I came across a fantastic post on why big, easily-recognized brands who typically ignore search engine optimization…shouldn’t.

There’s a big misconception out there that companies already well branded don’t need to invest in search engine optimization because they’re already showing up for their branded terms and are in customers top of mind recall. I’m sure this helps top level execs sleep better at night all tucked into their mansions, but it’s still a bunch of crap. Wake up, people.

Here’s the key idea that I think the post is trying to convey:

Like we mentioned yesterday, anyone can rank in the top spot for anything - you just have to pick a term no one else wants. And often, your brand name is just that. Sure, New Balance may rank for [New Balance] based off their offline prominence, but that’s not going to help them increase sales and conversions by attracting new customers. They need SEO to help them focus their site around category themes like [trail runners], [women's athletic apparel], [fitness], [outdoor sports] and other long-tail type queries to make sure they’re showing up for all sorts of searches. This is where your new business is going to come from. Anyone searching for your brand name was looking for you anyway. You haven’t “gained” that sale, you just didn’t lose it.

Excellent point.