• Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Cindy Ratzlaff

Bestselling author, award winning brand marketing and social media pro, Cindy Ratzlaff, creates sales driving campaigns for authors, books and publishers.

  • Speaking
  • About
  • Clients
  • Blog
  • Contact

5 Strategies to Boost Your Brand Visibility and Rank Through Search

By Cindy Ratzlaff February 20, 2013

by Cindy Ratzlaff

Ranking through search engines like Google, Bing, YouTube and others should be one of your goals. After all, if people don’t find what you’ve written, you’re a diarist, not a teacher, coach or business blogger. There’s nothing wrong with that. But if you’re creating products, services and content as a business and want to increase your search ranking and help new clients discover you, there are a few visibility and ranking strategies to keep in mind.

Helping potential customers and clients find you through search is one of your most important marketing strategies.

Five Strategies for Boosting Visibility Through Search

1.  Match Your Content to Your Brand Promise.  This is your number one strategy. Google and other search engines factor into your credibility whether or not people re-enter their search terms after being directed to your content. In other words, if Google recommends your content to someone who searches for “life coaching,” but finds that most of the people who click on your site need to search again because you don’t share any thoughts about life coaching, why to engage a life coach, what life coaching can do for people or any other relevant material, then Google will downgrade your reliability on this topic. Make sure that the content you are posting is a good fit for the keywords you are using. “Bacon” is a great search term. Everybody likes bacon. But if you don’t sell bacon, teach bacon recipes, share bacon-related news or in any other way talk about bacon, Google will penalize you for using the term “bacon” as a keyword.

2. Create a Positive Digital Footprint.  Create a detailed profile on LinkedIn with a keyword optimized bio, photo and clear descriptions of your current business as well as links to previous work. Connect your blog and consider connecting your Slideshare account so you can easily demonstrate authority by sharing presentations through Slideshare. Upload a current professional head shot and make sure that potential customers or client can easily identify you, understand exactly what you offer and connect with you. Create social media profiles with keyword optimized bios and the same or a similar photo on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and depending on your brand, Pinterest. Demonstrate authority in your field by communicating in your true brand voice on each of these platforms with consistency, clarity and authenticity.

3.  Pay Attention to the Metadata. The individual keywords and phrases you use as descriptions on social media sites, blog posts and websites are metadata. Metadata is what helps search engines find you and recommend you when people search for what you have to offer. When people are searching for what you have to offer on search engines like Google, they are highly predisposed to take an action. They’ve professed a need, hopefully been pointed to your home base and now it’s up to you to convert.  Think about metadata like digital breadcrumbs. You are leaving a trail so people can find you.

4.  Create a Path to Purchase.  You’ve optimized your keywords, left digital breadcrumbs, put out your welcome mat through social media and now you have people on your website. What do you want them to do next; sign up for a newsletter, buy a product, book a discovery session with you?  Make their next action step crystal clear and easy to take. Add your opt in box to the landing page. Welcome them to your site with a video that gives them an opportunity to know, like and trust you. Give them an incentive to stay through a free offer.  But you need to know and you need to project the exact next step you want people to take. Don’t leave them guessing.

5.  Dare to be an Actual Person. There are many sophisticate ways to help verify your authorship to search engines and these are two quick and easy ones I recommend doing right away.  Create a G+ account for yourself.  Hyperlink your G+ account to your byline (see above where I’ve done this) in your blog posts to help Google verify that you are who you say you are.  Link your YouTube account to your G+ account as well for the same reason.  Authority trumps nearly everything in search.

I use multiple tool to increase my visibility and ranking on my brand keywords, and you should too. Don’t rely on any one method of boosting your visibility, but instead diversify and help people find you on or through multiple platforms. Earned traffic is traffic that comes to you because people follow the digital breadcrumbs of your content and stay because you deliver what they want and need. Paid traffic comes to you through ads, promotions, partnerships and joint ventures. Paid traffic is a good way to increase your visibility but focus on earned traffic first and explore paid traffic when you’re sure your site delivers on your promise and your content creates repeat visitors.

All of these brand building strategies are relatively easy to implement and can help boost your visibility. Which one will you try first?

Share This:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

Filed Under: Marketing, Personal Branding, Social Media Tagged With: brand, brand strategy, branding, entrepreneur, Marketing, Personal Branding, Social Media

About Cindy Ratzlaff

Cindy Ratzlaff was named to the Forbes “20 Best Branded Women on Twitter” list and Forbes Woman called her one of the “Most Influential Women Tweeting about Entrepreneurship.”

During her 20-plus years as a publishing executive, Cindy created branded marketing and PR campaigns that ushered more than 200 books onto the New York Times bestseller lists. She was named to the Ad Age Marketing 50 list for the launch campaign behind The South Beach Diet.

She is the author of three books, and her essays on happiness have appeared on Oprah.com, CNN.com and her articles on social marketing have can be read on Business Insider. She speaks to conferences such as BookExpo America, Pennsylvania Conference for Women, Romance Writers of America, Ernst & Young, Garden Writers Association, Texas Conference for Women, United Way’s Ignite Leadership Network, Massachusetts Conference for Women, and more on the topics of happiness, personal branding and creating a digital footprint.

She engages daily with more than 450,000 people through her popular Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and blog sites.

Comments & Feedback:

  1. Miriam Wiener

    February 21, 2013 at 10:21 pm

    Cindy, you’re a skilled marketer and I value your blog posts enormously. This post is a strong reminder that I can’t do this alone. Social media strategy is something you’ve clearly mastered, and I hope to work with you further. Thanks so much for the eye-opener :)

    Reply
  2. cindyratzlaff

    February 22, 2013 at 8:28 am

    Thanks so much, Miriam. I have more than 25 years experience marketing and promoting books, magazines, authors and corporations. So when social media entered the field of “opportunity tools,” I knew immediately that these platforms would be valuable. What I love, now more than anything, is to help entrepreneurs use these tools to bring their passion and purpose to their ideal audience.

    Reply
  3. Miriam Wiener

    February 22, 2013 at 4:15 pm

    I can sense how much you truly LOVE your work. Your enthusiasm is contagious – thank you :)

    Reply
  4. Lisa Hines

    February 22, 2013 at 5:53 pm

    Cindy, This article was fantastic! It’s a good one to print out and post next to my desk to stay focused on what I need to do while futzing around on my website, etc. Thank you for sharing your expertise.

    Reply
    • cindyratzlaff

      February 23, 2013 at 8:44 am

      Thank you so much Lisa. I think people avoid SEO strategies because they think they’re complicated or that they need to be tech savvy, and while that’s true for deeper techniques, I want to encourage bloggers, authors and entrepreneurs to do what they really can do to help search engines direct clients to them!

      Reply
  5. Elaine Wellman

    February 24, 2013 at 9:53 am

    Cindy I so needed this right now! Learning more about SEO and maximizing my visibility is on my to-do-soon list. This is definitely helpful and insightful. Can’t wait for the next post!

    Reply
    • cindyratzlaff

      February 24, 2013 at 12:19 pm

      I’m glad I’ve inspired you Elaine. You put so much thought and effort into your website, your blog and your posts that I just want to help people find one another.

      Reply
  6. Wendi Kelly-Creative Clarity Coaching

    February 24, 2013 at 12:34 pm

    Excellent and thorough tips that even seasoned marketers sometimes forget. I will be happy to pass this one along! Great job Cindy!

    Reply
    • cindyratzlaff

      February 24, 2013 at 1:35 pm

      Thanks so much Wendi. I always appreciate knowing that the information is useful.

      Reply
  7. Kerry Swetmon

    February 24, 2013 at 11:14 pm

    This is AWESOME info, Cindy. It’s no wonder you’re the guru! I’m off to work on me breadcrumbs:)

    Reply
    • cindyratzlaff

      February 28, 2013 at 6:35 pm

      Can’t wait to see the digital breadcrumbs you drop, Kerry! Even more of your ideal readers are waiting to find you!

      Reply
  8. Pamela Wills

    February 25, 2013 at 10:50 pm

    Breadcrumbs! Eureka! I love that! And hyperlink my G+ account to my blog byline so that Google will recognize me better?? That is GOLD. Thank you soooo very much for these amazing tips, Cindy!

    Reply
    • cindyratzlaff

      February 28, 2013 at 6:34 pm

      Linking your G+ account to your blog/website is such an easy way to help Google help you! So glad you liked the tip, Pamela!

      Reply
  9. Mia Rose

    March 1, 2013 at 7:04 pm

    I really like the advice of creating a positive digital footprint, Cindy. Consistency. Clarity. Authenticity… Yes, yes and yes!
    Much gratitude to you,
    Mia xo

    Reply

Share Your Comments & Feedback: Cancel reply

Get Your Free Copy!

Free Author Branding Tips Download your free copy of HOW TO CREATE AN AUTHOR BRAND, from Cindy Ratzlaff’s Maximum Visibility Playbook™ for Authors, a 23-page workbook & step-by-step action plan.

Send my copy now!

Book Cindy to Speak

“Cindy is consistently one of the highest ranked speakers at our conference, which is why bring her back year after year.”

— Sally Dedecker, UPublishU

Learn More

Blog Categories

  • Book Marketing
  • Books
  • Challenge
  • Facebook
  • Marketing
  • News & Events
  • Personal Branding
  • Publicity
  • Publishing
  • Social Media
  • Social Media Strategy
  • Social Media Tools
  • Twitter
  • Video
  • Video Marketing
  • Videos

Get a free copy of "How To Create An Author Brand," a step-by-step guide for developing your brand message.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2023 Cindy Ratzlaff. All Rights Reserved. Privacy | Disclaimer | Contact