While everyone is dashing around trying hard to maximize their search engine optimization for product or problem-related keywords, the little old brand name has become a web reporting statistic that has been relegated to poor cousin, second place.
For some businesses that’s an appropriate position.
You might, for example, be an affiliate seller of a popular product that is looking to make quick sales and be less interested in developing a brand.
For others, though, it’s time to wake up and smell the roses. The little reporting statistic, direct traffic, represents those people that are heading directly to your website because they know your name. And that, my friends, is a very good thing.
Why Your Brand Is An Important Keyword.
Here comes an understatement: The Internet is massive.
And it’s getting bigger every day. Eventually it will reach the point where people stop searching for everything, and start to head to their favorite destinations. To illustrate this point, I ask you, do you Google for a book store – or do you head straight to Amazon?
The power of the brand online = the power of becoming a saved destination. Internet users head directly to this destination and the competitive advantage is that they don’t head to your competitors.
Every brand, every marketer, should be focused on building this direct traffic. While product or problem-related keywords might be useful for helping you establish your presence in an industry on the Internet, ultimately, to be the biggest, you want to become a branded destination. You want to eliminate your competition. Building your direct traffic is the way to achieve this objective.
So the next time you receive your website statistics, take a look at your direct traffic numbers. Then plot them over time. You should smile as those numbers head north. It means you’re doing your job well.
