Does Google Favour Brands Over Blogs? Let’s Find Out

All of this is done through a feedback loop to Google. 

Familiarity

A recent study showed that over twenty five percent of users said a familiar brands was a reason they clicked on a search ad. While this referred to adverts, it shows how users react to brands in organic results. This is just another reason why big brands will show up in search results, as their audience click on their links, boosting their click through rate (CTR), sending a signal to Google.

At the same, while Google tends to favour larger well-known brands, the algorithm RankBrain focuses on website engagement, brand mentions, and more that could enhance your ranking. 

The one way the team at Genie Crawl have helped small clients go up against big brands in their industry is to revisit our keyword strategy, focusing on long-tail keywords that have a lower search volume, but higher conversion rates.  This offers an excellent opportunity to remain competitive online. 

Does Google Favour Big Brands Even with Poor SEO Strategies?

We are going to get straight to the point here, the answers is Yes! Google prioritises high quality content and relevance when ranking websites. Big brands tend to have a lot of signals that Google is looking for.

At the same time, Google is not perfect. This search engine giant is constantly tweaking and improving its algorithm to ensure it provides its users with accurate and relevant information. What this means for your business is to focus on SEO best practices, staying updated with the latest algorithm chances, while ensuring you remain consistent in your efforts.

The Power of Brand Signals

Big brands definitely have an advantage. They have the trust, expertise, and reputation. They attract a large volume of traffic, sending all the right signals to search engines to confirm their relevance and credibility. They deliver high quality and authoritative content, building a foundation that pushes them to the top of search results.

Content Creation and SEO Optimisation

Big brands succeed with strategic content creation and optimisation techniques. They create well-researched, unique, and informative content that resonates with their audience. They add their targeted keywords, along with semantic variations, optimising their content, while aligning with their audience, improving user experience and boosting their online visibility.

Gain a Competitive SEO Advantage

Because you are not a big brand, does not mean you cannot enjoy the benefits of SEO success. There are a few steps you can take to establish a strong brand identity online:

1. Focus on E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trust)
2. Carry out comprehensive keyword research, identifying user intent
3. Create high quality content that is unique and informative, aligning with your audiences search intent and needs
4. Optimise your content using targeted keywords and semantic variations
5. Use structured data 
6. Provide a responsive website with seamless navigation
7. Monitor website speed and engagement to improve user engagement and reduce bounce rates
8. Acquire high quality backlinks from high domain authority websites in your niche
9. Audit and optimise your existing content, refreshing it to maintain relevance
10. Stay updated with search engine algorithm updates
11. Track and analyse website performance regularly
12. Use social media to engage with your audience
13. Encourage user generated content and reviews

Conclusion

While the Vince update of 2009 tells us Google is favouring big brands, this does not mean you cannot gain a competitive edge with high quality and relevant blogs, along with a robust SEO strategy. Are you struggling to compete with big brands online? Contact Genie Crawl today. We are ready to help you push your business forward online in 2025.