As business owners, it is easy to oversee if your business needs a re-branding. Consider tire shops and how they switched from tire to tire & auto repair & Complete Car Care Service.
Many industries have gone from niche services to providing more under one roof. Prime example, lube shops, muffler shops, & tire shops were once niche businesses that now offer a portfolio of services.
Without Re-branding your business, consumers often have no idea that you offer more than your name implies. I find that even businesses that have been in business for 40 years can benefit, over night, from a re-branding. Who doesn’t go online to first research a product or company?
Right. We all do.
When the business name and slogan match the updated product offering or changed consumer language, you will have a higher chance of matching online searchers with your content. And of course, then getting them into your funnel. If you don’t have a brand that matches product offering as well as competitors, warm leads will be going to those businesses that have re-branded and are presenting a clearer online message.
How to Re-Brand An Existing Company
Remember, we are not talking about changing your business entity; we are strictly speaking of re-branding. It can start with a logo change or update. Getting the language updated on the logo goes a long way. Next, you will want to update the language on your business cards, and POP material.
If you can afford it, even get your uniforms updated; these changes often lag other changes as they can be costly. Once you have an updated logo, you can update the language on the website. Wherever the language on the website is outdated, update it. This language change alone can improve your Google, Bing/Yahoo! search-ability.
Real Time Marketing Company/SEO’s
If you have paid an SEO, you will likely have directories containing information that will now be inaccurate. You will want to pay for services such as MOZ and Yext to clean up these directories.
A professional SEO will use these tools to initiate the cleanup of your directories. Things you can usually update in-house include social media profiles, Google Business pages, Facebook, and occasionally the website.
An additional step you can take to speed up the process is to submit your sitemap to Google Webmaster and Bing Webmaster tools. Rule of thumb, any time you make online changes to your website, resubmit these changes to Google via the webmaster tools. A big change like re-branding (off and on page), which includes cleaning up, deleting, and updating directories to match the website, will pay dividends for your companies search results.
A note to do-it-yourself SEO’s, if you are updating your own directories and website, remember, the NAP must match exactly. This will ensure Google understands who these directories are “talking” about.
Not Sure What To Re-Brand To?
The safest bet is to use Google Suggest, Google Trends, and other keyword planning tools such as provided by AHREFS. These tools are going to show you which terms are trending upward and which are trending toward non-use. You can always follow suit with large franchises, they typically have their finger on the pulse of consumer behavior.
Re-branding or increasing your Google keywords will require help. Local Search Engine Optimization is a skill and an art, and those that start early, have the upper hand. Remember these tips.
Google loves to see age behind your online presentation. So the sooner you can put out EMP’s to Google, the better your chance of gaining traction in its SERP’s. Nothing is guaranteed with Google, so try early and try often, when you are aiming to be found for specific search terms.
Re-Branding Can Be Messy, Keep These Techniques In Mind
Increase the synonym-language usage on your site, pertaining to the keywords you desire. Cleanup the existing directories, so they are consistent with your updated NAP (name, address, phone).
Obtain inbound links from other sites (without paying for them). Post on your social media with your new branding, so people can start to associate the business with the language or image change. Do not do anything to get yourself penalized by Google, stay up to date on Google standards of excellence concerning white hat SEO practices.
From Tire shops, body shops, dentists, eye-wear stores, or Regional IT firms, the local landscape will increasingly be made up of more franchises. Plan to compete in the future; you may need to start by re-branding. Need a business built from scratch? Trying to deliver a product or service to over 40 areas?