Transitioning Brand Equity in Search from Old to New
The question of transitioning brand equity in search from an old name to a new one is a common challenge many companies face after a rebrand. This process can be frustrating, especially when the old brand name continues to dominate search results while the new brand barely registers. To overcome this, there are essentially three steps to follow: handling your own ecosystem, requesting changes to third-party sites, and building up your new brand name.
Aligning The Assets You Control
The first step is to ensure your new brand name appears consistently across all the assets you own. This includes obvious places like your homepage, as well as less obvious areas such as title tags, meta descriptions, alt text, Knowledge Base pages, structured data markup, unused social media accounts, and employee bios. Conducting an extensive audit is recommended to ensure everything is updated correctly, especially for large brands with broad ecosystems. This audit should help align your own brand SERP with the new naming as much as possible.
Align Third-Party Assets
Getting others to recognize your new brand name is a bit tougher. The goal is to have people talk about you and mention your new brand name when they do. Start with easier tasks like updating author bios on third-party sites where you or your company members have contributed content. Make sure these bios are up to date and reflect the current company name. This can help push areas that you have less influence over. For instance, updating bios can help Google’s Knowledge Panel take notice and start pulling in the correct information.
When Third-Parties Won’t Align
When your brand is listed under its previous name on sites that won’t respond to change requests, or on forums where references to your previous brand name are widespread and can’t be removed, it shows the importance of running a campaign to announce your new branding. This campaign can generate buzz, interest, and signal that the old brand name is no longer in use. Over time, as your new brand name gains traction, others will start to use it correctly, and those who don’t will appear outdated.
Building Up Your New Brand Name
The key to transitioning brand equity is to keep moving forward, doing more public appearances, writing more content, meeting more people, and generally building up your presence across the internet. The goal is to make your new brand name the default, to the point where Google’s Knowledge Graph and other platforms recognize it as the current and correct name. This process takes time and should be seen as an ongoing effort rather than a one-time task.
Set Expectations
It’s essential to set realistic expectations. This process won’t happen overnight. It’s a matter of gradual progress, where more and more places across the digital landscape start referencing your new brand name. As you continue to spread your new brand name, Google and other platforms will have more signals that your old name has been replaced. Eventually, those who care about content accuracy will update their references to your brand, and those who don’t will stand out as outdated.
Conclusion
Transitioning brand equity in search from an old name to a new one requires patience, persistence, and a strategic approach. By aligning your owned assets, influencing third-party sites, and continuously building your new brand’s presence, you can successfully make your new brand name dominant in search results. Remember, this is a process that takes time, and setting realistic expectations is crucial. With consistent effort, your new brand name will become the standard, both in your owned ecosystem and across the wider digital landscape.