Effective Internet branding is the foundation of strong online marketing. The days of conducting a successful business without a robust web presence are mostly gone. So, for most people, an ad in the phone book (remember those?) isn’t enough. For that matter, in 2021 a website alone won’t cut it; you need a full-blown web presence. And that means you need a brand.

Branding is the communication of identity. Your brand is the image your audience has in their minds when they think of you. It is what they believe about your values, your purpose, and your character. Building an effective brand requires authenticity first and foremost. In a sense, brand is a commitment; authenticity is the degree to which your actions match your words. Authenticity is honesty. 

Internet Branding: SEO Marketing is Key

Internet branding adds a complicating factor: SEO. SEO marketing is a vital method of expanding your audience. Search engines put your content in front of the people you want to communicate with. And search engines match your content with people searching for particular key words and phrases. You’re competing not just with other providers of similar content, but with the enormous amount of content that search engine web crawlers find every second. Effective use of key phrases, or SEO marketing, is essential to getting your content in front of your audience. 

The Problem with SEO

Unfortunately, the techniques that are most effective for SEO marketing can come across as inauthentic. And because people can sense a lack of authenticity very easily, your SEO optimization can backfire when building your brand. Effective Internet branding means preserving your authenticity while optimizing key phrases and using effective SEO techniques in your content. 

This isn’t an either – or scenario, thankfully. Producing quality content that delivers value to your audience and optimizing your web presence for priority search engine results aren’t mutually exclusive goals. Effective Internet branding does both. 

In the next few posts I’ll tell you a little about branding and how you can use effective Internet branding to build your own brand on the web. I’ll give you some background on branding, then I’ll tell you how effective Internet branding techniques can add clarity and structure to your content that adds value for your audience. Finally, I’ll give you some examples of effective Internet branding you can use for your own content. Stay tuned.