Results are king at Google. Everything from their fluff-free site design to the complex algorithms they use sends a clear message that results are what matter most to the search engine giant. Relevant results are what matter most to searchers, as well. People use Google, because there is a perception that its results showcase the very best the web has to offer. However, once it was found that “ranking high” in Google could exponentially affect website traffic, all kinds of malicious strategies, like link farming or spam website creation, have been devised by less than savory sources to try and capitalize on the system. Google has done everything it possibly can to serve up “organic” results that sift out spam and bias that outsiders have been inflicting into the system.  Despite Google’s efforts, nothing can prevent the open web from increasing in size every day and quality, relevant websites are becoming no easier to find. Google CEO Eric Schmidt went so far to describe the current state of the web as a “cesspool” of false information. To clean up this messy problem, Google is taking measures into its own hands and is saying goodbye to truly organic results by pushing brands to the top of Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) for generic, industry keywords. Results matter to Google. Without good results, Google’s own brand diminishes. Now that Google is turning to brands to serve as the authority on “quality” the search engine optimization (SEO) playing field is changing, but as competitive as ever.

Why Big Brands Still Need SEO

As Google shifts its focus to brands, people searching will also shift their search behavior to get the information they need. There is already evidence that shows long-tail termed searches are on the rise. With short, broad terms occupied by established brands, consumers are likely to use longer terms to find the resources they need. Brands need to be optimized for these longer, non-branded search queries in order to remain relevant for what people are searching for.

Even as these changes are underway, consumers remain discerning of the web and expect quality. Websites that fail to meet consumer needs, branded or not, cannot be successful in a supply-and-demand driven web. More than ever before, brands will have to live up to the standards being set for them by both consumers and Google. It’s not prudent for big brands to take this change as a free ride to the top. Traffic will certainly be gained, but conversions won’t be. A dysfunctional site won’t just turn off consumers, it will have an effect on the brand itself. Online reputation doesn’t stay online – it traverses into the offline purchasing decisions of consumers. If an optimized, easy-to-use website can increase sales or cause consumer growth, an un-optimized site can diminish brand value. Here is where the system comes full circle – since brand value is the new contributing factor to broad term SERPs,  brands have to keep their sites in good working order to hold on to those top spots.

Social Is Not A Marketing Option, It’s The New Standard

Consumers today are more digitally-savvy than many modern companies, a stark difference from past technological revolutions in which businesses and professionals were the early-adopters leading the revolution. Social media isn’t a one-way street where either business or consumers have the right of way. Consumers are using the social web to their benefit, but most Americans expect companies and organizations to be using social media tools to their advantage, as well. Digital marketing is a two-way street where the communication between businesses and consumers take place to serve the needs of both parties. The conversations that take place do more than provide customer service and build relationships, these discussions establish a public record of what the businesses behind the brand can offer their customers. In many cases, this record is searchable (i.e. Twitter search) and can leave a lasting impression for months, years, and maybe as long as the ‘net shall live. Now that brand reputation is more important than ever before, no company can afford to ignore these conversations any longer.

The power of social needs to be harnessed and effectively managed. The buzz from social can be used to feed SEO efforts, increase brand awareness and initiate (or continue) a brand’s authority within its industry. Social also gives the littler guys an opportunity to become big guys. For businesses looking to build brand, social gives them a space to engage with the public and showcase their value alongside their larger, established competition. The brands that matter will be the ones that are the most shared and talked about, even if they do come from smaller businesses and organizations.

Information travels at the speed of conversation since the socialization of the web. Now that Google is leaving the cesspool of spam and false information behind, it is sending a signal that it’s time for everyone – young, old, big or small – to clean up their act and put  their best brand forward.