Search Engine Optimisation Strategies; Transactional VS Branding

Search engine optimisation or SEO is a broad topic; there are many ways to gain high organic search engine rankings in Google and other major search engines. However, not all these tactics are the same; there are some differences in strategy, depending on the route a company chooses. SEO is a part of search engine marketing (or SEM) and is used by a variety of businesses throughout the world.
SEO Strategies

Transactional search engine strategies are ideal for selling directly from the search engines. An e-commerce website or sales based company, using this strategy, would aim to be listed in search engine results for keywords that are related to the products or services they sell.

Branding search engine optimisation is a strategy that involves targeting keywords in order to associate a brand with popular search terms. For example, the aim for a company in fashion – who might not necessarily be selling a product – would be to target keywords that related to the fashion industry in order to associate the company brand with those terms.
The Advantages of Transactional SEO Results

There are many advantages to transactional search engine strategies and the main focus is, of course, the ability to sell directly from the search engines. Transactional results are those that have been acquired by a user searching for a specific product or service.

An ecommerce website would greatly benefit from this type of SEO and it is usually the most common route taken by young ecommerce companies. The advantages of this form of SEO are numerous, but the overruling gain is that a user will be searching for exactly what the company is offering. Therefore the traffic from the search engines is extremely targeted, which we all know means more sales.
The Advantages of Branding SEO Results

Again, there are several advantages to brand search engine strategies and the one that usually takes precedence is that having your brand name listed in Google, or any other search engine’s results will achieve great exposure for your company.

This form of SEO is usually used by companies who are not selling a product or service directly and is likely to be popular with companies who want to be related with certain news topics or subject matters. For example, a company who is focusing on creating a greener environment won’t be selling product, but would want to be related to that search term in search engine results.
The reality

The reality is the strategy you use will be self selected by the services you offer. If you offer high end consultancy services to blue chip companies then you will take a branded approach. If you sell large numbers of small items through an e-commerce website you will use a transactional strategy. If you are a large retail brand selling online you are likely to use both.

The key is planning your SEO strategy within the wider SEM strategy and in turn within the wider marketing strategy. Understanding the differences between transactional and branding strategies is essential when assessing the ROI of any SEM strategy.

Author: 4Ps Marketing London