link building 2014: shun the shortcuts to improve search rankings
DESCRIPTION
Presenting this presentation on how to be a catalyst for organic links for white hat link earning at the IRCE Focus SEO Day Monday, February 10, with David Cluka from Briggs and Stratton.TRANSCRIPT
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Linkbuilding: Shun the Shortcuts to Improve
RankingsBryson MeunierDirector, SEO StrategyResolution Media
David ClukaDirector, Digital MarketingBriggs and Stratton
AGENDA
• What are bad links?• How to find and purge bad links• Finding your niche• The only way to measure link
effectiveness• The right way to get links• Case study: link building strategy
for Briggs and Stratton
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GOOD LINK BUILDING
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4000% increase in visits
BAD LINK BUILDING
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• “I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description ["hard-core pornography"]; and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it, and the motion picture involved in this case is not that. [Emphasis added.]”
—Justice Potter Stewart, concurring opinion in Jacobellis v. Ohio 378 U.S. 184 (1964), regarding possible obscenity in The Lovers.
MOST BAD LINK BUILDING NOT HARD TO DETECT
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Anything that seeks to exploit
loopholes in Google’s ranking
algorithm
Anything that’s paid but made to
look as if it’s earned
BAD LINKS FALL IN TWO CATEGORIES
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ADVERTORIALS
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Anything that’s paid but made to
look as if it’s earned
PAID LINKS
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Anything that’s paid but made to
look as if it’s earned
PRESS RELEASE SPAM
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Anything that’s paid but made to
look as if it’s earned
•Widgets or footers with overly optimized anchor text• Low quality directories• Blog comment spam• Article marketing• Automated linkbuilding• Excessive reciprocal links
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Anything that seeks to exploit
loopholes in Google’s ranking
algorithmFull, evolving list at https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/66356?hl=en
IF YOU HAVE BAD LINKS
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NOT
IF YOU HAVE BAD LINKS
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GET THEM IN GOOGLE WEBMASTER TOOLS
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SOFTWARE/SERVICES FOR REMOVING BAD LINKS: REMOVEEM
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SOFTWARE/SERVICES FOR REMOVING BAD LINKS: LINKQUIDATOR
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• Open Site Explorer• Majestic SEO• AHrefs
USE SITE EXPLORERS TO UNCOVER OVER OPTIMIZED ANCHORS
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LOOK FOR UNNATURAL PATTERNS IN HISTORICAL LINKS
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DISAVOW & REQUEST RECONSIDERATION
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AVOID MAKING MESSES AND THERE’S NOTHING TO CLEAN UP
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There are no shortcuts to link building for SEO.
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The best link builders earn links by building relationships and creating content that people are compelled to share.
• Mine competitor links, shares and mentions for relevant content• BrightEdge• OpenSiteExplorer • FreshWebExplorer• FollowerWonk
• Sort BrightEdge backlink performance report by # of competitors with backlinks from this domain for more relevant links
FINDING YOUR NICHE
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•No directories that don’t fit the brand•No guest blogs that don’t fit the brand•Only sites that qualified searchers actually visit
SET STANDARDS FOR LINK TARGETS
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MODELING AUDIENCE NEEDS FROM BIG DATA
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LINKBUILDING FOR SPECIFIC PERSONAS
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The only way to measure link effectiveness is…
QUALIFIED SEARCH AND REFERRAL TRAFFIC
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•Domain Authority/Trust•Page Authority/Trust•PageRank•Organic search rankings•Number of links acquired
FORGET THESE LINKBUILDING KPIS
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• Would my target audience feel compelled to share the content I’m promoting with their social circles without outside prompting?
• Do all my partners link to the content I’m promoting? Why not?
• Would a link from this site create referral traffic that might visit the site I’m promoting more regularly?
?ASK THESE QUESTIONS INSTEAD
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If the answer to any of these questions is
No
how do you turn it into a
Yes?
CONTENT
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=≠
• And yet is not visible in search…
0% of
traffic from non-brand keywords, December 2013*
BEETLE.COM WINS WEBBY FOR QUALITY SITE
32*Source: SEMRush, 1/30/2014
THIS IS CONTENT
33Found on https://www.google.com/insidesearch/howsearchworks/fighting-spam.html, 1/31/2014
INFORMATIVEAUTHENTICUSEFULEMOTIONALCONTROVERSIALUNIQUECOMPREHENSIVEDARING
+ACCESSIBLECONNECTEDUSING SEARCHER QUERIES IN PLACES WHERE GOOGLE UNDERSTANDS THEM
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= King/crown picture
BRIGGS & STRATTONLinkbuilding Strategy Case Study
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Would my target audience feel compelled to share the content I’m promoting with their social circles without outside prompting?
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FOCUS ON CUSTOMER PERSONA’S NEEDS
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FOCUS ON CREATING RELEVANT CONTENT WITH BLOG
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CREATING RELEVANT CONTENT WHERE CONSUMERS ARE
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USING GOOGLE TRENDS TO FIND NEW CONTENT OPPORTUNITIES
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IMPROVING AUTHENTICITY WITH AUTHORSHIP
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Do all my partners link to the content I’m promoting? Why not?
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AVOIDING FORM LETTERS
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REAL PEOPLE BUILDING REAL RELATIONSHIPS
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Chris Kovac
Marketing Manager - Digital Channel and Mass Lawn & Garden at Briggs & Stratton
CONTENT SUGGESTIONS TO PARTNERS
Under Lawn Mower Buying Guides, consider adding an article about the importance of an
engine in outdoor power equipment
The page should:• Call out which
lawnmower engine brands are available in products at Home Depot
• Link to those engine brands
• Proposed co-branded Hangout with large retail partner
• Suggested an engines matter page to another large retail partner
• Value add for both businesses, and for searchers
REAL COLLABORATION WITH PARTNERS
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Would a link from this site create referral traffic that might visit the site I’m promoting more regularly?
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OLD ARTICLES DON’T GET MUCH RELEVANT TRAFFIC
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SEO AND PR INTEGRATION
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SEO PR
CREATING RELEVANT CONTENT WHERE CONSUMERS ARE
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FIND RELEVANT INFLUENCERS ACCORDING TO PERSONA INTERESTS
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ENGAGE FIRST SOCIALLY BEFORE SENDING EMAIL
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MEASURE REFERRAL TRAFFIC
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Bryson MeunierDirector, SEO StrategyResolution [email protected]
David ClukaDirector, Digital MarketingBriggs and Strattonwww.briggsandstratton.com
THANK YOU!