Advertising and search have a symbiotic relationship, to improve search results consider better branding.

A lot of companies, while focusing on their search strategy, have recently lost sight of the true power of a known brand. Marketers have resorted to letting search engine results dictate the success of their web strategy hoping that the "free traffic" yields a desired up-tick in online revenue. Search is great, but a brand is powerful; it is the difference between a battle and a war. Search is at the mercy of an algorithm and is a daily fight; a brand can endure if effectively crafted and cultivated.

Brand awareness key to optimize search results
While most smart marketers meticulously plan and support their search activities, I've noticed that well-branded clients typically perform, with less effort, better in search marketing than those without strong brand awareness. I find that there are a few reasons behind that efficient success. First, their better conversion rate from organic search is weighted heavier from the better performance of branded terms than from non-branded terms. They get more traffic from branded terms, which typically convert better than non-branded, more generic terms. But, the more significant fact as a branding advocate is that, even if you separate the performance of branded terms from non-branded, you find a conversion rate which improves with increases in other forms of advertising.

My explanation of this relationship between branding and search is that people still trust brands and generally feel more willing to make a purchase from a notable brand. Users have often become aware of a product category through advertising and then search using non-branded terms for products in the category. Then they resort to purchasing from the brand that inspired them to consider the category in the first place -- if the brand is positively ranked in the search engines results pages -- thus reinforcing its position in the category.

Many times, the way the brand has been so positively ranked in the search engine results is that it has defined the category; thus defining the terms under which users would search. It is easier to win a battle in search engines if you've defined the category either over many years or with high-performing advertising. One may constantly see evidence of this by watching Google's Zeitgeist and witnessing the many bands, pop stars, trendy products and such make appearances on the Gaining Search Queries list.

Alternatively, brands may find them sell ranked by virtue of having positive link-backs if user have been inspired by the brand and its advertising. Many companies' brand experience, if well-crafted, permeates not only their advertising, but all aspects of the purchase cycle. This continually draws users back to shop or encourages people who are passionate about the brand to refer others to the company's site through blog mentions or other forms of recommendations. These consumers are coupled emotionally to the brand and support the brand in gaining improved search rankings.

Boost search results with brand advertising
Google has recently validated the connection between display advertising and search by acquiring Doubleclick. Now clearly many people see this acquisition as Google deepening its role in advertising arbitrage, but it also shows how interconnected search and display advertising really are. I think that we'll see those activities come even closer in the coming months and years under Google's control.

We see the connection between brand advertising and search in recent Super Bowl commercials. Yahoo! reported that this year, after Pepsi's Super Bowl commercials, searches for "Pepsi" increased 60 percent. Pepsi apparently didn't match the tactics of others such as Burger King this Super Bowl. For many advertisers this year, well-placed sponsored listings or well-planned SEO strategies tightened the consumer-experience and reinforced the solid foundation of the brand.

This connection between branding activities and search can also be more direct than the Super Bowl illustration. We've had many cases with clients where their branded search volume increased when we were running display ads on the same property. For example, searches for TurboTax increased on Yahoo when display ads were also running on Yahoo. At the same time, searches for broader tax-related terms increased, as well. The balance here is that TurboTax is ranked well in the search engine (both paid and organic).

The connection between branding and search performance is evident. These days, neither should be used without consideration of the other. If focused exclusively on search, marketers will face a daily battle for search engine real estate rather than have a strong brand on which they can rely to drive conversions and loyalty. When using both tools in unison marketers will ensure long-term results, as well as see a strong complement that drives revenue and results.

Reid Carr is president of Red Door Interactive. Read full bio.