Competing with the Big Players in Search Engine Results Pages

So, we're here to tell you to channel your inner Buffy. Swap vampires for giants. And slay.

But First, A Small Slice of Reality Pie...

Big brands probably have a lot of things you don't.

They ride high on brand recognition, they've got cash to splash, and they've got teams upon teams of trusted people they rely on for things like design, coding, copy, and everything in between. Many also get away with SEO trickery that would almost certainly land a smaller business with a penalty that would take some time to recover from.

But you've got to let go of that because you've got things that they don't.

You've Got This

Big players aren't as nimble as you can be. In the time they spend in meetings and consultations, which are often like that scene in Friends where Ross is stuck on the staircase with Chandler, Rachel and a couch, unnecessarily shouting PIVOT over and over again, you can skip all that, make speedy but informed decisions, and efficiently embark on your journey to success following a new path.

Build Your Brand

You don't need to be the Beyoncéor the Adele of the business world, but it's super important that the people looking for the services and products you sell know that you exist.

This begins with building a strong brand presence. Your logo, colour schemes, and tagline should very clearly communicate the ethos of your brand. You also need to illustrate precisely how your brand differs from the competition. What's your USP and how can you translate this into an engaging narrative that will appeal to your target audience?

Next up: your website. Your content should be interesting, relevant, and have a consistent tone of voice. Your site needs to sound like you because you need to converse with your audience in ways they will be receptive to if you want to build strong relationships.

Two Words: Local Search

If you're a business serving your local area, local search is a blessing. Google knows that its users value local results and building a strong local presence is one of the quickest ways to secure your spot at the top of the results page. Shout about your locality. No. Excuses.

Target Branded Keywords

Big players target brand related keywords and generally overlook generic keywords entirely. Try adopting a similar approach. Focus a little less on the generic keywords you probably aren't going to rank highly for anyway and more on keywords which relate closely to your brand.

Become A Social Butterfly

Your social channels probably won't be the biggest converters, but if you're doing it right they will very quickly become irreplaceable. From delivering epic customer service to hosting competitions and engaging with your audience in entertaining and endearing ways, it's time to let your brand personality shine.

With ideas for days we could talk about this stuff forever. If you're looking for guidance and we've piqued your curiosity, give us a call.