For good reason, I've banged the drum for Google many times over the past few years. Google is most often the first port of call for today's modern kitchen buyer, and if you're not there, that can be a big problem.
A couple of interesting situations for us recently highlighted - once again - that there are good Google searches, and then there are great Google searches.
Insight #1: The trump card for kitchen SEO
We run plenty of search engine optimisation for our clients - getting their organic rankings up and bringing traffic to their kitchen website from search engines.
And we run regular reports to understand which of the keywords we're targeting are most effective.
The keywords that win hands down? Those that relate to the name of the business.
Insight #2: The paid search term that converts the best
Over on the paid side of things, we're all over the reporting on the Google Ads accounts we manage. And the primary metric we're interested in (aside from pure ROI) is the number of conversions - which search terms convert best to a brochure download, phone call, design consultation, etc.
And again, in the world of conversions, there's one clear winner - search terms that relate to the business's name.
So, what's my point?
Simple.
The best Google searches you can get are those where a prospect already knows who you are and is already impressed enough to seek you out specifically.
Sure, terms like 'kitchen design', 'kitchens Cambridge' and 'German kitchens' are well worth chasing.
But, when you go after those searches, you're inevitably putting your business in front of many people who don't yet know of you.
In contrast, if you've built awareness in your market before their need, they already know who you are, know you can be trusted, and are more likely to specifically seek you out when it's time to search online.
It's known as direct search.
There are various ways to do that in a local or regional market. But the point is clear – when we increase the awareness of your business higher and higher, more people start searching for your kitchen company specifically than using generic search terms.
And when that happens, you're in a much stronger position.
