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Rebranding a company is an exciting undertaking, and its success relies on talent from many departments working together. Rebranding requires careful planning and execution, especially when it comes to the digital side of things.
A company’s online presence plays a key role in how its brand is discovered and perceived by customers, partners, future employees and other stakeholders. From a digital reputation perspective, how can companies ensure that the transition to a new brand is seamless?
While it’s important that searchers can easily find your new site and that social media directs visitors to the right pages, that’s not enough: your evolving brand needs to be defined and optimized as an entity without losing recognition, followers, or reputation.
To ensure a smooth transition and to maintain and strengthen your evolving digital reputation, we recommend the following 20 key action items to consider when rebranding your company.
Naming and profile
1. Choose a name that works online. When choosing a new name for your company, find out if there are any domain names or social media handles available that match the name. Consider the SEO impact of your new name: will it be confused with other brands with similar names?
2. Update the brand name on your business profile. Identify the most important business profiles where your company is listed, such as Bloomberg, Crunchbase, LinkedIn, etc. Update your company name, logo, and description across these platforms to reflect your new brand identity. Make sure all information is accurate and consistent to avoid confusion among stakeholders.
3. Update your brand name on your social media channels. Get new social media handles that reflect your new name, and update your profile name, bio, and image across all channels. Inform your followers about the change and provide them with your new handle to ensure a smooth transition. Some platforms, like LinkedIn, may require a formal process for updating your page.
4. Update your Wikipedia page. If your company has a Wikipedia page, create an editor account and use that account to request the change from the “talk page” associated with your company’s Wikipedia page. Include third-party sources reporting the name change. Note that you may also need to update the pages of any executives associated with your company.
5. Update your Wikidata profile. Update your company’s Wikidata entry with the new company or brand name, and ensure all linked properties and identifiers reflect your rebranded identity. Add an “alternative name” or “alias” entry for the old name to maintain the connection between past and current identities.
6. Update executive social media profiles: Encourage key executives to update their LinkedIn and other relevant profiles with the new company name and description. You can also ask executives to share content related to the rebrand to spread the message and show their support for the new direction.
7. Use the old name for continuity: To bridge the gap between the old and new brand identities, [Old Name])” in your company description for the post-brand period. Use the phrase on your website, business profile, and press releases to give your audience context and continuity.
Related: How do you know if you should rebrand? Get advice here
communication
8. Communicate changes online: Make sure your rebranding announcement gets picked up digitally – for example, if you create a page or video announcing your brand, logo, etc., make sure it’s optimized for both the new and old name so everyone can find it.
9. Notify your email subscribers: Send a dedicated email announcing the change and explaining the reasons for it. Reassure subscribers that their relationship with your company will continue uninterrupted, and highlight the benefits and improvements the rebranding will bring. This communication helps maintain trust among your email recipients and gives subscribers an opportunity to ensure that emails from your new domain aren’t mistakenly marked as spam.
Related: More than just a new look: A guide to rebranding
web
10. Migrate your website so Google can find everything on it. Make sure your robots.txt isn’t set up to block Google. Plan a smooth transition to your new domain by making sure your new site covers all the topics previously covered on your old site. Notify Google of your address change through Google Search Console to minimize any potential negative impacts to your search rankings.
11. Redirect your old site pages to the new ones. Set up 301 redirects from your old URLs to their new counterparts to ensure that visitors and search engines are directed to the correct content. This process preserves link equity and minimizes the risk of broken links and traffic loss.
12. Update content and metadata: Thoroughly review your website’s existing content and update all mentions of your old brand name to reflect your new identity. This includes blog posts, product descriptions, case studies, and other marketing materials. Optimize your website metadata, including title tags, meta descriptions, and header tags, to incorporate the new brand name and relevant keywords.
13. Update your branded knowledge panel. Claim your knowledge panel before you rebrand so we can update it to reflect the new name, logo, and description. Ensure the changed name is indicated with social media icons. Provide updated information and monitor the panel for accuracy, suggesting edits as needed.
14. Update your local Knowledge Panel. If your business has a physical presence, update your Google Business Profile with your new business name and ensure local citations in directories and review sites reflect your new identity. Being consistent across all your local touchpoints will increase your visibility and credibility in local search results.
15. Contact third-party sites and ask them to update their company name and links. Identify high-value websites that mention your old brand name. Request them to update to the new name. Prioritize sites based on authority, relevance, and link value to your business.
16. Update your ad campaigns and creatives: Review your existing advertising campaigns across platforms (e.g. Google Ads, Facebook Ads, LinkedIn Ads, etc.). Update them to reflect the new brand name and messaging, and pause or adjust campaigns that heavily use the old brand to avoid confusion. Create new ad creative (copy, images, videos) that showcase your rebranded identity and value proposition.
17. Use Google Ads to capture people searching for your old name. To capture search traffic related to your previous brand name and drive it to your rebranded website, consider setting up a branded search campaign in Google Ads. Bid on keywords related to your previous company name and use your ad copy to let searchers know about your new name and website. Drive clicks to a dedicated rebranding landing page or a page that clearly reflects the change.
Related: When to Consider Rebranding (And How to Do It Right)
Tracking and monitoring
18. Keep track of your company’s old and new names. Set up alerts for the old name to catch any lingering references around the web. Analyze the shift in search volume from the old name to the new name using tools like Five Blocks IMPACT™, Google Trends, and SEMrush. This data will help you measure the effectiveness of your rebranding efforts and identify areas that need further attention.
19. Monitor Google Search Console and Google Analytics: Use Google Analytics to track branded search impressions and clicks related to both the old and new names. Monitor referral traffic from links using both names to measure the effectiveness of your rebranding efforts. Google Analytics can help you analyze changes in branded search volume and track the performance of your rebranded website.
20. Monitor new brand mentions and sentiment: Set up alerts using tools like Google Alerts to track new mentions of your updated brand name across the web and social media. Monitor sentiment around the rebrand so you can respond as needed. Respond to positive mentions to reinforce your new brand identity.
Conclusion
Rebranding your company requires a comprehensive approach to your online presence that considers the various digital touchpoints and their impact on your company’s reputation. Following this guide can help you navigate the tactical complexities of rebranding from a digital reputation perspective to achieve a strong, cohesive online presence. Consistency, communication, and attention to detail are key to a successful rebrand. If carefully planned and executed, a rebranded company will be well-positioned to succeed in the digital environment.
-With assistance from Avi Biller
