US firm taps PH for Web promotions services

By Alexander Villafania

MAKATI CITY, METRO MANILA - Branders.com, one of the largest customized promotional items makers in the world, has set up a search engine optimization (SEO) office, which has a major base in Ortigas Center, Pasig City.

The firm’s business revolves around putting the logos of their clients on a wide variety of objects, from keychains, ballpens, tote bags, paper weights, flashlights, eyeglasses, among others.

These products are made in the US, China and Mexico. While Branders.com competes with various companies in basically the same field, it prides itself in using the Internet for promoting its products.

The company, based in the US, spent around $1 million to build and customize their SEO platform, which is primarily used to do online sales and marketing of promotional products.

Branders.com uses SEO techniques to get the attention of potential clients. So far, they have already provided services to over 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies.

Branders.com’s Pasig City-based SEO office is led by its senior SEO specialist Alfred Palconit, one of the Filipinos hired when the company set up shop. He said that traditional SEO techniques require management of thousands of keywords, which are used by companies when searching for specific types of products, services or any information.

The development of their own SEO system ensured that Branders.com’s target companies will reach their website, effectively capturing their attention. As a result of their own SEO techniques, he said almost half of the sales at Branders.com are closed using information from the integrated SEO solution.

Due to the success of its SEO office in the Philippines, the company will be expanding its operations to IT servicing, account management, marketing and design, and finance and engineering.  Currently, the Branders.com office in Pasig City has around 145 people.

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