Quick Summary
Business is smoother when prospects come to you, and a strong reputation can make that happen. Edmund Hollander’s firm ranks for both generic search terms like “landscape designer Hamptons” and branded searches for his name, showing the power of combining both SEO strategies. Generic SEO targets ready-to-hire clients, while branded SEO builds long-term recognition through activities like speaking, publishing, and social media. To succeed in modern SEO, you need both. The right balance depends on your business and goals.
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Hello,
I’m not gonna sugarcoat it. Business is a lot smoother when prospects come to you. When your reputation precedes you, you don’t have to hustle as hard for every sale. Inquiries land in your inbox without a single cold call. You can loosen your jaw, relax your shoulders, and let your noteworthy name do the heavy lifting.
Take Edmund Hollander as an example.
His firm ranks on Google for “landscape designer Hamptons” (70 monthly searches). But guess what? Even more people search for his name (260 monthly searches). Whether New Yorkers are looking for a landscape designer or specifically for him, Edmund has made himself super findable to both kinds of designers.
Here are some other popular firms that have done the same:
(You can pull these numbers for yourself, by the way. We used SEMRush but use their trial or a free alternative like UberSuggest and Google Trends.)
So, how do firms like Edmund, Feldman, McGee and HCMA do it?
They use generic (service + location or niche) AND branded (your name or firm’s name) SEO.
Generic:
- Targets people searching for your services online who are ready to hire now.
- These websites are SEO-friendly, have plenty of Google reviews, and likely run ads from time to time.
- The catch? It’s competitive to get to the top of Google for these search terms — and stay there.
Branded:
- When you become a prominent figure in your industry, eventually, people will seek you out on Google.
- In Edmund’s case, he speaks at conferences, is featured in press, published a book, lectures at universities and posts on social media.
- The downside? Just because people are following your work today doesn’t mean they’re ready to hire you today. Years may pass before they inquire.
So, where do you start? That’s up to you, friend. It depends on your business, goals and even your personality. But you should eventually have both because, in my opinion, it’s the key to winning the modern-day SEO game.
But how exactly do you strike that sweet spot between generic and branded SEO?
Until next Thursday,
Daniela
