New research from BrightEdge Technologies reveals that the vast majority of branded Facebook pages and Twitter profiles do not appear in the top Google results for keyword searches on the corresponding brand names.
More specifically, BrightEdge analyzed the top 200 brands in the world and found that nearly 100% own the top Google search result for their brand names but only 31% see their branded Facebook page or Twitter profiles in the top 20 Google search results for the brand name. Another 20% see their branded Facebook page or Twitter profiles in the 21st-40th results in Google searches on their brand names.
That means approximately 1 out of 2 of the top 200 brands in the world are failing when it comes to social media profiles and search engine optimization (SEO). Nearly 50% of these branded Facebook pages and Twitter profiles don’t appear until the 5th page (or later) of Google search results for their own brand names.
So who is doing it right? The study shows that retail brands are doing a better job overall of optimizing branded Facebook pages and Twitter profiles for search while insurance and finance companies are doing the worst.
It’s important to note, however, that the study did not find a correlation between branded Facebook page and Twitter profile SEO and engagement rates. On the other hand, there is no arguing the fact that securing high Google search results for your brand name is an important part of online brand reputation management. Surely you want the content that you have some control over to appear high in search rankings related to your brand name. Branded Facebook pages and Twitter profiles offer a great way to get more of your own content listed high in search engine results.
Most marketers think of social media profiles as tools to boost search engine rankings for company-owned destinations such as websites and blogs, but it’s important not to forget that SEO works the other way, too. Your varied online destinations should be fully-integrated and offer cross-promotional opportunities so they all benefit. Higher search rankings will be a natural result if your efforts are fully integrated and leverage perpetual marketing strategies rather than relying on silo marketing techniques.
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Susan Gunelius is the author of 10 marketing, social media, branding, copywriting, and technology books, and she is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She also owns Women on Business, an award-wining blog for business women. She is a featured columnist for Entrepreneur.com and Forbes.com, and her marketing-related articles have appeared on websites such as MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, TodayShow.com, and more.
She has over 20 years of experience in the marketing field having spent the first decade of her career directing marketing programs for some of the largest companies in the world, including divisions of AT&T and HSBC. Today, her clients include large and small companies around the world and household brands like Citigroup, Cox Communications, Intuit, and more. Susan is frequently interviewed about marketing and branding by television, radio, print, and online media organizations, and she speaks about these topics at events around the world. You can connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google+.
