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Link building in the age of content skeptics https://ift.tt/2ORhUDb When Google appeared on the scene two decades ago, it quickly outshone popular search engines such as AltaVista, Infoseek and Lycos for two primary reasons. First, most search services were caught up in what would prove to be a fatal fad: turning their home pages into a “portal” for the internet while neglecting their core function of providing the best search experience possible. Second, and perhaps more important, Google pioneered the concept of using links as a powerful means of evaluating the quality of web pages through its PageRank algorithm. The idea was both elegant and relatively simple: links were very similar to citations in academic literature — essentially a way for the author of one web page to endorse or “vote” for another web page. Lots of links pointing to a page suggested that a page was of higher quality than a page with few links pointing to it. Links from authoritative pages were even better. Using PageRank, Google’s search proved so much better than its competitors that it quickly blew them out of the water. SEOs quickly realized that they needed to focus on Google, and the craft of link building became an essential component of search engine optimization. In the early days, link builders simply asked other website owners to link to their site, and those requests were commonly granted, especially if a reciprocal link was offered in return. Today, link building remains an essential part of an SEO’s efforts to gain optimal search engine visibility. But in the age of fake news, content skeptics and corporate policies governing what can and can’t be done on most high-quality websites, link building has become a much more difficult task. Lisa Barone, CMO at digital agency Overit, has been building links and writing about the process for years. These days, her primary emphasis is not so much on outreach and asking for links as it is on creating content that stands out — to get it placed, to attract links and to ultimately drive people back to a client’s business. She’ll be sharing her process for creating a content-based link building plan at our SMX East conference in New York City next month. Lisa describes her process as having four essential parts: Setting goals for content. “None of us have the resources to create content with the ‘hope’ someone will post it. Nor do we have the time to create content with the ‘hope’ it provides a measurable return to the business. You need to use business goals to identify opportunities for content themes and content type with examples.” Identifying (and obsessing over) core topic themes. “Understanding our goals for the content allows us to break out the themes for the content we will place. We must prioritize the content that will help us achieve our goals, while also resonating with our audiences. Keyword research tools can help identify and segment topics based on user interest and how they align with business needs. This allows us to create a data-backed strategy to guide our content/link building efforts around objectives and keywords.” Seeking out host content gaps. “Performing a content gap analysis on larger link opportunities allows you to identify what content the site already has, what works, what’s missing and where you can build upon existing efforts. This helps your content get placed by showing the host site you’re paying attention, while also helping you to target your content more specifically for shares and conversion.” Creating linkable content. “Getting content placed is one thing; creating something people want to share is another. To be successful, the content you create must be worthy of links and set up to be spread. Linkable content is content that contains elements such as a strong hook, original research, compelling visuals (videos, charts, infographics, memes) and [that] comes with resources baked in.” Link building today goes far beyond simply securing a link to influence search engine rankings. A comprehensive link-building plan requires matching the content creation/link-building process to business goals, designing the content assets most likely to be shared and focusing on outreach efforts most likely to convert to sales. If you’re interested in learning more from Lisa and other experts in the field, be sure to attend our SMX East conference in New York City October 23-25, 2018. SEO via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/1BDlNnc September 28, 2018 at 07:45AM
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Ask Yoast: Can I repost my guest-authored content? https://ift.tt/2Oic94B Writing content for another site as guest author or blogger can have many benefits. It could help you get more exposure, especially if you’re writing for a site that’s a lot bigger than yours. Working with other sites also gives you the opportunity to build potentially worthwhile (business) relationships and broaden your network. You might even get paid for your guest articles. Another obvious advantage, of course, is gaining valuable backlinks to your site. Now, this doesn’t mean you should start sending out loads of mediocre articles to every blog that’s even remotely relevant to your own. A better strategy: guest-write great content for the right website, perhaps a few guest posts, and engage with the audience: you’ll surely get noticed. But, once you’ve invested a lot of time in writing a great article that you’re very proud of, odds are you also want to put that content on your own site. Preferably without creating duplicate content issues. What are your options, in that case? Yossi sent us a question that shows this dilemma:
Watch the video or read the transcript further down the page for my answer! Reposting guest-authored content“The problem is, Yossi, if you publish them on that other site first, and that other site is bigger than yours, then the chance of you ranking with that content is close to zero. Learn how to write online copy that ranks!
But if you can’t do any of that, then I would not go through the trouble of publishing it again on your own site. Because it really doesn’t make all that much sense. And you’d be better off just publishing a short snippet on your own site, saying, “Hey, I wrote this on that other site.” Good luck.” Ask YoastIn the series Ask Yoast, we answer SEO questions from our readers. Do you have an SEO-related question? A pressing SEO dilemma you can’t find the answer to? Send an email to ask@yoast.com, and your question may be featured in one of our weekly Ask Yoast vlogs. Note: you may want to check our blog and knowledge base first, the answer to your question could already be out there! For urgent questions, for example about the Yoast SEO plugin not working properly, please contact us through our support page. Read more: The ultimate guide to content SEO » The post Ask Yoast: Can I repost my guest-authored content? appeared first on Yoast. SEO via Yoast https://yoast.com September 28, 2018 at 07:41AM
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Anna Crowe: Goodbye & Good Luck! by @MrDannyGoodwin https://ift.tt/2xKVUDF Today, we’re both happy and sad to say goodbye to a member of the SEJ family, Anna Crowe. We’re happy for Anna, because she’s landed a fantastic new job for herself that’s taking her all the way from Florida to Switzerland. Exciting stuff! But it also makes us sad, because it means we no longer will have the pleasure of working with her every day. Boo! Anna joined SEJ in February of 2016 as our features writer, tasked with writing in-depth posts about all things search and digital marketing. Over the past couple of years, she has written 46 excellent posts – many of them epics. Her most recent post was a guide to Google Analytics. It was so good that the Google Analytics team tweeted it:
Pretty amazing. You can check out all of Anna’s posts here. But she quickly took on more and more tasks at SEJ, as it became clear she had a lot more to offer than just written articles. Anna also has contributed to multiple SEJ ebooks (and, in the case of the original version of our Link Building guide, wrote the whole thing), podcasts, and also helped launch our daily newsletter, SEJ Today, and monthly email earlier this year. Beyond that, she has also contributed in a lot of ways behind the scenes, coming up with, and implementing, ideas that have helped make SEJ a great experience for our readers and advertisers. And there is some more good news. You’ll still get to read her writing right here on SEJ, hopefully for quite a while to come, because she has agreed to continue on writing as a contributing author every month. Auf Wiedersehen, Anna!While I’m sad to be losing you at SEJ, Anna, I’m also super happy for you. You are incredibly talented and I’m sure you’ll do amazing at your next job, and throughout what will undoubtedly be a long and successful career in this industry. Thank you again for all of your amazing work. You have been awesome to work with and will be missed. I’m not crying, you’re crying! ? And I’m not the only one who will miss you, Anna. Here are a few farewell messages from the SEJ team. Paulo BobitaHey, Anna! I wish you all the best on your new adventure! Thank you for being an amazing teammate to all of us! We will miss ya! Good luck! P.S. Check out Swiss typefaces, they are the best! ? Brent CsutorasAnna is one of those people you cannot help but love to work with, both as a person and a colleague. She is fun, interesting, hard working, dedicated, driven, and continues to improve and grow every day. Anna, I wish you the best in your new role and welcome you to remain as involved at Search Engine Journal as you would like! Jenise HenriksonAnna, I’m so sad to see you go. Your flexible, creative, and goal-oriented working style has made you a joy to work with, for both myself and the team. You’ve made major, lasting contributions to SEJ. But I’m also soooo excited for you and your new adventure! Be good (but not too good) ;). We will miss you! Angel NiñofrancoAnna is an impeccable writer, an outstanding marketer, and overall an amazing human being. The breadth of her marketing knowledge is impressive and just working with her on various initiatives within SEJ is a learning experience in itself To Anna, I wish you all the best on the next chapter of your life and career. It’s been an absolute pleasure working with you! Vahan PetrosyanWorking with Anna was a big pleasure. We will miss her a lot. I wish her luck in her new position. As she gets closer to me in Europe (Switzerland), I hope we will meet each other from time to time during my trips or at Europe-based conferences. ? Image Credits Featured Image: Paulo Bobita Subscribe to SEJGet our weekly newsletter from SEJ's Founder Loren Baker about the latest news in the industry! SEO via Search Engine Journal https://ift.tt/1QNKwvh September 28, 2018 at 07:18AM
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Google Search Algorithm Update On September 27th https://ift.tt/2OR9X0N I am hearing some chatter around a possible Google search algorithm update that took place yesterday, September 27th. To be honest, not all of my indicators, i.e. the community chatter and the tracking tools, are 100% convincing that there was a big update. I do believe that a nice number of sites were impacted yesterday but the impact was not as large as a bigger update. SEO via Search Engine Roundtable https://ift.tt/1sYxUD0 September 28, 2018 at 06:55AM
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Real World Ranking Factors by @martinibuster https://ift.tt/2OfZpvm Google recently disclosed that 30% of search queries are the result of an algorithm that maps search queries to concepts and then uses those concepts to match with relevant web pages. Artificial Intelligence ranks web pages in many ways. Is the concept of 200 ranking factors still relevant? What should be considered a ranking factor? The answer may help define the direction that SEO is headed. 200 Ranking FactorsThe 200 ranking factors were signals that Google said were in use around 2006. Google has changed so it’s time to reconsider what ranking factors are and how that affects SEO. Nearly 20 years ago, ranking a web page was straightforward. It was a recipe. Here were the ingredients:
When Googlers said there were over 200 ranking factors it was a concept the SEO community could easily understand. It fit the ranking recipe of links, title tags, headings, etc. Yet for the past few years we’ve known that Google ranks web pages that don’t even contain the keywords on the page. Today, Google and the SEO industry focuses on satisfying users. It really may be time to reconsider what we mean when we talk about ranking factors. It’s entirely possible that Google has left the room and turned off the lights on the anchor text and keyword SEO party. Bill Slawski on Ranking FactorsBill Slawski, of the SEO company Go Fish Digital offered these observations:
Re-ranking Algorithms and Ranking FactorsI then asked Bill about re-ranking algorithms. Those are the algorithms that are said kick in after the core ranking algorithm has done it’s thing, in order to rank pages with synonyms or for other reasons. Bill Slawski on Re-ranking Algorithms
Are Factors in Re-ranking Algorithms Ranking Factors?I then asked Bill if factors in the re-ranking part of the algorithm that exist outside of the core ranking algorithm should be considered ranking factors?
Martin Macdonald on the State of Ranking Factors TodayI next turned Martin Macdonald, a search marketing expert with a distinguished career managing the in-house search marketing of many major brands (learn more at his Bay Area SEO website and on his blog, WebMarketingSchool.com). Here is what Martin had to say about ranking factors:
More ResourcesImages by Shutterstock, Modified by Author Subscribe to SEJGet our weekly newsletter from SEJ's Founder Loren Baker about the latest news in the industry! SEO via Search Engine Journal https://ift.tt/1QNKwvh September 28, 2018 at 06:53AM
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Here Is Google My Business Video Verification Feature https://ift.tt/2zCyrFZ A couple years ago we reported Google was testing a way for you to verify your local business in Google My Business over a video call. Well, here is a screen shot of a business seeing that option when they are trying to verify their business in Google My Business. SEO via Search Engine Roundtable https://ift.tt/1sYxUD0 September 28, 2018 at 06:35AM
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New Google Image Search desktop design is now rolling out https://ift.tt/2OUr1mL Google is now rolling out the new image search design for desktop, as announced at the company’s 20th anniversary event Monday. Bringing desktop and mobile in line. The new desktop design brings much of what Google launched back in March with the new mobile image design changes, including captions on images, the URL of the image and new filter bubbles at the top. The screen shot above shows the new design to the image search results. Google announced Monday:
Metadata support. In addition, Google just announced it has added support for Creator and Credit metadata whenever present to images on Google Images. To see this information on Google Images, you can click on the “Image Credits” link to view the metadata fields. Google said they will also add Copyright Notice metadata. Here is how that looks: A summary of changes to image search:
Why should you care? Google typically uses the title tag from the page the image is found on as the caption used for these image search results. So you will want to make sure the title tag on the page is relevant and descriptive of the image. In addition, SEOs should look into the new Creator and Credit metadata to see how that can be used in the case specified above. About The AuthorBarry Schwartz is Search Engine Land's News Editor and owns RustyBrick, a NY based web consulting firm. He also runs Search Engine Roundtable, a popular search blog on SEM topics. SEO via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/1BDlNnc September 27, 2018 at 09:56AM
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Why Content Marketing for Law Firms Doesn’t Have to Be Boring by @jasonhennessey https://ift.tt/2xGAJ5L The legal field often gets a bad rap for being, well, boring. Particularly when it comes to marketing. Many digital marketers cower at the thought of tackling such a competitive niche and often shy away from any project that has the label “legal” tacked in front of it. Not only is there the connotation of marketing for law firms being boring, there can be quite a bit of work involved to help your clients rise above their competitors. Such can be the case with content marketing for legal as well. If I had a nickel for every generic “What to do if you get a DUI” post peddled my way, then I would be a rich man. I’d also have a lot of guest posts to publish. Fortunately, content marketing for the legal niche doesn’t have to be boring. In fact, it shouldn’t be. If you are mystified by the process of obtaining quality links, networking opportunities, leads and more for your clients through content marketing, then it’s time to rethink “boring” and find brilliant, creative content ideas to up-level your strategy. Rethinking Content Marketing for a ‘Boring’ NicheContent marketing presents loads of opportunities to think outside the box. While many aspects of digital marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) can be highly technical, web content allows you the space to get creative and speak to your audience on a deeper level. Unfortunately, this is a missed opportunity for many marketers who aim to focus on the technical gains of content marketing. In other words, they miss the full picture, which is that the content is meant to reach and resonate with your client’s audience. The ultimate goal? Help your client make more money. The stereotype that marketing for a “boring” niche often becomes a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Marketers expect “boring”, so they produce “boring”. This doesn’t serve your business or your clients well. Now is the time for marketers and SEO pros to shift their perspective when it comes to content marketing for legal, and open their eyes to the many opportunities that creative content can bring for their clients. Legal Content Marketing for Relational (and Technical) GainsIf you go into content marketing only thinking about the technical benefits, then you are only seeing one piece of the puzzle. High-quality, creative, authentic and conversion-friendly content not only opens the door to links and rankings but can serve your clients in many other (arguably, more important ways). Effective content marketing can:
Being cognizant of these possibilities (and many others) frames content marketing in a new, relational way. Moving Beyond the Usual KPIsContent marketing isn’t solely about gaming the algorithm. It’s about forming new relationships (being that professional, technical, or otherwise) for your clients. That could mean creating content that:
Focusing on KPIs will only get you so far. Think outside the usual framework of content marketing, and you will tap into the creativity that shapes content that is built for relational and technical gains. 3 Ways to Get Creative with Your Legal Content MarketingNo more boring blog posts. There are much more creative ways to drive brand awareness, generate links, and land more opportunities for your legal clients. Below are three innovative strategies to create authentic and conversion-happy content for law firms and the like. 1. Appeal to Each Step of the Customer JourneyKnow your audience. Rather than casting a wide net when it comes to creating content, it is best to create pieces that relate to each step of the customer journey. The customer journey consists of the Discovery, Nurture, Purchase and Retention phases. The kind of messaging and approach you use in your content will differ for each. Ideally, you will be creating content that resonates with your clients’ audience every step of the way Discovery PhaseOtherwise known as the “information gathering” phase, potential customers in this phase are noticing what is grabbing their attention and are actively looking for more information. This can be an opportunity to create interesting, thought-provoking, or emotional content. This content should meet the user’s intent and make them take notice. For example, if your client practices family law, you may want to create content like, “3 Ways to Tell that Your Partner is Considering a Divorce”, or “To Adopt or Not to Adopt: 3 Families Share Their Stories”. These examples are eye-catching, niche-related but don’t overwhelm the reader with information. In other words, it lets them know that you understand their struggles and can speak their language. Then, this content can be circulated in ads, on social media, or in forums online to get it in front of the right people. Nurture PhasePeople in the Nurture phase are those that have already interacted with your client’s brand in some way, but may not be ready to buy. Perhaps it’s not the right time, the budget isn’t there, or they need more information. This reveals more opportunities for engagement. This is a good time to conduct market research to figure out what your client’s audience struggles with most and what are the deciding factors in them choosing to buy. Often times, you will have access to these people via an email list or lead generation tool. You may choose to run a remarketing ad or an email campaign. Create content that nurtures their feelings of relatability with the brand. Address their fears around cost, trustworthiness, expertise, etc., in content that meets them where they are at. Purchase PhaseYour leads are just about ready to buy, so how do you get them there? It may take a bit of coaxing. This is often where marketers lay on the charm – and by charm, I mean sales tactics. In actuality, you should be providing more in-depth information that is primarily brand neutral. Testimonials, case studies and the like can be that added push to make people feel that your client’s brand is the best fit for them. You may want to circulate content that differentiates your client from their competitors. You can do this through strategic guest posting on:
It’s also important that your client is available for receiving questions at this time. Providing the appropriate contact information can make a huge difference. Customer service matters! Retention PhaseSo your legal client has closed a new client – now what? In the legal field, it may seem like once a lawyer/client relationship ends, it’s all over. However, there’s always a chance that this client may need help with legal issues in the future – or could refer a friend or relative their way. Ideally, these contacts should be available via an email list or CMS for follow-up contact. That way, you can send content that maintains brand awareness and loyalty. One option is to send an email once the engagement has ended. This can be to thank them for their business, ask for a review and prompt them to follow your client on social media. Then, you can run a continuous email campaign of legal tips, events, promotions and more. 2. Create Timely, ‘Human’ ContentWe’ve all seen the #trending and “clickbait” articles on social media. As annoying as they may seem, there is a lesson to be learned that can be applied to content marketing. Users like content that is engaging, inspires emotion, is controversial or otherwise drives some kind of feeling or reaction. Staying on Top of the TrendsThe best way to get content in front of the right eyes is by creating content that is timely and human. Is there a current event that’s making its rounds on social media? Offer a lawyer’s perspective of the issue. Celebrities going through a divorce? Outline the top 10 benefits of having a “prenup”. By creating content that’s timely or up with current trends, you can be more confident about fast circulation and shareability. Content that has a human element will ensure that it will resonate with the audience and inspire them to engage. The right piece of content will get them to click, think, share and give your client a call. 3. Sharing Applied vs. Passive KnowledgeThe way users engage with content is constantly changing. More and more, people are looking to content that entertains them, gets them thinking, or makes them feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The legal niche is especially guilty of creating Passive content that informs their audience about a topic. While this can be good for SEO, it’s not particularly good for conversions. Creating content based on Applied knowledge is different. It:
For instance, a blog post titled “3 Things that Happen When You Get a DUI” serves to inform. However, a better piece of content for inspiring users to convert may be, “Got a DUI? Here’s What You Need to Know”. This content may outline what the user now has to do to work through having a DUI, hiring an attorney, and even overcoming the embarrassment of being hit with a DUI. The Power is in Their HandsThis kind of content is great for honing in on a particular audience, rather than simply meeting the search queries of those looking for more information about DUIs. There is also potential to incorporate interesting tools, charts, and infographics to increase engagement. What’s important here is to not hit the audience over the head with information. Offering applicable knowledge gives them autonomy and puts the freedom of choice in their hands. They will trust you as the expert because you are offering valuable information, but won’t feel pressured by a hard sell. More Resources: Image Credit Featured Image: Shutterstock, modified by author, September 2018 Subscribe to SEJGet our weekly newsletter from SEJ's Founder Loren Baker about the latest news in the industry! SEO via Search Engine Journal https://ift.tt/1QNKwvh September 27, 2018 at 08:50AM
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Google adds event markup to rich results status report in Google Search Console https://ift.tt/2DBm8Ot Google has added support for event markup debugging to the rich results report within Google Search Console. Previously, the rich results report only supported job posting and recipe markup but now it supports event markup as well. Aaron Bradly was one of the first to notice this and posted about it on Twitter. With this update, Google appears to be sending out new notifications to sites verified in Google Search Console that have issues with their event markup. Why should you care? If you post about events on your web site, host conferences, meet ups and so forth, you can amplify your search result snippet with event markup. If you markup your content wrong, Google can now proactively notify you of issues so you can fix them at a quicker pace. How do I access this report? You can access this report, if you have events on your web site and use the markup, within the Google Search Console enhancements section. Scroll to the bottom section of the Search Console and look under the “enhancements” section. If you see Rich results you may see event markup fixes for you. About The AuthorBarry Schwartz is Search Engine Land's News Editor and owns RustyBrick, a NY based web consulting firm. He also runs Search Engine Roundtable, a popular search blog on SEM topics. SEO via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/1BDlNnc September 27, 2018 at 08:31AM
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Is The Google Search Console Page Filter Throwing Off Accuracy? https://ift.tt/2DBAVIO There are some savvy SEOs and webmasters that are noticing a possible bug with the Search Analytics reports in Google Search Console. This is specifically when you use the page filter option, the numbers significantly drop both in the Google Search Console interface and within the Search Console API. SEO via Search Engine Roundtable https://ift.tt/1sYxUD0 September 27, 2018 at 07:44AM |
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