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Tag: link building

  • Give Your Site Some Link-building Lovin’

    MclovinYourLinksWith this year’s Google algorithm updates, we’ve heard a lot of buzz about implementing disavows and getting rid of bad, non-relevant links to your site. However, what we’ve heard less about is what to do after you get rid of all of those links. Now that those disavowed or deleted links are no longer helping, (or hurting) your site, it’s important to build up a profile of links that are strong, relevant, and influential to help elevate your site back to its previous authority and status. Here are some tips to help give your site the link building lovin’ that it needs.

    1. Create A Link Building Strategy

    Just like with any marketing endeavor, it’s important to create a roadmap and set goals to get a clear sense of where you want your efforts to take you. Take a look at the current links pointing to your site. Then, decide which types of links are relevant and helpful to your site (the kind of links you’d like to pursue more of). Based on that, allocate a budget, time, and metrics to measure your upcoming link building efforts.

    2. Use Real-Life PR Opportunities

    A great way to get natural links back to your site is to do it the old-fashioned way with PR opportunities. Host an event, go to conferences, engage in your community, leverage relevant organizations — all of these activities not only build your brand, they also provide credible linking opportunities for your website.

    Remember: Almost anything that happens offline can be captured online as well.

    3. Leverage Great Shareable Content

    The adage “content is key” is especially applicable when it comes to link building. People are consuming massive amounts of content on the Internet everyday. Content is a great way to capture viewers’ attention. Additionally, when viewers share a piece of content or use it on their own site, your website is attributed as the source.

    Getting rid of old, irrelevant links to your site is just like cleaning out your closet. Every wardrobe needs updating, so send last season’s links to the thrift store and go find yourself the latest collection of new links to give your site a boost.

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  • Five For Friday: Vine Allows Video Imports, AdWords Launches New Bulk Editing, Snapchat Does News, And More!

    1. Vine Finally Lets You Import Videos From Your Phone – Mashable

    Love making videos on Instagram? Well guess what! The popular app, Vine, is finally allowing users to upload videos from their phones.

    In addition to being able to import your own videos, Vine now also allows you to edit videos, and they have been encouraging users to upload older videos stored on their phones and share them with hashtag, #VintageVine. Check out the announcement video below!

    2. Google AdWords Launches New Bulk Editing Tools – Search Engine Land

    Google announced early Wednesday morning that AdWords will now contain a bulk editing feature. This snazzy new tool will allow users to update their settings per campaign in a more user-friendly and efficient way. Some of the benefits include:

    • A filter for campaigns targeting specific location
    • Updating multiple campaigns with a new targeted location
    • Adjusting other settings such as language, campaign end dates, and ad rotation

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    3. Snapchat is Planning A Move into News, Advertising – Marketing Land

    ghostsmilingimageThe Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Snapchat is expected to launch Snapchat Discovery in November. This new product will allow Snapchat users to read news articles and watch video clips the same way they do now: by holding their finger down on a phone screen. The Journal also reported that Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel is looking to get into advertising for his popular app.

    4. Bing Maps Adds Hundreds of Streetside & 3D City Images; Plus New HD Aerial Images – Search Engine Land

    Bing announced a massive maps update this week. Bing Maps now has over 100 cities that support Streetside imagery across America, including Richmond, Boston, Denver and more. They also now have 3D city images and new, high resolution aerial images. 3D cities are viewable through the Bing Maps Preview app, available exclusively on Windows 8.1. Bing Maps also has new high-resolution imagery in over 150 countries on every continent in the world, covering five million square kilometers.

    5. Moz Announces Brand New Beginner’s Guide to Link Building – Moz

    Moz released their third guide for marketers this week. As all marketers know, link building has changed over the years. One thing that has not is the importance of link building. In this updated guide, readers will learn:

    • What is link building, and why is it important in SEO?
    • What are good links and what are bad links?
    • How you can start a link building campaign
    • Link building tactics
    • Link building metrics
    • The good, the bad, and the ugly of link building
    • Advanced link building tips and tricks

    Click here to download the PDF!

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  • Takeaways From Pubcon New Orleans Day Two

    Last week I had the amazing opportunity to attend Pubcon New Orleans for the first time. It was one of the most fruitful learning and networking experiences I’ve had the chance to be a part of. I felt like I could spend forever just absorbing everything I could from everyone I met. One of the major themes that I got from all the speakers I saw at PubCon was the importance of good content. So, now I’m here to tell you about some of the main takeaways I got from the particular sessions I attended.

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    Peter Shankman: Keynote

    The keynote by Peter Shankman focused primarily on the power of good customer service. His four main points were Transparency, Relevancy, Brevity, and Top of Mind. He said you don’t have to go crazy with customer service, just be “one level above crap.” On this note he mentioned the Morton’s Steakhouse story where he jokingly tweeted at them about wanting a porterhouse steak upon landing in New Orleans from a flight. They then sent someone to meet him with a steak when he got off the plane. This simple gesture(although not scalable for every brand) led to a lot of great publicity for Morton’s. It’s all about making your customer feel special.

    An audience you are more transparent and honest with that feels invested in is 78% more likely to buy. Peter also said that when(not if) you screw up, own it. People are 44% more likely to stick with you if you own it. He mentioned the stark difference between how Eliot Spitzer handled his prostitution scandal by admitting the fault and resigning versus how Anthony Weiner handled his sexting scandal by saying he got hacked and not owning up to it.

    Peter mentioned the importance of being relevant and listening to your audience as well. He mentioned a non-profit that saw a 37% increase in donations just by being engaging and active with their audience online.

    The third important facet Peter Shankman mentioned was brevity. He particularly said that brevity is the future of social media and not just in the way we think of it through Twitter now. He said jokingly that we’ve all become the dog from the movie Up, because recent studies show that we have a 2.7 second attention span. Shankman said that mobile messaging is the future and Twitter is just the pipe, so we must learn to write well and concisely.

    Finally, Peter talked about the importance of being top of mind. You want to be the first person someone thinks to go to for whatever they need. He also mentioned the idea of having “zombie loyalists,” or people who have you at the top of their mind for recommendations.

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    Will Scott: Barnacle SEO

    Next I had the opportunity to sit in on Will Scott’s talk about Barnacle SEO(a term he coined in a Local Search News post back in 2008). Barnacle SEO is all about leveraging authority for local search. Specifically, the idea is to attach oneself to a “large fixed object” and wait for customers to “float by in the current.” It’s not as simple as using someone else’s authority, because Will says the most important thing in business is sincerity. “If you can fake that, you’ve got it made,” he says.

    He also mentioned that Google’s weakness is sites they consider super authoritative like YouTube, Yelp, Pinterest, Facebook, YP.com, and such. This is making Barnacle SEO have a huge comeback. YouTube for example dominates universal search and according to a MarketingLand infographic, 8 out of 10 video results are from YouTube.

    Although using backlinks from these authoritative sites and directories like YP.com for local SEO efforts is important, it’s also super important to “keep it clean-ish” by using tools like Whitespark.

    Greg Gifford: Local SEO- It’s No Laughing Matter

    After Will Scott, Greg Gifford, Director of Search and Social at AutoRevo, took to the stage with his presentation about the complications of local search. His awesome presentation featuring punny references to 142 movies and also contained precise, actionable tips. He mentioned the changes in local search like the maps pack finally stabilizing at seven listings and how optimized vertical and local directories now rank very well. A huge opportunity for small businesses to rank well lies in simply adding city and state to title tags.

    Greg also mentioned how the goal of Google Plus Local(aka Google Places) seems to be like a drive through, a place for people to get what they need by getting in and out quickly. He also brought up the Google email about “duplicate listings” that rolled out with Google finally merging the old dashboard to the new. If you want to know more about this email, check out my blog post here.

    His optimization tips for G+ included writing long, “awesome” descriptions using formatting and links, uploading lots of photos, using as close to the max 10 categories as possible while keeping them relevant, engaging in the fairly few number of users on G+, and circling users as a business. As far as reviews on G+ go, he mentioned that you have to earn them and ask for them, you need at least five reviews to see the star average, you should shoot for 10 then diversify, one to two reviews a month is normal, and having them come in consistently rather than in bursts is important.

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    Casey Markee: The “Big Easy” Guide to Google-Friendly Link Earning

    Casey Markee started his presentation with a quote from Matt Cutts saying, “The objective is not to make your links appear natural, the objective is that your links are natural.” He mentioned that the “four tenants of Google-friendly links” are those that provide clear value for the user, are niche-relevant, get clicked to send some measurable form of trackable analytics traffic, and are “earned” freely versus being given.

    He listed nine link “earning” classes that Google still loves which included:

    1. Link Bait Type Content- Sharable and Buzz-Worthy
    2. Evergreen Content- No Expiration Date
    3. Local Link Earning- Publish Local Resources
    4. Scholarship Link “Earning”- Ex: SilverCross.com Ability Achievement Scholarship
    5. Beneficial Link “Earning”- Participate in Online Forums
    6. Sponsorship/ Partner Building- Support Causes
    7. Profile Links- Social Profile Building
    8. Selective Guest Blogging- Quality not Quantity
    9. Brand Mentions- Get Regular Mentions Turned Into Live Links

    He ended with saying that link earning is a marathon not a sprint, and that quality content is key!

    Mike Stewart: Building a Future Proof Plan for Organic Local Search Rankings

    The biggest takeaway I got from Mike Stewart’s presentation was to think beyond Google search and about other places where people often search like Siri, Amazon, Facebook, and Bing. He also explained the difference between some white hat and black hat SEO tactics, and the importance of doing it right. Mike took us back to basics explaining that “SEO is about creating, editing, organizing, and delivering content and metadata to increase relevance to specific keywords on the web.”

    Finally he gave us “Seven Simple Content Ideas That Drive Shareability” which are as follows:

    1. GIVE: Offers, discounts, deals, and contests that everyone can benefit from
    2. ADVISE: Tips, especially about problems that everyone encounters; how to do something
    3. WARN: Warnings about dangers that could affect anyone
    4. AMUSE: Funny pictures and quotes, as long as they’re not offensive to any group
    5. INSPIRE: Inspirational quotes
    6. AMAZE: Amazing pictures or facts
    7. UNITE: A post that acts as a flag to carry and a way to brag to others about your membership in a group

    This is just a very small portion of the many helpful tips and tools I learned at PubCon this year! Let me know what you think about all the tactics you’ve learned here today.

  • 5 Tips for Non-Profits to Get Social

    Due to financial limitations, many non-profits find it difficult to increase their online presence. It may be difficult for local non-profits to compete with the big brands that are creeping on their digital space. Yet there are a few ways for non-profits to interact with their target audience online for very little out of pocket expense. What is this magical tool that non-profits should be utilizing? Social media, of course.

    Social media outlets prove to be great tools to capture, engage, and inform your supporters. It works as a way to provide a face to your cause and keep your loyal audience up to date. A recent study by Craig Newmark reported that 92% of non-profits are on Facebook and 90% are on Twitter.  Non-profits are spending more and more time investing in their social media marketing. However, simply signing up for your social media account isn’t enough. How do you reach your audience? What do they want to hear? What will get them excited?

    Five quick tips for non-profits when crafting your social posts:

    • Sneak Peeks: everyone appreciates a good inside scoop! Are you about to launch a new product or event? Why not let your social media audience get the inside information first. This will create buzz around your brand!
    • Insider Photos: you most likely know that pictures are a great addition to your social posting and should be worked in whenever possible. Including behind the scenes pictures is a great way to engage your fans and highlight your supporters.  It provides a great “this is what happens when you aren’t here” anecdote. Team Gleason does a great job of including behind the scenes shots to keep their Facebook Fans engaged and sharing interesting content!

    Nonprofits Behind The Scenes Sharing

    • Keep your posts relevant: is there an upcoming organization event? Post about it! Is there local breaking news? Tweet it! The beauty of social media is that you’re able to comment on things as they’re happening. You want to stay relevant and timely.
    • Link to your site: how do you expect your social media to impact your web traffic if you don’t link to your site? When appropriate, link back to your site so fans can learn more information. Links work best when paired with an eye-catching graphic. Check out what The Museum of Modern Art did with a link to purchase tickets online.

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    • But don’t always link to your site: yes, you want to drive site traffic, but you have to do it carefully. There is nothing social media users hate more than the self-obsessed page. The majority of your posts should be great and engaging content. Self-promotion should be the minority of your updates.

     

    And don’t worry, non-profits. The social media sites want you to succeed! Facebook even recently released a resource center for non-profits. So get to posting and watch the fans and site visits increase!

  • 5 for Friday — Links, Stories, & Posts for Your Weekend

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    The Holy Grail Of Internet Marketing: Owning The Whole SERP — Search Engine Land

    Search Influence’s very own Will Scott gives a brief how-to on the essential methods of owning your search engine results page. The main points he hits in the post are the importance of branded SERP ownership, branded  AdWords campaigns, branded organic results, Google+ and local optimization. But the “real win” of owning the whole SERP is obviously taking over your non-branded ranking page. One of the more surprising tidbits for PPC naysayers is “It may seem crazy to pay for clicks to your site, especially if your site shows up in the first position organically, but the data shows that having both the first and “zeroth” positions increases clicks by up to 89%.” Now, that’s a big increase!

    How to Build a Content Marketing Strategy — SEOmoz

    This informative post briefly touches on the importance of content marketing (it’s the future!) before moving on to some examples of companies that are doing it right, with “it” being what the author calls “phenomenal content.” What these examples all have in common is that they are bite-sized and easily sharable examples of content that is pinpointed to the intended audience. Probably the most useful thing in the post is the detailed step-by-step content strategy.

    How to Use Pinterest to Build Trust and Loyalty — Social Media Examiner

    We’ve already talked about why your business should be on Instagram, and these reasons also apply to Pinterest (and maybe its smaller, more bro-tastic counterparts like Gentlemint, Manteresting, and Dudepins). And now with analytics for business profiles, you can get data about how your followers are interacting with content. But how do you build trust and loyalty among those followers? This post is a great how-to. Main takeaways: tell your company’s story with humor and portray it as fun and friendly; recognize your loyal customers; make your boards a resource for your followers by including useful information; verify pins have valid, working links before sharing them.

    After You Read this Article You’ll Forget It (at least the first half) — Copyblogger

    This post telling you how to enhance your content marketing is itself great content marketing. What’s not to love? From the click-bait title down to the excerpts from his book, the author has made a great point about the usefulness of illustrations in your content and promoted his own product, making this whole post an example of how to do it.

    How to Create and Promote Successful Social Media Giveaways (and build SEO Links) — Search Engine Journal

    The title of this post really says it all. This is a fantastic step-by-step guide to setting up and executing a giveaway. Any business can benefit from the added exposure, but as the post mentions, you can also use this as an opportunity for link building. When you add the giveaway to an existing page on your site, the value of that page increases, even after the giveaway is over and you remove the code.