In business, we are sometimes faced with unexpected situations. That is precisely what has happened to us at Luce. For a few weeks now, our brand, which we have been building and positioning in the market with great effort, has experienced a growth in online impressions, but not in the kind of traffic we are looking for. The reason? A curious coincidence: the Vatican has launched a mascot called ‘Luce’, generating a lot of buzz in media and networks. Although this new ‘Luce’ has nothing to do with us, searches went through the roof, but users were not looking for us.
Below, we would like to share our experience, the problems we encountered and what we are doing to adapt and improve our SEO in the midst of this situation. This way, if you ever find yourself in a similar situation, you will have a guide to take action.
Who is Luce, the Vatican Mascot?
Luce, the Vatican mascot, is a new figure launched on networks and platforms of the Catholic Church. It is an outreach initiative designed to reach out to younger people and make the Vatican’s message more accessible. The launch of this mascot has captured global media attention, creating a trend in networks and online searches.
Although the ‘Luce’ of the mascot and the ‘Luce’ of our brand are not related, the coincidence of names has created an increase in impressions on our website. However, this visibili
Problems We Have Faced from Increased Visibility
- Low Quality Traffic
- We have received a noticeable increase in impressions, but the users coming to our site are not the ones searching for what we offer. This generates low value visits and affects the search engines’ perception of the relevance of our site for search terms such as “Luce”. The click-through rate (CTR) drops considerably, as users see our page in the search results, but do not click through when they see that it is not related to the mascot.
- Keyword mismatch
- The search for ‘Luce’ now includes many terms and queries related to the Vatican mascot. This creates a mix in searches, and our on-page content, while optimised for our brand, does not retain these visitors, increasing our bounce rate and affecting our SEO in the long run.
- Unexpected Competition
- We are now competing for visibility with content related to the mascot of one of the oldest and most powerful institutions in the world. This means that the relevance of our ‘Luce’ brand is losing weight to the viral mascot information, which could cause our position in search results to drop.
- Digital Marketing Metrics Deviation
- Digital performance metrics such as CTR, CPC (cost per click on campaigns) and conversion rate are affected, as this unqualified traffic is causing our campaigns to
Cómo Adaptarnos y Sacar Provecho de Este “Tirón”
Lejos de dejar que una situación parecida pueda afectar a tu marca, en Luce hemos decidido aprovechar esta visibilidad inesperada para compartiros cómo ajustar vuestra estrategia de SEO y marketing digital. Aquí te contamos algunos de los pasos que puedes seguir para mejorar vuestro posicionamiento y hacer frente a esta circunstancia de forma estratégica.
- Optimización de SEO Específica para Nuestro Público
Hay que empezar a buscar palabras clave específicas. De este modo, enfocarás el tráfico hacia usuarios que buscan lo que realmente ofreces. Este pequeño ajuste puede ayudarte a filtrar mejor el tráfico, evitando confusiones y dirigiendo las visitas cualificadas hacia tu página. - Google Ads con Palabras Negativas
Si haces campañas en Google Ads, incluir palabras clave negativas puede ayudarte a evitar clics no relevantes. Por ejemplo, con el caso de Luce, se podrían usar términos como “Vaticano” o “mascota del Vaticano” como palabras negativas, para que los anuncios no aparezcan en búsquedas relacionadas con la mascota. - Generación de Contenido de Valor y Diferenciado
Puedes crear contenido nuevo en tu blog y redes sociales que explique de manera clara vuestra identidad y enfoque de negocio. Esto no solo ayuda a los motores de búsqueda a entender la diferencia entre tu marca y Luce, por ejemplo, sino que también fortalece la imagen de marca y ayuda a conectar con el público objetivo. - Aprovechar Redes Sociales para Reforzar la Marca
Aprovecha las redes sociales para dar más visibilidad a lo que realmente es tu marca. Esto permite diferenciar tu marca, destacando vuestras ofertas y valores de manera que queden claros a los usuarios. También ayuda a fidelizar a vuestros seguidores y a reducir el impacto de las confusiones.
How to Adapt and Take Advantage of this ‘Pull’.
Far from letting a similar situation affect your brand, at Luce we have decided to take advantage of this unexpected visibility to share with you how to adjust your SEO and digital marketing strategy. Here are some of the steps you can take to improve your positioning and deal with this circumstance strategically.
- SEO Optimisation Specific to Our Audience
You have to start looking for specific keywords. This way, you will focus your traffic on users who are looking for what you really offer. This small adjustment can help you filter traffic better, avoiding confusion and directing qualified visitors to your site. - Google Ads with Negative Words
If you run Google Ads campaigns, including negative keywords can help you avoid irrelevant clicks. For example, in the case of Luce, you could use terms such as ‘Vatican’ or ‘Vatican mascot’ as negative words, so that the ads do not appear in searches related to the mascot. - Generating valuable and differentiated content
You can create new content on your blog and social media that clearly explains your identity and business approach. This not only helps search engines understand the difference between your brand and Luce, for example, but also strengthens your brand image and helps you connect with your target audience. - Leveraging Social Media to Strengthen Branding
Take advantage of social networks to give more visibility to what your brand really is. This allows you to differentiate your brand, highlighting your offers and values in a way that is clear to users. It also helps to build loyalty among your followers and reduce the impact of confusion.
SEO Recommendations to Take Advantage of Unexpected Situations
Although the situation may seem complex, changes in traffic and search trends are also an opportunity. Here are some SEO recommendations based on our experience to better deal with these situations:
- Identify New Long Tail Keywords
Leverage multi-word search terms (known as long tail) that are specific to your industry and niche. This will not only differentiate you, but will also rank for searches with less competition. - Create Content That Responds to Popular Searches
If an unexpected name match situation arises in your case as well, you can create content that clarifies the difference or showcases your company as a unique alternative. This can attract qualified traffic that is interested in your business and reinforce your site’s relevance in its niche. - Optimise Meta Title and Meta Descriptions
Make sure your titles and descriptions in search results make it clear what your business is about. - Monitor your SEO Metrics Regularly
Check your page metrics on an ongoing basis, especially if you notice unexpected spikes in impressions. This way, you can make early adjustments to your SEO or Google Ads campaigns to avoid losing valuable clicks and maintain the quality of your traffic. - Update and Improve your Relevant Content
If changing search trends threaten to dilute the relevance of your site, reinforce the most important articles and pages on your website. Fresh, informative and customer-focused content can help you maintain your authority and relevance.
Taking advantage of these unexpected changes can improve your positioning and strengthen your brand in the long run.
If you haven’t already done so, consider how you can implement these strategies on your own website. In the end, the goal is not only to attract visitors, but to convert them into leads by offering them content that really interests them and solves their needs.
To make your job easier, there are some amazing tools that make the arduous task of chasing trends much easier. Check out How AI is Changing the Game in Digital Marketing.
And if you want to better understand the Luce phenomenon, here are some links to relevant news:
- Luce, the Vatican’s mascot goes viral on the internet
- The Vatican is targeting young people with its anime mascot
- The Vatican is also otaku: Luce is the new anime mascot with which they want to connect with young people
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