Link building Dos and Don'ts

Post on 09-May-2015

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My presentation from SMX Stockholm, 2012. My 'link building dos and don'ts' focus on some of the lessons I've learn't in the past whilst working for a variety of brands in competitive spaces.

transcript

LINK BUILDING DOS AND DONTS

Jon Quinton

SEOgadget.co.uk

@jonquinton1

jon@seogadget.co.uk

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WEBMASTER TOOLS LINK WARNINGS

@jonquinton1

The webmaster tools unnatural link warnings signified the start of a major shift in link building.

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WHAT DID PENGUIN LOOK LIKE?

Large Drop in Organic Visibility

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http://www.searchmetrics.com

Understanding what an algorithm update looks like is key.

Analysing SearchMetrics and Google Analytics data should show if a site has been hit.

#1 – DON’T LINK BUILD BLIND

#1 – DO LEARN TO ANALYSE

YOUR LINK PROFILE

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ASSESS YOUR QUALITY DISTRIBUTION

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THIS IS WHAT ‘GOOD’ TENDS TO LOOK LIKE…

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GATHER AND COMBINE DATA

Use OSE, Majestic and Webmaster Tools

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DE-DUPE YOUR LIST

Once combined, de-dupe by ‘URL’ and remove metrics that are not required

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SEPARATE DOMAINS

=IFERROR(MID(A2,8,FIND("/",A2,8)-8),MID(A2,8,LEN(A2)))

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Page level metrics don’t always give you the fairest representation of a website

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USE SEOTOOLS FOR EXCEL TO PULL IN DOMAIN PR

Ensure that you work in a new tab with a de-duped list of domains. Paste as values once finished!

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ARE MY LINKS STILL LIVE?

Use Screaming Frog SEO spider in ‘list mode’ and configure a custom filter to

search for your domain in the source code of each URL

@jonquinton1

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#2 – DON’T BELIEVE EVERYTHING

YOU READ

#2 – DO TEST IT INSTEAD

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WILL GOOGLE REALLY DEVALUE INFOGRAPHIC LINKS?

http://www.stonetemple.com/matt-cutts-and-eric-talk-about-what-makes-a-quality-site/

@jonquinton1

Often times industry gossip can blow things way out of proportion. Experience and testing

breeds confidence and a true sense of reality.

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MAYBE THE WORD ‘INFOGRAPHIC’ IS MISSING THE

POINT… http://everytimezone.com

2,780 links from

752 domains

5,654 tweets

No matter how the algorithm changes; high quality useful content that serves a purpose

will always deserve to rank

@jonquinton1

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BUILD YOUR OWN SITES

If you’re spending time contacting other websites

you too should learn what it feels like to be approached by link thirsty SEO’s

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UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT OF LINKS

What happens when you remove low quality links?

If you’ve never seen the impact, build a site and find out first hand

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#3 – DON’T GET BORED

#3 – DO TRY DIFFERENT THINGS

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TRIAL YOUR IDEAS – DOESN’T MATTER HOW CRAZY THEY

MIGHT BE

View feedback, profile facts, test results and previous assignments. Please note; self

assessed English scores and test results are two VERY different things.

http://ontolo.com/blog/5-steps-assembling-all-star-link-building-team-odesk

@jonquinton1

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THE FREELANCER’S PROCESS

Contact List Provided

Email Template All

Communication Via Gmail

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Could I find a freelancer who could follow step by step instructions?

The aim was to leave as little room for error as possible.

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RESULT: AN INBOX FULL OF INTERESTED BLOGGERS

Response rate was c. 20%

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#4 – DON’T FORGET YOUR

PRODUCT

#4 – DO LOOK FOR WAYS TO BE

THE BEST

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WHY WOULD ANYONE LINK TO THIS?

With some creative thinking, even the most boring industries can be made fun or ‘link worthy’

3 Linking Root Domains

4 ‘Likes’

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BUT WHAT ABOUT THIS?

That’s better!

106 Linking Root Domains

1186 ‘Likes’

Solution: Build a website that caters for ‘dream jobs’ only

http://monstercooljobs.com

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Live Q&A, video content, incredible images – all serve the user with the best experience

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http://www.theverge.com/2012/3/14/2870533/ipad-review

338 Linking Root Domains

1,100 Likes

1260 Tweets

#5 – DON’T ASSUME PEOPLE ARE

INTERESTED

#5 – DO FIND AND TALK TO

INFLUENCERS

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LOOKING FOR PEOPLE WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED?

That’s 1419 guitar teachers that I can contact about my content.

Scrape this list with Google Docs and you’re onto a winner.

@jonquinton1

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READY TO WONK??

https://seogadget.co.uk/googlewonk/

@jonquinton1

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PLUS A LITTLE BIT OF STALKING TOO

http://www.techradar.com/author?searchTerm=Scott%20Nichols

http://gamerlymusings.wordpress.com/about/

@jonquinton1

Far too many people give up when contact details are not readily available.

5 minutes worth of digging around is often all you need to go beyond what most other SEOs.

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PULL COMPETITORS BACKLINKS AND FIND CONTACT

DETAILS

https://seogadget.co.uk/mozscape-api-extension-for-excel/

@jonquinton1

If you can’t find a tool that does the job, why not build something yourself?

It might just give you the advantage.

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Contact On Launch

Phase Two: On topic

guest posts

Phase Three: Promote

design work

Twitter List – Jumping

on opportunities

Having a solid contact base at the core of any campaign is crucial for success.

It’s also a great way to stay inspired when you need to give things another push.

1. Don’t Link Build Blind

2. Don’t Believe Everything You Read

3. Don’t Get Bored

4. Don’t Forget Your Product

5. Don’t Assume Anyone’s Interested

TACK!!

Jon Quinton

SEOgadget.co.uk

jon@seogadget.co.uk

@jonquinton1