garrett french of citation labs: developing new campaigns in the same ol' vertical | ungagged...
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Developing New Campaigns in the Same Ol’ Vertical 5 Deadly Link Campaign Ruts (and how to bust them)
@garrettfrench @citationlabs
You know you’re in a rut when:
@garrettfrench @citationlabs
1. “There are no more blogs in my market.”2. “I’ve run out of internet.”3. “The only relevant websites out there are my competitors.” 4. “No one answers my emails anymore.”5. “SEOphobes are suspicious of link builders.”6. “They keep asking for money.” (and the prices are going up!)
We seek repeatable tactics supported by 1000s - 10,000s of potential linkers.
@garrettfrench @citationlabs
What is a Link Rut? ● Assumptions● Biases● Fixed Opinions● Blindnesses
...That Prevent Links.
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Feeling a little stuck...
Where Do We Find Ruts?1. We see ruts in our clients’ approach to link building.
2. We stumble into our own ruts by accident (and then we grow).
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Problem: Only Seeing Keyword Traffic Numbers, Not the Big Content Picture
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Rut #1: My Target SEO Keywords Define My Market
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Sunglasses, for example:
Rut #1: My Target SEO Keywords Define My Market
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To Find Utility Topics, Search Your SEO KWs like this:
● sunglasses site:.gov● sunglasses health● sunglasses safety
Learn how your keyword (“sunglasses”) fits and intersects with related topics.
@garrettfrench @citationlabs
Learn how your keyword (“sunglasses”) fits and intersects with related topics.
@garrettfrench @citationlabs
Rut #1: My Target SEO Keywords Define My Market
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Now we can discover new audiences for promotion…● intitle:"macular degeneration" site:.org
(can we donate sunglasses?)● intitle:"cataracts" inurl:blog● intitle:"Astigmatism" inurl:resources
Rut #2: Link Building = Blogger Outreach
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Bloggers are definitely great.
● lots of blogs out there● they accept content pitches● yes, you can still actively guest post (with quality content)
Rut #2: Link Building = Blogger Outreach
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Other Valuable Page Types:
● Curated Links● Resource Pages● Curated Lists
Rut #2: Link Building = Blogger Outreach
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Breaking out of SEO KWs makes these pages easier to find● intitle:"sunglasses" inurl:resources
now becomes● intitle:"macular degeneration" inurl:resources
BONUS: New Topical KWs Help You Find New Blogs● intitle:"macular degeneration" inurl:blog
Rut #3: Link Building is All About Relationships
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We leave these elite links to BizDev and C-Suite.
Most potential linkers don’t want a new relationship with you or your brand. They want good content that serves
their audience.
Rut #3: Link Building is All About Relationships
@garrettfrench @citationlabs
Link Building is All About Serving Your Linkers’ Audience
● Who do your target linkers care about?● How is this audience in need of help?● How can your content help this audience?
photo courtesy of jackwallsten on flickr
Rut #3: Link Building is All About Relationships
@garrettfrench @citationlabs
Demonstrate How You Serve and Value The Linker’s Audience
“We surveyed 150 Seniors with Macular Degenerative Disease and found...”
“We turned this survey into an infographic/guest publication/public service announcement...”
“We started a new scholarship/lesson plan collection for future ophthalmologists”
They do want to serve their audiences. Helping linkers do their job = links.
@garrettfrench @citationlabs
We primarily email, but often WAIT to email broadly until we’ve had several
phone calls.
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Rut #4: Relying on Email Outreach Only
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Phone calls with real, live content audiences help us discover soapbox issues in a given vertical…
“Here’s our idea of what’s important - what are we missing?”
Rut #4: Relying on Email Outreach Only
@garrettfrench @citationlabs
Phone calls help to temp-check your content concepts…
“If we create X would you share that with your site visitors?”
Rut #4: Relying on Email Outreach Only
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Phone calls provide feedback to your Editorial Director
“It looks like ‘7 sunglass styles your mom wore better than you’ does not appeal to our target linkers…”
photo courtesy of thecameragirls on flickr
Rut #4: Relying on Email Outreach Only
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Advice on positioning your outreach:
Write intro emails from a research perspective.You’re working to make a difference for an audience they care about!
Rut #4: Relying on Email Outreach Only
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DO NOTE:
“If you want to hop on the phone please let me know!”
...can really help to humanize your outreach and get you real insights.
The converse is common in best practice articles about link building...
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Rut #5: Tactic Failure in Vertical X = Tactic Doesn’t Work
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Think out probable points of failure:
● Is our content lined up properly with linkers’ audiences?● Are our potential linkers tech-savvy enough to update their pages?● Did ANYONE respond at all? What did they say?● Are we having deliverability issues?● Is our pitch off-putting somehow?
Rut #5: Tactic Failure in Vertical X = Tactic Doesn’t Work
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We found that weekly client calls (AKA “accountability”) helped to:
● Get our whole team in-the-know about what’s working and not working.
● Help our disparate parts (outreach, templates, content, etc) see the big picture.
● Show our clients that we are working hard, and creatively, even if links aren’t coming in quickly.
Don’t let them bias you against TESTING.
@garrettfrench @citationlabsphoto courtesy of cayusa on flickr
Rut #6: Over-Trusting Big Data, Best Practices and Metrics
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Best Day of Week to Outreach
...varies based on vertical and location.
Rut #6: Over-Trusting Big Data, Best Practices and Metrics
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Female vs. Male Personas in Outreach
...varies based on vertical and location.
Rut #6: Over-Trusting Big Data, Best Practices and Metrics
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DA 30+ Only
...means you will pass up 1000s of relevant, topical opportunities.
Rut #6: Over-Trusting Big Data, Best Practices and Metrics
@garrettfrench @citationlabs
Anything over DA 90 don’t bother
...means you will pass up “long shot” outreach.
Rut #6: Over-Trusting Big Data, Best Practices and Metrics
@garrettfrench @citationlabs
Best Keywords to Use in Article Titles
...are usually biased based on sample set.
● The product research/adventurous toddler approach
“Best Practices” aren’t magic; they’re just experiments that didn’t fail.
Get Into the “Try & See” Mindset
@garrettfrench @citationlabs