townsend.bunksite.com

Author: Jared Jones

Site Audits and Your Business: An Introduction

Just like any portion of your business, your website requires constant maintenance to ensure that it is running as optimal as it should. It’s very well known that Google loves to constantly change their algorithm, forcing websites to adapt quite frequently or else their search engine rankings will suffer. Whenever a video game patches in a major update, they release a list of patch notes so that players can stay abreast of changes. Google, however, does not afford webmasters that same luxury. The massive changelog initially has to be discovered, and then Google (most times) will decide to give some insight on how they just changed the internet. So, what does a site audit have to do with this? A site audit doesn’t just look at one aspect of a website; it looks at the entire thing. By inspecting every nook and cranny of a website, it’s tough to miss anything.

What is a site audit?

In essence, a site audit is exactly what it sounds like—an audit of your website in its entirety. A slew of benchmarks are measured to determine the overall “health” of your website and suggestions are made on how to improve any issue that may arise (and they will arise). The factors covered in site audits are technical, content, and off-site. These three topics also contain an array of subcategories that are necessary to cover.

It is also important to know that a comprehensive site audit is no easy or simple task. They require a few days of dedicated brain power to aggregate all of the information that is necessary to give you an in-depth view of your site. These reports generally end up over 30–40 pages long and are full of pertinent information and screenshots. If they aren’t, you may have been fleeced.

The Technical

Technical factors on the website are simultaneously the most important and least important impacting parts of a website. For example, every website should have a robots.txt file on the root directory of their website. If you happen to disallow search engines from crawling your site with this file for whatever reason, it will never show up in any search engine. Ever. Never ever. The flipside of this is that having a good robots file also doesn’t guarantee that your website will ever reach high search engine results, even though a bad robots file will guarantee that you won’t reach them. Server configuration is also another large part of the technical aspect of site audits. Many people use sites like Godaddy to host their website, but these often have default settings that your site will be set to until you change them.

There is far too much to go over in the course of a standard blog post, but Search Influence does offer Comprehensive SEO site audits and can go over every nook and cranny of a website to measure its health.

The Content

As Bill Gates oh so famously quoted, “content is king,” and that still continues to ring true. While images and videos are definitely a plus for any website, the content is the real hero of this story. To make things even more confusing, quality is better than quantity but quantity is still a necessity or your content will be determined to have low quality. But, if your quality is too high, your content will be considered low quality.

Content on your website should be a certain length —300 words per page is the gold standard, but more definitely doesn’t hurt. Your content must also be relevant to your business and to the page itself. In addition to this, the only way Google will be able to relate your content to your topic is if you add in relevant keywords. If you add too many keywords, however, Google gets very angry and stops liking your website. This makes content writing a sort of a magic area to ensure the best message is being sent to search engines crawling your site.

After the main content is created, the next step is to set up the metadata for each page. Metadata is coding on the backend that gets read by search engines and can also be displayed in search engine results.

The screenshots above show the metadata for our own site. Without having this code in place, search engines that encounter your website have no idea what it’s about. When a search is performed, the search engine will produce a snippet to show in their results.

This screenshot is the preview snippet for our company as displayed in Google. Notice how that title tag and meta description both populate into the search engine results page. This not only helps Google recognize your website and relate it to the topics you would like to rank for, it also provides users with a preview of the web page.

The Off-Site

Off-Site factors are probably the toughest part about increasing how favorably search engines see your site— it is also the most important. This section is overwhelmingly dominated by websites that are linking to your website. Having plenty of websites link to you helps to add authority to your site, but if one site links to your site too much, it will appear spammy and both websites can see punishment. A good start to increasing the number of unique domains that link to you, or your backlink profile, is to start with social profiles and high-ranking local profiles such as Yelp!

After some time of making your business presence known online (and offline), you’ll find that news sites and blogs will link to your site as well. The more this happens, the more authoritative your website becomes, and the more search engines will prefer it to others.

If this all seems overwhelming, contact our Sales Team. They are happy to go over the logistics of this process and see if it’s a fit for your company’s budget. The SEO Experts at Search Influence are always willing to help a website in need.

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May 2, 2017
Don’t Feed the Trolls Part II: Facebook

Search Influence’s resident troll has returned with the next installment of troll defense lessons. This edition will focus on the Facebook social media platform. Trolls inhabit every single corner of the infinitely expanded world wide web. Social media, forums, news articles, emails, Amazon reviews, and even online video games. The main strength that trolls have in most of these platforms is that they don’t have to expose their identity. But, what happens when someone trolls you on Facebook? Show me a person who trolls with their own identity, and I’ll show you a person who has nothing to lose. Though there is no surefire way to completely stop someone from trolling you into infinity, there are some pretty hard and fast rules that apply to all troll defense tactics.

Don’t Feed the Trolls

Does this statement sound familiar? If it does, it means that you either read the previous entry into the troll stomping anthology, or you are a seasoned internet veteran. This is perhaps the easiest and simplest way to deter a troll from taking up residence on your business page. Though the easiest way to deal with a troll is to confront them face first, an excessive number of responses and back and forth will eventually cause you to devolve into the troll that you are trying to destroy.

Don’t Assume Everyone Is a Troll

The main reason that your business page exists is to connect with your customers and fans. It needs to be understood that a complaint is not always a troll setting up shop. Whether you have 50 followers or 50,000,000 followers, each and every one of them made the conscious decision to click the “like” button on your page because they like your product or service. Give users the benefit of the doubt and make an earnest attempt to make peace with them.

Keep Your Cool

When you’ve definitively identified that someone is actually trolling you, remember that you are a professional and a troll is a professional at making professionals profess professions unprofessionally. Your responses will be visible to everyone who follows your page and even some passersby as well. Those viewing your argument won’t necessarily feel the same rage that you do and may think you treat all customers in the same fashion. Not only that, but raging at a troll makes them seem like the victim, and the last thing that you want your fans and strangers to do is to sympathize with a troll living on your business page.

Use All Provided Tools Available

Similar to Twitter, Facebook has a few built-in tools to deal with users that attempt to interact with you in bad faith. First and foremost, you have the ability to delete comments. This should be used VERY carefully. A legitimate negative comment should not be deleted; that issue should be addressed directly and publicly. The only comments that should ever be deleted are deliberate and dishonest attacks made toward your business. Specific users can also be blocked on Facebook as well. If you do have to delete a user’s comment for legitimately trolling you, blocking them is probably a good idea as well. Facebook also has a direct messaging system that can be used to reach out to users in case they need to share private information.

Sounds Tough

With a whopping 1.79 billion users (that’s 25% of the entire world population) and not even plateauing quite yet, Facebook can be a challenge to navigate. Here at Search Influence, we offer a full suite of Social Media Management services to offer with a team of professionals to deal with the trolls for you.

January 12, 2017
Here Are Our Top 5 Blogs From September

Another month, another top five blogs from Search Influence! All of these posts are chock-full of information that will help you keep your website in tip-top shape and give you some insight into life at Search Influence. Subscribe to our blog to stay up to date on what’s going on in the world of SEO and Search Influence.

#5: How Google Possum Has Affected 3 Pack: A Before and After Review

Google’s newest update has had some drastic effects on the search results 3 pack. Amy Arnold gives us the lowdown on some listings that are pretending to be dead.

Look at that beautiful Google update devouring those listings.

#4: What Happened to Facebook’s 20% Text Grid Tool?

Michelle Neuhoff Boyd is back at it again this month and refuses to leave the top five standings. Whether you’re a Facebook fiend or a business taking advantage of the social platform, this blog entry has mountains of information about the inner workings of the Social Media giant.

#3: Happy Working Parents Day: 10 Influencers on Lessons From Their Working Parents

To celebrate National Working Parent’s Day, Mary Silva whipped up a heartfelt blog post complete with written and video interviews of some of our employees. Tears may be shed by the time you reach the end of the video, so be sure to have that tissue box ready.

#2: Search Influence Adds 3 New Hires in August

Search Influence added three more employees in August and a lot of people were interested. Learn more about our new team members in this post compiled by Melissa Verzwyvelt.

#1: Barnacle SEO – Local Search Engine Optimization for the Sam’s Club Crowd

Last but not least, Mr. Barnacle SEO himself, Will Scott, saw a massive resurgence in popularity of his blog where he coined the industry changing term. Take a gander at this super informative blog.

While you’re at it, follow our blog to get the latest updates from Search Influence.

October 7, 2016
Don’t Feed the Trolls: A Crash Course in Dealing With Twitter Trolls

Beware of Trolls

Bridges, the mountains of Skyrim, and Twitter. What do these places all have in common? You have a chance of running across a troll that can ruin more than just your day. Bridge trolls aren’t much of an issue since human society has pushed them into barren lands where we’ll never see them again. If you happen to visit Skyrim, you’re sure to have learned how to cast at least one fire spell that can dispatch a troll with haste. If you’re on Twitter, you must adapt to conquer these trolls. They’re smart, resourceful, crude, arrogant, and once they lock in on a target, they won’t stop until it’s gone. It takes one to know one, so I will take it upon myself, a self-admitted troll, to help you identify and eradicate trolls that are attacking you.

What’s a Twitter Troll?

A Twitter Troll, or an Internet Troll in general, is someone who uses the magic of the internet to sew seeds of hatred wherever and whenever they can. No one really knows how it starts, but once it does, it can be very difficult to stop. Unfortunately, Twitter is infamous for being very lax when it comes to individuals spewing hatred, so oftentimes, you will be left alone and cold to deal with them.

How to Combat a Twitter Troll

In my opinion, Twitter doesn’t offer up enough support to deal with toxic entities that troll your business online. Luckily, they don’t have to. Trolls are very predictable, which means dealing with them can be a cinch if you know what you’re doing. Here are some guidelines to follow when engaging in combat:

1: DON’T FEED THE TROLLS!

I swear on everything I hold dear, feeding the trolls will tarnish your image and make you appear just as immature as they are. This, of course, will end negatively for you and your business. Feeding trolls refers to responding to them in a negative fashion. This only fuels their ego and will make them continue to troll you. It may be tempting to be rash since they will likely come at you in a very aggressive, abrasive, crude, and rude manner, but I assure you that will only lead to them setting up shop in your mentions for the Twittersphere to see.

2: Develop an Action Plan

As I mentioned earlier, trolls are very predictable in their attacks. Though they are difficult to deal with, the predictability of their actions and responses makes a premade action plan with some flexibility your best friend. Having some example responses for your social media manager to use is a good way to defeat trolls before they have a chance to really get rolling.

3: Limit the Number of Responses

A hard limit on the number of responses given to trolls is a necessity. A constant back and forth will only fuel their strength and eventually drive you away from the realm of logic and reason. Continuing to engage in their toxic conversation will only succeed in eroding your own mental constitution to the point where your responses look as trivial and childish as the troll’s responses.

4: Don’t Give Them a Platform

In May of this year, a three-year-old boy fell into the gorilla enclosure of the Cincinnati Zoo. He was confronted by a 17-year-old lowland gorilla named Harambe. Zookeepers were forced to kill the gorilla in an attempt to prevent him from injuring the boy. People were upset; Twitter was furious. Of course, heavy-hearted memes were shared, but eventually the pro-Harambe side devolved into an expletive-laced hashtag that was used in response to almost every tweet they sent out. All memes eventually die, but during an interview with the Associate Press, the Cincinnati Zoo director stated that, “We are not amused by the memes, petitions, and signs about Harambe.” This reignited the trolls with such a fierce intensity that they were forced to temporarily shut down their Twitter account. It takes more finesse than just saying, “stop” to truly shut down a troll.

5: Don’t Ignore Them

Possibly worse than telling a troll to “stop” is to not say anything at all. This will more than likely make them extremely volatile and cause them to find a new home inside of your mentions. Also, ignoring a troll allows them to spam you however they seem fit and provides no deterrent since they aren’t being addressed. Confronting them in a professional manner shows them that you don’t tolerate those actions and helps to deter other trolls from setting their sights on your business.

6: Know the Difference Between a Troll and a Customer

Sometimes, a troll isn’t a troll at all. The anonymity of the internet is known for adding otherwise absent machismo to some people. Knowing that tracking them down can sometimes prove an unfruitful waste of time can make people act quite recklessly. Your business needs to be able to determine the difference between a legitimate troll and an angry customer. This takes time, but one telltale sign is if the alleged troll is attacking your product versus attacking you. If they have an issue with your product and not with you, offer a direct message (DM) exchange to try to make things right in a more private manner. Being able to admit a mistake shows a level of authority and passion for your business and can keep customers that may otherwise leave.

7: Speaking of Mistakes…

Admit when you’re wrong. If you own a small local pizza restaurant, people obviously prefer to give you their money over a giant corporation like Domino’s, and don’t mind more than likely paying a premium price for your product. If you deliver an incorrect order, mess up a pizza en route, arrive later than promised, there’s no need to even try to argue. If you’re wrong, admit it, ask for their information via DM, and make an attempt to correct the mistake. The difference here is that your apology is public due to the nature of the complaint.

8: Utilize Available Tools

Twitter is admittedly terrible when it comes to dealing with trolls, but in light of recent events, they have gotten better. In addition to the standard block and mentions settings list, you can customize your settings further to ensure that users aren’t able to mention under certain circumstances. The quality filter will use a newly formed algorithm to help “ignore” low quality tweets and some toxic tweets as well. Tailoring your discovery and mention settings can create an environment that can stave off trolls to a large extent.

Twitter Is a Scary Place

The Twittersphere is not the easiest place to navigate and can be made even more difficult when trolls descend upon you. Top that off with actually running your business instead of being on Social Media all the time and your plate will end up fuller than mine when I go to the buffet. Here at Search Influence, we offer a full suite of social media services so that you can rest a bit easier and focus on running your business instead of running from trolls.

Image 1 Credit | Image 2 Credit

September 13, 2016
How to Leverage Pokémon Go to Drive New Sales for Your Business

From the first time I booted up Pokémon Blue in my Gameboy Pocket way back in ‘98, I dreamed of being the very best—like no one ever was. Fast-forward to July 7th, 2016, and we all actually live in a Pokémon World. Once Pokémon Go was released, it quickly smashed the previous records of most downloads in a week, fastest app to ten million downloads, and in less than a month after its release, it has topped over twenty million downloads. This is great news for Nintendo. Prior to the release of Pokémon Go, their market share was showing a strong downward trend. The Wii U console was not keeping pace with the powerful technology of the PS4 and Xbox One, they had to liquidate most of their majority share of the Seattle Mariners due to new management, and they had not released a new handheld system (or even talked about a new one) since November 2014.

How Does This Affect Me?

After a little more background, I’ll make this relevant to the business world, I swear. In addition to the 151 unique Pokémon that people are running around trying to catch, there are two very important structures that have been placed in this game — Gyms and Pokestops.

The image above is a Pokémon Gym. Once a player reaches Level 5 in the game, they join the blue Team Mystic, the yellow Team Instinct, or the red Team Valor, represented by the “legendary” birds Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres, respectively. These three teams constantly battle their Pokémon for control of these locations and can train with their teammates to help their gym gain more prestige, which allows more teammates to add their Pokémon to it.

This image is a Pokestop. These locations were selected as landmarks to add the travel aspect of the game. By tapping on a Pokestop, a detail screen pops up which has the name of the location; a photo of the location; and in some cases, a brief description of the location. Swiping the image causes it to spin, which makes it drop a few items and gives the player 50 experience points towards leveling up their avatar. Pokestops can only be activated every five minutes so, under normal circumstances, it is beneficial to collect your items and continue moving on towards the next Pokestop. However, even the most seasoned Pokémon Trainer needs a break every now and then. Unfortunately, to be the very best, training can’t stop. Niantic, the developer of Pokémon Go, thought of this and included an item called a Lure Module in this game.

When a Lure Module is set at a Pokestop, Pokémon are attracted to its location and appear without having to walk around constantly. With enough trainers present, it is even rumored that rare Pokémon show up to the Pokestop. Lure Modules are very seldom given to players as they level up but they are also available for 100 Pokecoins, which is equivalent to $0.99. They only last for 30 minutes, so players are constantly purchasing them and placing them at their favorite Pokestops.

Okay, So How Does This Actually Affect Me?

Yes, there is actually a point to all of this, but it requires a little bit of creativity. Businesses that normally serve as gathering places for large groups of people make ideal candidates for utilizing Pokémon Go to bolster their business. First, you need to see if there is a Pokestop near your business. If a player can stay at your business with the Pokestop active, you’re golden. At the base level, it costs a Trainer a dollar per half hour to keep a Lure Module active on a Pokestop. Once the Lure Module is set, other trainers will be attracted just as much as the Pokémon. The Lure Module owner is the particular subject that you want to collaborate with.

Offering the owner of the Lure Module a small discount is one way to attract business. The chance of getting more business increases as long as you continue to have Lure Modules active. If your business is a coffee shop, maybe consider offering a pastry with a coffee if a customer shows you that they set up a Lure Module. If your business is a bar, maybe consider offering the Lure Module owner a $1 discount on a well drink or domestic beer if they decide to set a Lure Module. The potential is limitless. Some larger locations, such as zoos and parks, can have multiple stops. A zoo, for example, could advertise all of their Pokestops and offer a discount for Pokémon Go players.

Pokémon Gyms may seem harder to work around than Pokestops, but once you consider that every player has already pledged feverish allegiance to their team, a Pokémon Gym all of a sudden becomes the best thing that could’ve happened to your business. In this case, there’s really nothing that you actually have to do. People will eventually migrate towards your business to try to maintain control. It would be worth mentioning that your establishment is a Pokémon Gym on your social media profiles to help spread the news. Maintaining team neutrality would be a good idea; no one really goes into a New Orleans Saints bar and proclaims the Atlanta Falcons are the best team in the league.

That’s a Lot to Poke-think About

Though this may seem very straightforward, any sort of campaign, especially those that involve online presence, is oftentimes left up to the pros. Here at Search Influence, we offer a full suite of online presence options, one of them being Social Media Optimization, which would allow you to relax and let us create your PokeAds for you.

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August 9, 2016
Make Your Social Media Strategy Sizzle with Summer-Focused Content
How Is Summer Different than the Rest of the Year?

Warmer temperatures make people more active in the summertime. With kids out of school now, many families will take at least one vacation over the next few months. And since 81% of Americans save money specifically for the summer season, there is more opportunity for your business to gain customers and grow.

What Can a Small Business Do to Stand Out?

Larger, national brands don’t have to work as hard to benefit from the seasonal surge, but small businesses can also succeed through social media campaigns. Using location-specific social media, optimized pages, and summer-focused content, you can take your business to the next level this summer.

What’s the First Step?

The first thing on your summer to-do list: claim and optimize your social media pages. Yelp, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Instagram will be the heavy hitters this summer. Google+ and Yelp both require verification, so you should start this process immediately. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram don’t have lengthy verification procedures, but they should be optimized with branded images to familiarize users with your business. All of these sites also need to link to your main website and other social media profiles if applicable. Alternatively, you’ll also want your website to link to your social media profiles for quick and easy connections. Now that the website and social media interlinking of your business is setup, the real work starts.

My Profiles Are Optimized, Now What?

Now it’s time to get to work. The theme is summer, so your posts should reflect the season. Here are a few content creation tips:
- High energy and fun
  - Summer is all about having a great time, so your posts should reflect the sweet summertime mood. There is no set formula for social media posts. You need to experiment a bit to find out what attracts the most engagement from your audience. Mix it up and show your employees having fun on top of working hard.
- Holidays and events
  - Independence Day and Labor Day are two major federal holidays during the summertime. If your business is open on these days, make sure to post about your hours of operation. Social media is also a great, free way to notify your customers about holiday promotions.
  - Keep a close eye on your city’s calendar of events, and try to coordinate promotions and posts accordingly. Here in New Orleans, we have this handy calendar provided by New Orleans Online. A fashion boutique, for example, could take advantage of the upcoming outdoor festivals and offer a sale on tank tops, shorts, sunglasses, and other festival gear. Food vendors at the same festival can get a lot of social media interaction if they post pictures of their fan’s favorite dishes.
- Deliberate engagement
  - In between selfies and status updates, social media users are constantly scrolling through their timelines. Make yourself not only appear but also encourage interaction by asking fans to like, share, or tag a friend. Users love to engage with their favorite brands, but make sure you have someone on deck to respond.
- Encourage locals and tourists
  - Large brands or franchises may have the backings of national companies, but small businesses have the strength of the ever-growing “Go Local” trend that swept the nation this past decade. You should highlight your locality in your posts. Some locals prefer to patronize businesses that will stimulate the local economy, and many tourists are searching for the more “authentic” local experience.
These tips will help make your social media outlets stand out instead of getting lost in the ever-growing sea of likes.

Sounds Like a Lot of Work

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Take it from the pros: Social media optimization is a complicated and time-consuming undertaking. Research provides insights into your industry’s most successful social media approaches, and then the posts are written, edited, and published on a timeline that encourages engagement from your target audience. Search Influence offers a full range of social media optimization services including content creation, brand management, and graphics creation. Now is prime time to prepare your business for the upcoming season, and we’d be more than happy to help out.
June 14, 2016
Seeing Colors? Google Expands Paid Ads

Late last month Google changed the landscape of internet marketing once again. The latest update from Google expanded paid ads into two new areas, Maps and Local Finder. These two places were once a haven for those of us with beautiful, organic traffic, but we are set to be invaded by the strong-arm tactics of paid advertising.

Local Finder Ads

This change is likely to cause tears of both sadness and anger. In case you forgot, let our very own Amy Arnold explain how Google eviscerated the old Local Pack. In short, Google decided to reduce the number of local businesses displayed in the Local Pack from seven to three. Some of the default information displayed was also removed in an attempt to streamline the app. Many users found that the top three results were not enough, which compelled them to click that little “More Places” link in the search for more leads. After the most recent changes, ads are now displayed at the top of the More Places section, which is similar to how they are placed in the regular search results.

In addition to the new Penguin update, explained by yours truly, local businesses also have to deal with their information being relegated by potentially three spots. Even though it is possible to get your website higher by paying, it seems that organic content creators have been hit hard enough to cry.

Maps Ads

Google Maps also received an ads revamp and a new color coding. Purple ads are now showing up, and Google decided to fill us in on exactly why that’s happening. These ads are controlled by AdWords, and users who have the location extensions enabled and are still charged the standard cost-per-click rate whenever a user attempts to get location details and directions or complete a mobile click to call requests. In addition to having your business show up at the top of Maps search results, a nice purple icon is also added to the map on your business location. By setting the targeted area, advertisers are able to give some extra range to their map pin in addition to appearing at the top of the list. Of course, if you plan on buying ads and placing your business at the top of search results to pay-per-click, you better make sure your business information is up to date.

One thing you may have noticed from the above image is that the Enterprise Rent-A-Car is listed as both the top result and first advertisement. This would be an example of what not to do. A company may appear twice because it is already the top search result in this area. This redundancy happens a lot in regular search results, but the map ads allow you to select an area, allowing your ads to reach further than your search results normally would. This process is of course very confusing, but Search Influence’s expert Online Ads team is certified in Google AdWords and helps our clients gain maximum visibility. If this seems overwhelming, they’d be happy to take care of your advertising needs.

Image 2 credit: Brian Barwig

May 9, 2016
SEO & Chill: Google’s Penguin Algorithm Will Sink Sites With Spammy Links

Every business owner who uses the internet to advertise or display their product (which should be every business owner) needs to know about the importance of Google’s Penguin algorithm. Penguin was introduced way back in April of 2012 as a way to combat some “black hat” SEO practices, such as link buying and link trading with very low-quality and low-authority links. Just like Chill Penguin, Google’s Penguin algorithm is a bit dated, with its last full, confirmed update being back in October 2014, but it was still very active in stopping spammy backlinks. Even before its launch, Google sent out warnings to users of its Webmaster Tools to get rid of their spammy backlinks. Those who heeded the tech giant’s words were rewarded with high rankings in the search engine result pages; those who didn’t ended up on ice.

Continuous Updates

The newest Penguin update won’t be an Earth-shattering update like its previous versions, but this version will have continuous updates that will affect searches. What exactly does that mean? That’s anyone’s guess, but only Google knows the true answer. What we can do is try to prepare. Re-evaluating the information we already possess is a great start. We already know that Google hates super spammy, low-quality links and that they love high-authority links. Using this knowledge, you can pretty much assume that having highly authoritative backlinks would lead to Google liking your website a lot more. As far as this update being continuous, that more than likely means that the algorithm will auto-update based upon information that ends up getting collected.

So What Are Good Links?

Here’s an analogy: let’s say Google’s Penguin algorithm is a real penguin, your website is the penguin trainer, and your backlinks are fish. Low-quality backlinks would be akin to spoiled mullet, whereas high-quality backlinks are more like freshly caught wild Alaskan salmon. Doesn’t take a marine biologist or an ornithologist to figure out that your penguin will like you more if you continue to feed it salmon. High-quality backlinks will eventually lead you to increased SERP rankings. Not having backlinks is similar to starving your penguin; it makes your page look as if it isn’t an authority on its subject, which is bad news.

Where Can I Start Getting Good Backlinks?

Our very own Mary Silva outlined a pretty good strategy of procuring high-authority backlinks. The process itself isn’t easy and requires some inherent knowledge of the internet and the ability to rummage through links extensively and identify what would be the best moving forward into the outreach portion. What it entails is auditing all of your backlinks and clearing out all of the weak and low-authority backlinks. Then comes the hard part: reaching out to other high-authority sources to link to your site is one part of the next step. The more high-authority sources linking to your site, the more likely you are to gain Google’s praise. Another way to link build is to create unique and engaging content so that others can share it and create backlinks for you.

If you don’t think you’re up for intense link building, Search Influence offers many different search engine optimization packages that can be custom tailored to fit both your budget and needs.

Image Credits:

Chill Penguin GIF
Penguin Trainer GIF

April 25, 2016