Are you visible to your customers online? Here is a simple test to determine how well you stack up with a “universal search.”

Type your company name into a search engine. Are you the master of your own domain? If not, it’s possible that it is difficult for your customers to find you, especially when they aren’t looking for your company directly, but maybe searching for a resource for a particular product or service.

Let’s break down the various parts of a search results page to see where you can improve the visibility of your company and own your universal search.

Organic Results. If your name is even remotely unique, your company name and link to your website should be on the first page. The goal is to land in the first position in the organic search results on the left hand side of the page. If your company isn’t there, you may need to re-think your website content strategy to help boost your rankings.

Local Results. Submit your company to the local directories and your location, hours and a map should pop up next to your company name, which further reinforces who and where you are with your customers.

Additional Resources. Dominate the page with additional links to your social media sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Yelp reviews, Flickr galleries, videos, and other social media platforms. Your participation in social media should help boost your visibility and help with your domination of your search name, as well.

Blog. If you have a blog that links back to, or is a part of your website, you should see it on the first page. Blogs are valuable content to help boost your search results.

Paid Results. If you are in a highly competitive industry or your name is very common, then you might have to purchase your company name in order to show up in the paid results. These are generally found above the organic search results in a shaded or colored box or in the right hand column. You will also find your competitors sometimes target your company name with a paid search.

Remember, the use of content that is optimized for your company’s desired keywords should be integrated into every facet of your universal search. If your website’s page titles and descriptions, social media site descriptions and blog don’t reinforce the categories and keywords you want to be found for, it’s a good bet you aren’t visible.

With a solid search strategy, you can boost your company’s performance in being found online.

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