get these same benefits. Although this has been going on for a while now, it’s only accelerating and becoming more pronounced – to the point that building a brand should be your main focus online today. Then you’ll get showcased in the SERPs.
Dramatic Changes in SERPs
Google is known for tinkering with things (e.g. algorithms, layouts, featured snippets) thousands of times each year. One of the most recent changes is in featured snippets – something that’s risen from 5.5% to 16% in the past two years then decreased by 10% in four days while knowledge panels got a serious boost in visibility as Google tries to incorporate more content from other people – mainly from huge brands and definition-based sources like Wikipedia. This really narrows the pool of helpful content down to just a few of the major players.
Fewer People Click on SERPs
Only 60% of people who conduct a Google search click on a result. This is a number that’s expected to continue growing, which is bad news for small businesses. The main reason for this is that Google’s Knowledge Graph (which is dominated by large brands) is solving user problems without users clicking through to websites. This means small businesses are receiving less traffic, fewer clicks, and less organically-driven sales.
Why Brand Recognition Is Critical to Getting Clicks
Small brands are being pushed out of the way by larger ones like HubSpot, Search Engine Journal, and Marketo. Even when smaller brands are there, viewers skip over them for ones they’re more familiar with. This is the power of brand recognition as seen in internet marketing today. In fact, a study conducted by Nielsen showed that 60% of consumers buy new products from familiar brands instead of trying new ones. Even Survey Monkey found that 70% of American consumers repeatedly return to known, trusted retailers. This is because trust plays a critical role in our lives – even in SEO.
The Importance of SERP CTR in SEO
When it comes to internet marketing today, ranking number one no longer means what it used to. Unless people know your brand, you won’t be able to generate anywhere close to the 30% of organic clicks you did in the past – no matter how great your content is. SERP CTR is becoming more important than traditional rankings and likely has an impact on overall rankings, too. This is because Google now analyzes search queries and clicks to see what content users prefer. As such, you need more clicks to your content than ever before. However, without brand awareness on your side, people won’t click to view your content. Of course, this will also directly impact people’s purchase behavior, too. This is why it’s so important to pay a lot more attention to your headlines than in the past – especially if a well-known brand is located anywhere near your listing. Doing so makes good internet marketing and SEO sense, but it still isn’t enough to overcome the power of branding.
Conclusion
Although Google has given big brands preferential treatment for many years now, we’re continually seeing this grow with each update. Branding is your only hope for conducting better SEO, getting more clicks, and making more sales. The Affordable SEO Company knows that while brand building for internet marketing is essential, it can’t be all your business focuses on. You already have a lot on your plate so let us take over this part of your business for you. We’ll help you rise to the top of the SERPs so you get the attention you deserve.