link building fundamentals smx west 2016
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#SMX #14D @Matt_Siltala#SMX #14D @Matt_Siltala
LINK BUILDING FUNDAMENTALSSMX WEST 2016
THE ART & SCIENCE OF BUILDING LINKS
Matt Siltala | Avalaunch Media
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AGENDA
UNNATURALLinks
LINKPopularity
LIGHTNING Round
TACTICSPENALTIES & Disavow
RANKBrain
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Algorithms &LINK POPULARITY
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MOST POPULAR SEARCH ENGINE?Almost 70% of the world uses Google
ExciteLycos
AskAOL
BaiduYahoo
BingGoogle
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Total Market Share
Total Market Share
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Paid
Organic
Domain level links
Page level links
Page Level (Title, tags, content)
Mobile
Query data (long & short clicks)
Social media metrics
Location personalization
HOW ARE PAGES RANKED?Over 200+ factors contribute
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Most of the changes/filters are done to help DEFINE, EVALUATE and RATE links and the pages they come from.
AuthorshipRemoved
Aug 28
“In the News”Box
Oct 01
PenguinEverflux
Dec 10
AuthorshipPhoto Drop
Jun 28
PageLayoutFeb 06
Sep 23
Panda4.1
Dec 22
Pigeon Expands(UK, CA, AU)
Jun 12
Payday Loan 3.0
Oct 17
Penguin3.0
Mar 24
UnnamedUpdate
May 19
Panda4.0
Jul 24
Pigeon
Oct 21
Pirate2.0
May 16
PaydayLoan 2.0
Aug 06
HTTPS/SSLUpdate
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There are four components of link popularity…
LINK POPULARITY
Link popularity measures the quality and quantity of links pointing to a webpage.
Considered an off-page factor.
Engines weigh off-page factors more heavily than on-page*.
SLANG: Link Juice, Link Love, Link Pop, Link Equity
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LINK POPULARITYFour components and a lot of moving parts
QUANTITY QUALITY RELEVANCE ANCHORTEXT
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LINK QUANTITYThe number of links pointing to a webpage from different websites/pages
A
BD
E
YOURWEBSITE
C
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LINK QUALITYDetermined by the authority of the host sites and the sites linking them
XX
C
X
AXX
BXX X
YOURWEBSITE
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LINK QUALITYAll three engines have a formula to measure and compute quality
PageRank™ TrustRank NetRank
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Quality pages have unique characteristics, they show:
WHAT MAKES A QUALITY PAGE?The power of PageRank™ – Yep, it’s still around
Algorithms reward quality and factual accuracy*
AUTHORITY EXPERTISE TRUST
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RELEVANCEEstablishes your topical and/or geographic dominance
Costa Rica Vacation Rentals
Baby Strollers
Diamond rings
petfinder
wfmzpawlooza
huffingtonpost
app.pickering.cadonatenow.networkforgood
peternity
somepuppytolovesaveacat reseausecoursanimalmontrea
LINK: PETFINDER.COM
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RELEVANCERelevance is keyword, relationship and fact based
Relevance factors change constantly as the index grows
Your relationships may influence what is returned
Factual accuracy plays a part in determining relevance
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Anchor text is the clickable part of the link you see My son and my money go to The College of William & Mary My son spends a lot of money buying college text books Visit us at www.poor-parents.org for more information
Anchor text is a query ranking factor
ANCHOR TEXT An endorsement of what is to come
anchor text influences the queries your website ranks for in the search results”
“ anchor text helps define the theme of a linked page”
BING
“
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Make your anchor text part of the conversation
ANCHOR TEXTHyperlink when it makes sense
Any links intended to manipulate… a site’s ranking in Google search results may be considered part of a link scheme and a violation of Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. Additionallym creating links that weren’t editorially placed or vouched for by the site’s owner on a page, otherwise known as unnatural links, can be considered a violation of our guidelines.” - GOOGLE
Doesn’t matter what you do, if Google thinks your inbound links are anything but editorial, YOU LOSE.
“
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YOUR GOAL WHEN BUILDING LINKS:
QUANTITYof links
QUALITYpages
ANCHORSconversational
RELEVANCEaudience
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UnnaturalLINKS
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Paid links
Large scale guest posting
Low quality directories
Footer links
Template links
“UNNATURAL” LINKS What the search engines (especially Google) want you to avoid
Large-scale reciprocal linking
Press releases
Widgets & badges
Forum drops
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Do not acquire a lot of the same links quickly
Avoid using same anchors over and over
Avoid linking with low quality pages
Avoid placing links in navigation and sponsored areas
WHAT TO AVOIDAvoid these flags and footprints
Avoid pages/sites hosting excessive reciprocals and template links
Avoid sites with excessive Adsense
Don’t make directory links (even niche directories) a large part of your portfolio
Avoid sites with no Contact or About Us info
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THINK BEFORE YOU LINKQuestions to ask
Is the page hosting your link in the search index?
Been cached lately?
Do they use nofollow attributes?
Does the website participate in social media?
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2
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Does the webpage rank for relevant keywords?
Is the website tied to a network?
Is the content relevant to my site?
Search “complaint” + URL?
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Penalties &DISAVOW
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GOOGLE PENALTY OR ALGORITHM UPDATENot hard to figure out but bad either way
IF YOUR SITE:
OR
YOU EITHER HAVE:
OR
a manual penalty
affected by changes/filters to an
algorithm
disappeared from the search results
lost ranking
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MANUAL ACTION NOTICEGoogle love notes in your Search Console … not so sweet
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MANUAL ACTIONSTwo Types: site-wide and partial
Unnatural links pointing to your site
Hacked site
User generated spam in your blog/forum
Thin content with no value
Cloaking/spammy redirects
Hidden text/keyword stuffing
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RECONSIDERATIONAsking Google to review your site after manual penalty (request a review)
A good reconsideration request does THREE THINGS:
Explains the exact quality issue on your site.
Describes the steps you’ve taken to fix the issue.
Documents the outcome of your efforts.
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RANKINGS DROP DUE TO CHANGE IN ALGORITHMHow do you determine which search engine update affected you?
CHECK GOOGLE &Other Analytics
GOOGLE ALGORITHMUpdates History
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STEP
01
STEP
02STEP
03STEP
04STEP
05
Pull BacklinksUse links from WMT and at least one commercial tool.
Audit BacklinksList unnatural links in spreadsheet
Contact InfoUse a tool like URLProfiler to pull email from list of unnatural links
Reach OutAsk to removeRepeat after 10 daysList no responses (provide details!)
DisavowAsk Google not to take low-quality links into account when assessing.
It takes Google some time to process the information you’ve uploaded, (weeks!), these links will continue to be shown in your Search Console.
DISAVOWCleaning up and disavowing links
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Watch your backlinks like you watch your rankings!
RANKINGS DROPWatch, watch, watch
BE PROACTIVE, DON’T WAIT FOR A SLAP DOWN!
Analyze your website’s backlinks and identify what caused your rankings drop.
Once you identify the links, try to remove them.
Disavow the ones you cannot get removed.
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Link BuildingTACTICS
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It is less about what you do and more about where.
Links help get you ranked but clicks show you deserve to be there.
You need to have something worth linking to.
REMEMBER THESE 3 SIMPLE FACTSIn link building
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QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE YOU LINKAnd some tools to help
Does the page rank well?RankRanger AuthorityLabs
Does the site have a varied backlink portfolio?
RavenTools SEOBook Tool Set OSE
Cache date recent?CachedPages (free)
Content relevant to yours?Buzzstream
Inbound links use a wide variety of anchors?
MajesticSEMRushBacklinkWatch (free)
Lots of social signals from several networks?
SendibleBuzzsumo
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Un-Linked Mentions
Citation Building
Resource Pages
Image Gifting
Image Galleries
Content SourcingAuthor Prospects & Curator Mining
Repurposing Content
Link Roundups
LINK BUILDING TACTICS
Reclaiming Broken LinksContent Outreach(on your site & content you
send away)
Content Marketing Tactics: Foundational Tactics:
Credibility Links
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LINK BUILDING TACTICS: CONTENT MARKETING
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Foundational Tactics:
Reclaiming Broken Links
Un-Linked Mentions
Credibility Links
Citation Building
Resource Pages
Image Gifting
LINK BUILDING TACTICS
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Help position you as a brand expert and credible, factual source
Identify your brand in an ever-growing link graph
Puts you on credible/authority sources
Tend not to change
Inexpensive to acquire
Content marketing SHOULD NOT be your only link building strategy!
FOUNDATIONAL LINKS:Links get you ranked but clicks show you deserve to be there
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Tactic twist: 404 pages
FOUNDATIONAL LINK TACTICS: RECLAIMING BROKEN LINKSTools: Citation Labs | Ontolo Tools | Check my Links (Chrome plug-in) | Fix what’s broke
Ontolo Tools:
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Find unlinked mentions of your brand
Contact webmaster
Ask for hyperlink
NOT A BRAND?
Find unlinked keyword phrases (where it makes sense)
Find mentions of out-of-business competitors
FLT: UNLINKED MENTIONSTalkWalker | RankTank TalkWalker
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.
Find #1 site ranking for your keywords
Copy their name, address and telephone number
Search using quotes
Results are potential sites you can add your information to.
“excel spreadsheet” + citation building
Use competitors to find sources to add your site to
WhiteSpark
TIP
FOUNDATIONAL LINK TACTIC: CITATION BUILDINGTools: WhiteSpark (Mentions of a business by name, address & telephone number)
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Establish trust signals:
FOUNDATIONAL LINK TACTIC: CREDIBILITY LINKSEstablish trust, set expertise
Chamber of Commerce
Industry Associations
Better Business Bureau
Wikipedia*
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Your keyword in url: LINKS
Your keyword in url: RESOURCES
“USEFUL LINKS” your keyword
“HELPFUL LINKS” your keyword
FLT: RESOURCE PAGESFind opportunities on academic & government outlets
Tool: SoloSEO (no charge) use ‘recommended” function
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Search for blog posts and magazine articles using your keywords.
Offer photo at no charge
Own the photo!
FOUNDATIONAL LINK TACTICS: IMAGE GIFTINGGiving the gift of an image to an article that needs it
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Fun images help sell content
Creates memorable content
Stimulates linking!
FLT: IMAGE GOOD, CINEMAGRAPHS BETTER Also known as a .gif
Make your own http://makeagif.com/
Backlink topical gif’s found in directories:http://giphy.com/search/gif-directory
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LINK BUILDING TACTICS: USING CONTENT
Content Outreach (on your site & content you send away)
Image Galleries
Content SourcingAuthor Prospects & Curator Mining
Link Roundups
Repurposing Content
Content Marketing Tactics
Repurposing Content
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Do not over use keyword anchors in posts/articles/biosHyperlink conversationally.
Avoid blog networks.
Do not partner with a blog/site not using social media (especially Google Plus and Twitter)
Do not partner with a blog/site that does not have an active About Us page.
BEST PRACTICE: USING CONTENT TO ATTRACT LINKSDon’t over do the anchors
L
I
N
K
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WHAT IS HOT IN CONTENT OUTREACH?Know what your audience wants to read & where they are reading it
LISTS VIDEOINFOGRAPHICS SURVEYSROUNDUPSPRODUCTReviews
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Written reviews with images are most frequently linked to(the longer the better)
Keep best reviews on your site, promote from there, unless…
Issue press release for substantial reviews
Target social networks for distribution
Bundle reviews into ebooks with email paywall
Reviews dominate on YouTube
CONTENT TACTIC: PRODUCT REVIEWS YOU CREATEHighly sought after written & video content, taps factual
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Search for older reviews
Back link, look for sources
Offer your “newer” review as a source, or
Write a comparison piece
CONTENT TACTIC: PRODUCT REVIEWS BY OTHERSUse what other people have written to gain links
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SEARCH FOR:Daily Link Roundup + keyword
Link Roundup + keywordWeekly Link Roundup +
keyword
Identify blogs/sites in your niche doing roundups, contact the owner and show your very best content
Set an alert and let roundups come to you
LINK ROUNDUPSA collection of favorite posts from around the web
Ask to have your content included in the roundup
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LINK ROUNDUPS
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CONTENT TACTIC: IMAGE GALLERIESLet news media & publishers know. Conceptual, factual, & historical images
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CONTENT TACTIC: FLICKR GALLERIESUse Flickr to find images to backlink, or host your image gallery
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CONTENT TACTIC: RECLAIMING IMAGESAsking webmasters to link to images they “borrow”
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CONTENT TACTIC: CURATOR MININGGet your content added to curation outlet, use to find new sources
Paper.li“paper.li + keyword”
Rebel Mouse“rebelmouse + kw”
FlipBoard“flipboard + kw”
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CONTENT TACTIC: USING PINTERESTLook for sources to host your content, look for writers, get yourself pinned
47%RECOMMENDED
RATE
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Tool Tip: https://drive.google.com/templates
CONTENT TACTIC: AUTHOR PROSPECTINGFind the writers, find the sources, hire them to write for you
FREELANCEWRITER
+ KeywordEDITOR
+ KeywordCONTRIBUTOR
+ KeywordCOLUMNIST + Keyword
GUIDE + Keyword
WRITER+ Keyword
AUTHOR+ Keyword
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CONTENT TACTIC: TRANSLATING CONTENTTranslate or add subtitles to audio/visual content, promote on media/social networks, look for “multicultural” and “international”
WEBINAR PODCAST VIDEO
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In-depth article with images. Evergreen piece.
PRODUCT REVIEW Create presentation on
each section, add to SlideShare.
PRESENTATION SOCIAL MEDIA SNIPPETS
Each blog post covers a section of
the review.
MULTIPLE BLOG POSTS Create infographic
using steps in product review
INFOGRAPHICExtended G+ posts, Tweet
series, posts on FB
CONTENT TACTIC: REPURPOSING CONTENTReach wider audience, attract links, drive more traffic, avoids duplicate content issues
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LightningROUND
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Keep the key components of link popularity in mind when building links.
Don’t scrimp on a copywriter.
Make sure your links sit on mobile friendly sites/pages.
Invest in SEO/link tools after using free trials.
Create evergreen content that has been personalized for your target audience.
Add email capture to everything, look into “content for a tweet”.
Create “Knowledge Vault” quality content, Rank Brain.
Site uses nofollow but the link is worth having? Point it to your social profiles for traffic.
LIGHTNING ROUND: INSIGHTS 2015
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Contests, sponsorships, scholarships, etc – all good ideas but one-off, time sensitive tactics.
Follow key media on Twitter and LinkedIn. Engage!
Fax press releases directly to media, forget the press release submission outlets.
Local media outlets love, love, love interviews.
Media doesn’t link out except when they have to. Images are that exception.
HARO (Help A Reporter Out) great resource but be quick! <3 hours
HARO not the only site of its kind, do “similar” search
LIGHTNING ROUNDGood tips
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Keep an eye on the sites ranking behind you.
Yes, that’s right, behind you.
They are the webmasters looking to unseat you, they want your spot in the serps.
Watch what they are doing, follow on social media.
Load their domain/brand names in your alert services.
LIGHTNING ROUNDMy best tips
#SMX #14D @Matt_SiltalaMATT SILTALAAvalaunch Media
Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.
THANK YOU! - HENRY FORD
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https://www.netmarketshare.com/search-engine-market-share.aspx?qprid=4&qpcustomd=0
http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2007/03/get-more-complete-picture-about-how.html
http://www.bing.com/webmaster/help/webmaster-guidelines-30fba23a
http://arxiv.org/pdf/1502.03519v1.pdf
http://makeagif.com/
http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2014/03/pinterest-encourages-shoppers-with-new-gift-feed.html
http://expandedramblings.com/index.php/flickr-stats/
RESOURCES