Our Company Name Ranks #1 in Google, Thanks Very Much

“If you google our company name, our website comes up first,” a business owner proudly told me.

As it happened, he had changed his corporate name from a stuffy, law firm-sounding moniker to a fun, sexy name a few years ago that better reflects the kind of work he does and is easier to brand. (Let’s call it “Company Cool.”)

While he wisely didn’t limit his corporate branding to a name loaded with desirable search terms (imagine a site called CoolStrategiesforStartupFirms.com, for example!), his website is going to need considerable SEO work to get on Page #1 in Google searches, rather than the relatively useless number #1 spot he has for “Company Cool.”

Why useless? Because FEW, IF ANY, OF HIS PROSPECTS ARE SEARCHING with the search term, “Company Cool.” If they know his name already, they’ve already been reached by his other forms of marketing: Word-of-Mouth, print, radio, etc.

How are your prospects searching? Anything else…forget about it!

His prospects - the ones who don’t know his company yet - are typing phrases related to his services, his industry, their geographic area, their business needs, etc. into their Google search bar.

I didn’t tell him all this at the time of his comment (we were living it up at a business-anniversary party), but I did follow up with the revelation in an email.

He’s interested in learning more about Search Engine Optimization (SEO). This from an executive with decades of (print and broadcast) marketing experience. He recognizes the need to learn more about Search, acknowledging that it’s become a necessary competency for 21st-century business. Kudos!