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The power of celebrity endorsements in marketing is well known. Celebrities bring additional awareness, brand trust, and a significant boost in credibility. When a celebrity endorses a product, it instantly grabs attention and captures consumer interest. People trust and purchase products that are associated with their favorite celebrities, leading to increased sales and engagement. But did you know that celebrities can also boost a brand's influence? Organic SEO result?
Celebrity Influence in SEO: How Star Power Boosts Search Rankings
Owner Michael Mellen Digital Marketing Agency SmartSites explains that “celebrities provide added credibility, links, and promotion — all important factors in Google's search algorithm.” It's no surprise that celebrity-owned businesses frequently dominate search results and consistently appear on page one for highly competitive keywords. Let's take a look at how some celebrities have managed to dominate search rankings.
George Clooney's 'Casamigos' rises to top of Google
Tucked between Don Julio and Espolon, Casamigos ranks in the middle of page one of a Google search for “tequila.” How did it get there? Yahoo Lifestyle The article was titled “Young George Clooney: 19 Must-See Photos of the All-Time Idol.”
What is the photo of? George Clooney What does all this 1980s and 1990s article about tequila have to do with good tequila? Not really. However, the article does subtly mention Clooney's Casamigos Tequila (with a handy backlink), and that's more than enough for Google to grab a prime position on page 1. Awesome!
Aviation Gin Celebrates Front-Page Success with Ryan Reynolds
Aviation Gin is garnering attention by ranking on page one of Google for the highly competitive search term “gin.” Ryan ReynoldsEven though Reynolds sold the company four years ago, he has kept his “face” hidden.
Michael Mellen explains, “Clicks and on-page experience are powerful signals for Google's search rankings. Reynolds' face encourages clicks, and his video keeps users there. Both have a very strong impact on search rankings.”
So what's the secret? Reynolds's appeal and popularity. His face beckons clicks, and his compelling videos captivate users, helping to propel Aviation Gin up the rankings. Cheers to page one success!
Forgot about Dre? Google Didn't Forget About It. Beats by Dre Dominates Search Rankings
Dr. Dre It topped the charts in the mid-1990s, and then again in the mid-2010s with Beats By Dre. Acquired by Apple nearly a decade ago for $3 billion, Beats by Dre continues to grow on its early SEO successes: According to SEO software Ahrefs, BeatsByDre.com gets more than 750,000 visitors from organic search alone, which is impressive for any website, not just a headphone maker.
Kim Kardashian's SKIMS becomes the first in the lingerie industry
A must-have for any celebrity countdown list Kim Kardashianand this is no exception. Her brand, Skims.com, boasts over 35 million organic search visitors each year. Skims ranks #1 for highly popular terms like “underwear” and “shapewear.”
Plus, Skims.com's bra size calculator page gets 250,000 visitors a year — the kind of link bait any SEO strategist would love.
This time climbing the rankings is Dr. Dre's business venture.
—The first page for headphones”
Mark Wahlberg's “Municipal”: A Million-Dollar Search Traffic Success Story
Launched just five years ago Mark WahlbergAccording to Ahrefs, the company's apparel brand, Municipal, currently generates over $1 million in organic search traffic value each month.
This success is due in large part to Wahlberg's celebrity status, with him being featured in major publications such as People, Men's Health, The New York Post and Entrepreneur. Additionally, Municipal is featured prominently in the documentary series “Wahl Street,” produced by another of Wahlberg's companies and streaming on HBO Max.
The future of celebrity influence in search rankings
As Google's algorithms continue to change, will celebrities continue to have a major impact on SEO? Does Google really think George Clooney makes the best tequila? Does Ryan Reynolds make the best gin? And who, other than Clooney and Reynolds, is the best judge of good and bad alcohol?
One thing is for sure: Google is good at directing people to what they want, so as long as people are showing favoritism to celebrities, Google will too.
