Why SEOs Should Measure Their Brand: Introducing Moz’s Brand Authority Metric
The Power of Branding in SEO
As a savvy SEO professional, you already know that building links and optimizing content are crucial for improving search engine rankings. But have you considered the impact of your brand on SEO? In this Whiteboard Friday video from Moz, Tom Capper, Senior Search Scientist, explains why SEOs should care about measuring their brand and introduces Moz’s new metric, Brand Authority.
The Importance of Measuring Brand
Capper begins by sharing his personal research, which shows that branded search volume is nearly as well correlated with rankings as Domain Authority. This finding suggests that brand metrics could potentially play a significant role in search engine rankings. While Capper doesn’t believe that branded search volume is a direct ranking factor, he theorizes several ways in which brand could indirectly influence rankings.
One of these ways is through the interplay between brand and links. Building links is a common SEO practice, and many strategies to gain backlinks also increase brand exposure. Additionally, a strong brand can impact click-through rates from search engine result pages (SERPs), potentially influencing rankings. Lastly, brand is closely related to expertise, authority, and trust—factors that search engines like Google consider for ranking websites.
How Brand Impacts SEO
Recognizing the potential influence of brand on search rankings, SEO professionals should be mindful of how they approach their job. Capper highlights a few key considerations:
Collaboration with Other Marketing Channels
To leverage the positive side effects of brand marketing, SEOs should collaborate with other marketing channels. By aligning their efforts, they can maximize the impact of their strategies and gain buy-in from cross-functional teams.
Link Building and Brand
While many SEOs believe that the importance of links is diminishing, considering brand as an authority signal could provide new insights. As search engines possibly reduce the value of links, brands that have strong online recognition and industry authority may have an advantage in rankings.
Competitive Analysis and Strategy
Analyzing your brand’s performance compared to competitors can reveal valuable insights. Moz’s Brand Authority metric allows you to compare your brand’s strength and domain authority to competitors in your industry. This information can guide your strategy and help you identify areas where you can improve and outperform your competitors.
Moz’s Brand Authority Metric
Capper introduces Moz’s new metric, Brand Authority, which measures a brand’s online strength and recognition. By using this metric, SEO professionals can gain a better understanding of how their brand influences search engine rankings. Although Brand Authority is currently in beta and offers results primarily focused on the U.S., Moz is constantly refining and expanding the metric to provide more comprehensive insights.
Unlocking the Power of Brand Measurement
Understanding the impact of your brand on SEO is essential for maximizing your online visibility. By measuring your brand’s authority, you can make strategic decisions, identify areas for improvement, and align your SEO efforts with broader marketing initiatives. Moz’s Brand Authority metric offers a valuable tool for SEO professionals looking to leverage the power of their brand in search engine rankings.
In conclusion, as the field of SEO continues to evolve, measuring brand authority is becoming more and more important. By recognizing the influence of brand on search rankings, SEO professionals can adapt their strategies to achieve better results. With Moz’s Brand Authority metric, SEOs have a powerful tool at their disposal to measure and optimize their brand’s impact on search engine rankings. So, start measuring your brand today and unlock the full potential of your SEO efforts.