You rarely notice or even think about how your feed is curated when you’re behind the screen. But little do you know that brands fight for the space in our screens using the wonders of technology. In fact, writers use keywords and search optimization tools (SEO) to get their brand name out there. This leads us to the question – are brand mentions important to Google?
Read on as we dissect the insights of Google’s resident Search Advocate John Mueller about the platform’s algorithms.
What are brand mentions?
In the world of online campaigns, the more content you have, the more likely you’ll be picked up by audiences. But, of course, it isn’t that easy. Writers often have to sprinkle in specific keywords or phrases that will make sure their writing gets noticed by Google Trends, which is why many are eager to know: are brand mentions important to Google?
In content marketing, they are any discussions of brands in blog posts, news articles, outreach campaigns, and more. If you want to see your Google Analytics data go up, then use brand mention SEO principles. Meanwhile, brand mentions on social media also generate brand awareness, which drives up a company’s brand authority.
Technically speaking, brand mentions are implied links, which is when someone mentions your company or product without linking them. You may also hear some people call the practice unlinked brand mentions.
Are brand mentions important?
Mentioning a brand in different kinds of online content helps it create an organic presence. Good brand mentions, like positive reviews and company feedback, help your company build positive value online. It can also be an avenue where customers can interact with you. Furthermore, it aids you in creating a network of links by backlinking mentions on different sites.
Most SEO specialists believe that any mention would affect SEO, but strictly speaking, Google has been very secretive about how exactly its algorithm works.
How to build brand mentions
If you want to build a good portfolio of brand mentions, then the best way is to engage with your customers and have them leave reviews. Linking to feedback and reviews is always a great way to build mentions and rapport with your audience. You can work on this by having good customer service and responsiveness with your interactions.
Also, don’t underestimate the power of building a solid social presence. Having an active account on your socials can help you generate more mentions in the long run.
How to track it
Brand mentions can be tracked by using Google’s in-built online tools. Google Alerts is a popular way to monitor them online. Users can simply set an alert for your business, website, or product, so whenever someone mentions them online, they’ll be in the know.
Mention.com is also an easy way to track them and other interactions on the web. It gives you live notifications like Google Alerts and offers analytical insight on the mention. However, its highlight feature is that it enables you to interact with the notification through its platform.
The lowdown
So, are brand mentions important to Google?
Well, not exactly. Mueller confirms that he is not familiar with the context. He, however, states that it may not necessarily be a bad thing. He also adds that it’s “always a good thing” if users can find your website through the mention, but he wouldn’t go as far as to say it had any big impact on the brand’s SEO.
In short, many factors affect SEO and Google’s algorithm. Unfortunately, capitalizing on them probably won’t benefit your company as much as you’d like to think.
So, from the mouth of the Googlers themselves to the SEO and writing community. Are brand mentions important to Google? Nope. In the end, it still all boils down to creating value for your customers so that they talk about your brand. In that sense, your brand enjoys organic mentions that will boost your overall reputation.
