Given the increasing importance[1] of brand in SEO[2], it seems a cruel irony that many household name-brands seem to struggle with managing the channel. Yet, in my time at Distilled[3], I've seen just that: numerous name-brand sites in various states of stagnation and even more frustrated SEO managers attempting to prevent said stagnation.
Despite global brand recognition and other established advantages that ought to drive growth, the reality is that having a household name doesn't ensure SEO success. In this post, I’m going to explore why large, well-known brands can run into difficulties with organic performance, the patterns I’ve noticed, and some of the recommended tactics to address those challenges.
[4]
What we talk about when we talk about a legacy brand
For the purposes of this post, the term “legacy brand” applies to companies that have a very strong association with the product they sell, and may well have, in the past, been the ubiquitous provider for that product. This could mean that they were household names in the 20th century, or it could be that they pioneered and dominated their field in the early days of mass consumer web usage. A few varied examples (that Distilled has never worked with or been contacted by) include:
- Wells Fargo (US)
- Craigslist (US)
- Tesco (UK)
These are cherry-picked, potentially extreme examples of legacy brands, but all three of the above, and most that fit this description have shown a marked decline in the last five years, in terms of organic visibility (confirmed by Sistrix[5], my tool of choice — your tool-of-choice may vary). It’s a common issue for large, well-established sites — peaking in 2013 and 2014 and never again