Maybe your rebrand is a result of a recent acquisition, or you’ve simply outgrown your current brand name. Whatever the reason, when you’re changing your name, it’s important to consider the impact this might have on your organic search performance. Here are some tips to keep your rebrand as “SEO-friendly” as possible. Hint: It’s going to involve more than one aspect of your marketing strategy!
If you want to maintain the customer base you already have, it’s important to publicize your new name in advance of the change. Post a blog or video that talks about your new name. Reach your customers where they are so that there are no surprises when the name change actually happens. You can even create a social media campaign that advertises the transition; this may not be SEO per se, but it will impact your organic performance in the long run as people become more familiar with your new name and the services you offer.
No matter how much advertising you do, some people are still going to search for you by your old name, or (if your domain name is also changing) try to go to your old URLs. When that happens, you want to make sure that your customers are still able to find you.
If you’re changing your domain name, we’d suggest setting up some redirects that forward traffic to your new pages. That way, users aren’t simply hitting a dead end when they try to reach what was once a usable page. If you can, try to redirect to a similar page; for example, if the person is searching for your old “About” page, redirect to the new one.
If you’re running search campaigns, don’t stop bidding on your old name; instead, run a campaign that informs people who are searching by the old name that you’ve recently rebranded: “[Old name] is now [new name]!” Again, this isn’t exactly SEO, but it can impact organic results indirectly. After all, people who see your ads about the rebrand might be more likely to click on organic results, including your new name.
Your rebrand doesn’t (or at least shouldn’t) end with a name change. While you want to assure folks that you are still the same company despite the new name, it’s important to start planning new content that will enforce the new brand. Think about the content that is best going to support your SEO strategy post-rebrand.
This is especially important if the rebrand has altered your goals or products and services in any way. You’ll need to conduct new keyword research and create content around that if you want to maintain a strong SEO strategy.
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