Transform Link Building into Brand Building for 2013

One question is on just about every SEO’s mind as we confront the New Year: “What strategy will protect me from updates in the future?” Finding the right balance between sustainability and immediate impact is hard work. How do we move forward?

It’s our opinion that we need to start shifting gears in this industry. Links are important, crucial even, but sustainability means brand comes first. Some will argue that branding is impossible for small businesses, and others will claim that we’re stepping outside the bounds of SEO.

That doesn’t concern us.

We’re concerned with results for our clients, and labels have never done much of anything when it comes to making that happen. Here’s our strategy for broadening link building into brand building in order to maximize results.

1. Put the Focus on Brand Recognition

When we build links, there’s one criteria we want to meet with every single one of them. We want to get people saying, “Oh yeah, I remember those guys.” And that means:

We focus on channels with traffic

We get our content on all the most popular channels in our niche

We use our brand name frequently enough that it sinks in

When possible, we choose a brand name that’s unique and easy to remember, rather than descriptive or keyword-centric

We send a consistent message with our content, our design, our logo, our bios, our material, and so on

We make enough of an impact that people will want to hear from us again

2. Use Press Releases for Exposure

As you may have already heard, Matt Cutts, the head of Google’s web spam team, recently said that links from press releases won’t help you get exposure in the search engines. Some are calling nonsense on this, while others are saying that press releases are now officially obsolete.

We’ve always felt that press releases had little or no value as a direct source of links, but we still feel that they can be very valuable when handled correctly. A press release can get your brand and certain pieces of content in front of a large audience.

Bloggers and other media personalities frequent the legitimate press release sites (that’s why it’s called a press release, after all). This can be a great way to attract the attention of influencers who can send links your way, as well as get some viral activity in motion. Focus on using press releases to build brand awareness, rather than on building links directly.

3. Comment Marketing for Familiarity

Comments as a source of links are useless. None of the well-known sites allow do-follow links in the comment section, and Google’s algorithms are focused on locating a site’s main body content, and using those links as the strongest signals.

We focus on contributing to conversations on sites where the comment sections are active, the niche is right, and the traffic potential is high. We use the brand name, not the keywords. We try to write comments the way we write guest posts, aiming to be as helpful as possible so that people take notice. We also use comments as an opportunity to build relationships with other influencers, who often contribute in the comments.

4. Forum Marketing

We approach this in much the same way we approach comments. Some of the most influential people on the web frequent forums, and it’s a great place to connect with your industry’s community. It’s also a constant source of information about what people want to know the most, what they are most interested in, and what kinds of content are most likely to attract attention.

5. Q&A Sites

The same goes for these. We’re especially big fans of Quora, since the questions never close up and it’s much more permissible to mention you or your client’s site. But don’t just seek out questions that your blog posts can answer directly. Get involved and offer answers as helpful as blog posts in and of themselves.

Of course you want to drop a link, but not for the search engines. Q&A sites only offer no-followed links, so there’s no direct search impact. Instead, use it to build exposure and get the name out. And, once again, be sure to use your brand name to build familiarity. Answers on Q&A sites often show up prominently in the search results, because of their domain authority. This makes them an excellent source of traffic which can lead to social sharing, occasional links, and eventually search engine benefits.

6. Guest Blogging for Traffic

There is a tendency to rely excessively on guest posts, which is one reason we recently shared 7 alternative link building methods here on Search Engine Journal, but when done properly, guest posts can still be incredible sources of traffic, brand awareness, and search engine authority.

The key is to focus on high-impact blogs, the real noise-makers in the industry that anybody who’s in the know has heard of. No, not every single guest post needs to go to a blog like this, but we recommend that a large portion of them do.

Don’t get upset about rejection. More than anything else, the key is to just keep trying and improving your content. Pour just as much into your guest posts as you would for a post on your own site, if not more.

7. Infographics as Proof of Authority

We all know infographics are a great way to build links, but they are a tremendous branding opportunity as well. A really solid infographic gets shared across the web and expands your reach. It helps you reach audiences that don’t read too often, and they are very friendly to social networks. They drive a great deal of traffic when executed properly. You can take our infographic about Google’s updates in 2012 as an example.

Perhaps most importantly, they give your brand an air of legitimacy and professionalism that makes you more noteworthy in the eyes of potential consumers, as well as online influencers like power tweeters and bloggers. Infographics prove that you have resources because not anybody put one together that looks right.

8. Content Marketing With a Unique Selling Proposition

Hopefully we’re not saying anything new by suggesting that content marketing is one of the most promising roads forward for SEOs, and I’m sure everybody has heard that content needs to be “unique.”

But, as we mentioned over at ProBlogger, original content isn’t the same thing as “not plagiarized” content. We discussed a few “brain hacks” you can use to boost your creativity when it comes to post ideas, and we recommend you use them.

The key here is to treat each piece of content as though it were a product, and to seek out its “unique selling proposition,” so to speak. It’s not necessarily that your content can’t be a little redundant or copy other sources (ideally with citation). Instead, it’s that your content ought to meet a set of needs that isn’t met by any other prominent piece of content on the web.

9. The Rise of Co-Citation

Rand predicts that co-citation is replacing anchor text, and we have several internal reasons to believe he’s onto something. For those who haven’t heard yet, co-citation occurs when a brand tends to be mentioned on the same pages and in close proximity to keywords.

Google also has similar tools, like Google Correlate, which can spot statistical relationships between keywords, and of course Google also has access to search queries, which will often combine keywords with brands.

All of this is going to make branding especially important this year. If you can get people talking about your brand, it’s going to have a positive effect on your rankings, even in the absence of links.

10. Leveraging Past Success

This is one of the biggest reasons we’re recommending a shift toward brand building this year. When you focus on big, bold, branded marketing efforts, you can keep leveraging the results.

If a big expensive infographic flops, you can still point to it in your future outreach as an example of the quality of work you do. If a guest post at The New York Times doesn’t drive too much traffic or make as strong an impact on rankings as you expected, you can still say you were featured in The New York times and leverage this as social proof.

If your efforts aren’t branded, you can never leverage them for future success. You can’t brag to your customers that you spun thousands of artic les or use low quality guest posts as an example of the kind of work you can put together during future outreach.

In Conclusion

There’s no question that Google favors brands in the search results, sometimes to a fault, and that it generally has commercial incentives to keep things that way. We also believe that marketing efforts are typically unjustifiable if brand building isn’t a part of the effort. Marketing without branding is always short term, whether it’s spam or keyword-centric PPC.

We hope you’ll join us by broadening link building into a brand-building effort. We’re looking forward to your thoughts in the comments, and we’d love it if you passed this along. Thanks for reading.

Source page :-(http://www.searchenginejournal.com/transform-link-building-into-brand-building-for-2013/58204/)

The Misleading Sinister Surge in Traffic Before Google Panda & Penguin Struck

I receive a lot of calls from companies that have been hit by Panda or Penguin, and both algorithm updates have been fascinating to analyze. When I first begin speaking with companies that have been impacted, my goal is to quickly identify exactly what happened over time, so I can begin the process of identifying why the strike occurred.

Although each company has its own history, and story to tell, there’s one element I wanted to cover today that might be able to help you as well. And if you’re saying to yourself, “Glenn’s crazy, our traffic has been surging recently! We have nothing to worry about...”, then you should grab a cup of coffee and read the rest of this post.

Trending Leading up to an Algo Hit

Once I gain access to a client’s analytics reporting and webmaster tools account, I begin analyzing Google organic trending leading up to, and then following, an algorithm update. The drop in traffic can sometimes be catastrophic.

For example, one company that reached out to me from Europe saw a 98.5 percent drop in traffic after getting hit by Penguin. I almost fell out of my seat while reviewing their reporting. And as you can guess, Google organic traffic is how they landed most of their business.

Although it’s easy to focus on the staggering drop in traffic, it’s extremely important (and interesting) to analyze the traffic leading up to a hit due to an algorithm update. What was happening then?

Could the algorithm hit have been predicted by flagging unusual traffic patterns? Were there any signs that a cute, black and white animal was barreling down on them?

Well, for some of the companies I’ve helped, the answer is yes.

Google organic trending could have signaled problems, but unfortunately, the business owners and webmasters didn’t pick up the up the signs (or were misled).

“But it was Going so Well.”

That’s the quote I’ve read and heard a thousand times since February 2011. I’ve also heard, “we got hit out of nowhere”, “we had record traffic levels leading up to the drop”, and “we were ready to expand our business when the drop occurred”. Yes, that surge in traffic was misleading, and I would go even further and say it’s sinister.

Not every site hit by Penguin or Panda has experienced this surge, but several that I have analyzed have seen that surge. And the traffic surge is an important signal that can mean you’re doing your job well, or you’re not. Regardless, it’s important to understand the surge is happening so you can determine what’s really going on.

For most webmasters without a solid understanding of SEO, that surge seems like Google is rewarding them for doing the right things. When in reality, the surge is the data that Google needs to collect in order make a decision (algorithmically).

The webmasters in question had a false sense of security (and empowerment). They made changes, they saw results, and then witnessed a surge in traffic from Google from target keywords. And sometimes, they weren’t just any target keywords, they were the most competitive keywords in the lot.

So, why would a webmaster view that surge in traffic as bad? How would they know that a tsunami was quickly approaching?

The answer lies in understanding the SEO tactics being executed, how those tactics were impacting traffic levels, and how those tactics could damage a website. And that’s where the disconnect occurs.

Here are two examples of trending from sites that experienced a surge before an algorithm hit (one directly from Google Analytics, and one with data exported from Omniture):





Some Possible Causes of the Surge

When it comes to Panda and Penguin, there are many triggers that could cause a site to fall victim. I always explain Panda as a much deeper algorithm update at this stage than Penguin, and there could be a number of reasons a site gets hit by our bamboo-eating friend.

Penguin, on the other hand, is extremely acute (at least until future versions of Penguin roll out that take additional factors into account). I’ve now analyzed more than 160 sites hit by Penguin, and the culprit every time was a horrible link profile.

So, what causes the surge in traffic that I’ve seen across several of the sites hit by Panda or Penguin? The answer is simple. The poor SEO tactics actually worked for a period of time until enough data was available, and until Google rolled out the next algorithm update. And at that point, it was too late.

Some of these companies could have avoided disaster had they noticed the red flags and taken action. Let's dig into a few of the causes of the surge in traffic. Hopefully it helps you understand why some sites attract Penguins and Pandas.

1. Thin, But Over-Optimized Content

Some companies began churning out a lot of low-quality, thin content that was heavily optimized (from a title tag standpoint). Based on their domain authority, which they built up over years, those sites began ranking for target keywords when the content didn’t deserve to.

As Google sent more traffic, more users bounced off the site as they hit weak pages. As more pages were added over time, and more users left, Google hammered the site during the next Panda update.



Recommendation:

Be neck deep in your reporting. Understand your organic search traffic, including which landing pages are receiving the most traffic, and why.

Yes, ask why those pages are ranking. If some of the companies had asked the question during the surge, and then answered objectively, they would have clearly seen the problem.

Removing those thin pages, or enhancing them, would have been smart, and could have avoided a disastrous drop in traffic. You can read a case study I wrote about a Panda recovery here. There are some important insights in that post that relate to this topic.

2. Building the Wrong Links

OK, you can substitute “spammy”, “risky”, or “unnatural” for “wrong” in the subheading above. Many of the companies hit by Penguin at some point hired an SEO company for link building. They didn’t track the company at a granular basis, but noticed a really nice uptick in rankings and traffic as the company built more links. “We were very happy with the results”, “our core keywords kept rising in the search results”, “business was never better”, etc.

Unfortunately, it only takes a few minutes in Open Site Explorer or Majestic to see the problem. The links being built were all spammy. Tons of directories, article submission sites, comment spam, link networks, etc.

The link building worked in the short-term. Rankings rose, traffic increased, and everyone was happy. That’s until Chilly Willy made a visit and hammered the sites in question.

Note, if you’re interested in learning more about a site hit by Penguin, why it was targeted, and how it recovered, you can read another case study here.



Recommendation:

Know who you are hiring, get references, check the sites they have helped, and check each site’s link profile. The proof is in the pudding.

Continually check your inbound links via Google Webmaster Tools, third party tools, as well as double check reports from the SEO agency helping you. Had the companies struck by Penguin analyzed all of the links being built, and the heavy use of exact match anchor text, they possibly could have addressed the situation while it was happening (and not after losing significant amounts of traffic).

Yes, some of the companies were fully aware of what their SEO agency was doing (and gave approval to do so). I don’t necessarily feel bad if that’s the case, and understanding the links wouldn’t have made a difference.

However, there are companies out there that trusted third parties to build links to help with SEO. In those situations, seeing the actual links could have triggered some questions. And those questions could have halted the process of acquiring more spammy links, which in turn, could have kept the big bad Penguin away.

3. Affiliate Content and Links

Some companies decided to add an affiliate component to their core domains. They had built up strong domain authority and wanted to use that authority to drive organic search traffic to affiliate pages. They figured this would be a quick way to earn some money from their hard-earned SEO strength.

Bad idea.

As the affiliate content was being added (which also included followed links to the partner websites), traffic began to pick up. It makes sense, given the query volume around some of the keywords being targeted, in combination with the domain authority of the sites in question. The combination yielded a surge in traffic that was paying off nicely for the companies.

But, three things were going on that weren’t readily apparent to the business owners.

The content didn’t answer any questions, solve any problems, or provide any additional value for the user. The pages were simply a conduit to the partner pages where users could buy products.
Engagement dropped off a cliff. Bounce rates skyrocketed, dwell time was incredibly low, and Google picked up on this.
The followed affiliate links weren’t helping matters… Affiliate links should be nofollowed. Passing PageRank to affiliates is never a smart idea, and Google isn’t going to react well.


And as you can guess, the sites got hit, and hard. The misleading surge in traffic made everyone involved feel warm and fuzzy. And the additional money coming in from affiliate marketing was icing on the cake. That’s until Panda had a conniption and stomped all over the site, including non-affiliate content (Panda impacted the entire domain).

The pain from the drop forced several of the companies I was helping to lay off employees, revamp their sites, and hope for the best. Some have recovered, but it’s a long and tiring process. Believe me, you don’t want to have to deal with Panda if you don’t have to.

Recommendation:

Don’t use a site that you’ve built up a lot of domain authority in as your affiliate marketing website (when that wasn’t the initial intention of the site). Several of you probably cringed wondering how anyone would do that. But it happens.

The sites are strong, it’s easier to rank with an established site, and business owners end up pulling the trigger. The problem is that it works in the short-term until the mighty Panda pulls his own trigger.

High noon with a Panda doesn’t end well for the cowboy. He finds himself without a horse, without food, and without bullets. That’s until he’s let back into town, often with less power than he had originally.

Summary – The Surge is Sinister

Don’t fall victim to the surge. Understand your site, your efforts, and your traffic levels.

You should know how and why new organic search traffic is hitting your site. And above all, make sure it should be hitting your site in the first place! Because if it shouldn’t, there are several mechanisms that Google can use to understand what’s going on.

Remember, that surge in traffic could reverse itself faster than you can say “Panda” or “Penguin”. And at that point, you won’t have much to look at in your reporting.

Ask questions, do your own detective work, and avoid a major hit. Fear the surge.

Source :- (http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2243421/The-Misleading-Sinister-Surge-in-Traffic-Before-Google-Panda-Penguin-Struck)