ReportWire

Tag: Link Building

  • How to Get the Most Out of Your Link-Building Efforts | Entrepreneur

    How to Get the Most Out of Your Link-Building Efforts | Entrepreneur

    [ad_1]

    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Five years from now, 94% of marketers think that links will continue to be a ranking factor in Google algorithms.

    However, many companies offering link-building services engage in questionable practices, such as selling links from manipulated or low-quality websites. These links can not only fail to provide value but may also harm the website receiving them. Therefore, it’s essential to exercise caution when hiring an external partner for link building.

    So, here are a few key tips to help SaaS businesses get the maximum from their link-building efforts.

    Related: 10 Powerful Link-Building Tactics for Boosting Your Website’s SEO

    1. Take metrics with a grain of salt

    It’s crucial to approach metrics with skepticism. Website owners often inflate numbers like Domain Rating (DR). You might see a DR of 70, but in reality, the website holds little to no authority in Google’s eyes. Of course, that’s not always the case. In reality, Domain Rating correlates with higher rankings

    While metrics can be useful, especially when sorting through large lists of websites, don’t rely on them alone. Always look deeper into the site’s real quality.

    2. Organic traffic for real keywords is key

    Pay attention to the keywords a website ranks for. Ideally, the site you’re getting backlinks from should have organic traffic, which shows Google values it. More importantly, the traffic should come from relevant, industry-specific keywords. Some sites may rank for irrelevant terms like “celebrity news” despite being in a completely different niche — or worse, they may use fake traffic. Always ensure the keywords are a good fit for your business.

    3. Get links from real businesses

    The best way to determine if a website is worth getting a backlink from is to see if it’s a real business. Many sites exist solely to sell links and are often just link farms. Focus on acquiring links from legitimate businesses, as these are the ones that offer the most value.

    4. Use internal links

    Let’s face it — quality link building is hard. And if you find it hard to get backlinks to your service or landing pages, start by linking to your blog posts instead. Then, use internal linking across your site to ensure link equity flows throughout your pages. Without proper internal linking, you won’t fully benefit from the backlinks you’re building.

    Related: Top 8 Backlink Strategies to Boost Your Traffic

    5. Prioritize links to target pages

    When building backlinks, your main focus should be on your money-making pages. Links to these pages are critical. If you’re working with an agency, ensure they are targeting specific commercial pages. Even if you’re only getting a couple of links per page per month, if they’re targeted, it’s highly effective.

    6. Optimize anchors

    Anchor text optimization is essential. From my experience, optimized anchor texts perform very well. If you’re hiring an agency, send them a list of preferred anchor texts along with your target pages, so they can focus on both elements.

    7. Focus on do-follow links

    There’s ongoing debate about the impact of no-follow links on rankings. While no-follow links have some influence, it’s hard to quantify. Based on my observations, they seem to be about 30-50% as effective as do-follow links. In a LinkedIn poll I conducted, 43% of participants believed no-follow links were 25% or less effective than do-follow. However, keep in mind that many respondents may not have had enough experience, so their opinions are just that — opinions.

    8. Get listed on the top of listicle posts

    There are countless “comparison” and “alternatives” pages for popular tools, generating significant search volumes. For instance, searches like “Canva alternatives” are common. If your product is in a competitive niche, you want to be featured as the number one option on these pages created by bloggers and websites. Not only will you gain valuable backlinks, but you’ll also get more clicks and recommendations as the top alternative, greatly boosting your link-building efforts.

    This also creates a snowball effect. Future writers and bloggers working on alternatives for that specific tool will often reference existing lists. When they see your product featured prominently, they’re more likely to include it in their own lists, further amplifying your exposure and link-building efforts.

    9. Outsource to the right company

    According to some research, 56% of SaaS marketing departments utilize a combination of in-house and outsourced staff to reach their marketing objectives.

    When selecting a company, make sure they specialize in link building for SaaS and deliver high-quality work, as word of mouth and testimonials can be very effective indicators of their reliability.

    Related: How to Shake Up a Stale Link Building Strategy

    In summary, while links remain vital for SEO, it’s crucial to prioritize quality over quantity. Focus on securing high-quality backlinks that directly target your key pages, using optimized anchor texts to make a meaningful impact. Your link-building strategy should align with your overall branding strategy to maximize effectiveness. By being selective and strategic in your approach, you can build a robust link profile that genuinely enhances your SaaS business’s online presence.

    [ad_2]

    Georgi Todorov

    Source link

  • Fintech GIPL merges with North East Small Finance Bank, gets CCI nod

    Fintech GIPL merges with North East Small Finance Bank, gets CCI nod

    [ad_1]

    The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the merger of Garagepreneurs Internet Private Limited (GIPL), a fintech, with the North East Small Finance Bank (NESFB).

    The proposed transaction comprises the merger of a financial technology company, GIPL (including Quadrillion Finance Private Limited (QFPL) (an NBFC-SI-ICC) and Intergalactory Foundry Private Limited (IFPL)) with North-East Small Finance Bank Limited (NESFB) (including RGVN (North-East) Microfinance Limited (RGVN)).

    GIPL operates under the brand name “slice” and focuses on facilitating payments and credit products through digital means in India. 

    GIPL primarily focuses on enabling underbanked customers to access financial services through affordable and transparent cost solutions and structures.

    NESFB is a private sector small finance bank (SFB) headquartered in Guwahati, Assam. It has branches in the North Eastern states (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, and Sikkim) and West Bengal.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Is Your Website's Traffic Plummeting? Stop Making This Toxic SEO Mistake — And Do This Instead. | Entrepreneur

    Is Your Website's Traffic Plummeting? Stop Making This Toxic SEO Mistake — And Do This Instead. | Entrepreneur

    [ad_1]

    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Have you noticed your site’s organic traffic has plummeted over the past few years? This may have been caused by evidence of spammy link-building practices finding their way into your SEO work.

    Google’s link spam update was rolled out in December 2022, supported by the AI algorithm SpamBrain. This update is intended to combat spam and improve the browsing experience for anyone using the search engine. Successful marketers need to be aware of its effects to maintain a squeaky-clean backlink profile that helps, rather than hurts, their site’s organic visibility.

    In this post, I’ll take a closer look at what SpamBrain is, its effects on SEO and three of the most effective strategies for aligning your link-building strategy with this element of Google’s ranking algorithm.

    Related: How to Shake Up a Stale Link-Building Strategy

    What is SpamBrain?

    SpamBrain is an AI-based algorithm made by Google to identify poor-quality spam content and make it less visible in Google search results. Though it was first launched in 2018, Google only acknowledged it publicly as part of the company’s 2021 Webspam Report, suggesting that it’s become a larger part of Google’s ranking system over time.

    Google’s 2022 link spam update was rolled out to identify and neutralize backlinks that come from low-quality, spammy sources, preventing webmasters from artificially inflating their rankings.

    What does SpamBrain mean for SEO and marketers?

    The link spam roll-out caused a lot of websites’ rankings to plummet. These were websites with backlink profiles characterized by spammy link-building practices that Google has consistently warned against, including:

    • Buying links to artificially inflate a website’s rankings.
    • Excessive link exchanges between one website and another.
    • Using spammy, low-quality directories and “link farms” that provide no value to the end user.
    • Link building through forum comments with spammy, over-optimized anchor text.
    • Excessive distribution of links in widgets, footers, etc.
    • Using automation to generate links with no concern about relevance or context.

    If you noticed a drop in rankings or organic traffic following the December update, it’s possible this was caused by evidence of spammy link-building practices that have made it into your backlink profile.

    As Google’s algorithm updates become more focused on delivering the best possible user experience and more adept at identifying backlinks that go against its policies, it’s essential for SEOs and webmasters to consciously build links that avoid spammy practices and run a tight ship when reviewing the state of their link profiles.

    Related: 19 Sure-Fire Subject Line Formulas for Link-Building Emails

    Three link-building strategies to avoid being penalized by SpamBrain

    Now that you have an understanding of what SpamBrain is and its function in Google’s algorithm, here are three crucial link-building strategies you can use to maintain a healthy backlink profile, maximize the value of your link-building campaigns, and avoid getting penalized by Google’s link spam policies.

    1. Regularly audit your backlink profile

    It can be easy to let backlink profile audits fall by the wayside as part of your routine SEO work, especially if you’ve been investing in organic marketing for some time and your backlink profile is already large and diverse. However, this is an essential step towards ensuring your campaigns operate within Google’s policies and not putting your rankings at risk of penalization.

    Block off some regular time in your calendar to analyze your site’s backlinks, checking for any signs of poor-quality, spammy links that can be flagged for removal. This should include links with low-quality or irrelevant referring domains or those that use unnatural, over-optimized anchor texts. While using Google’s disavow tool will ensure that spammy referring domains won’t affect your rankings in the future, it’s important to exercise caution before entering a huge list of domains for disavowal.

    Occasionally, you might come across a link with spammy or irrelevant anchor text resulting from poor-quality past SEO work but it exists on a quality domain that could be a major asset to your SEO. In these cases, it’s better to disavow specific referring pages or ask webmasters to remove the links manually.

    2. Review link-building practices

    To ensure that you’re not going to be affected by link spam in the future, it’s a good idea to set clear link-building policies that you or your staff can follow when executing a link-building campaign. This will ensure new backlinks meet a certain quality threshold and don’t run the risk of creating a spammy backlink profile.

    Some of the things you might want to set policies about for a robust link-building SOP include:

    • Minimum domain authority.
    • Pointers for ensuring your content is relevant, high-quality, and authoritative in line with Google’s EEAT guidelines.
    • Approved anchor text.
    • Strategies and examples for framing backlinks in the content.

    By going into each link-building campaign with a set of firm anti-spam policies, you’ll eliminate the risk of spammy practices being flagged by Google as you build your backlink profile.

    Related: How To Maximize the Number of Linkable Assets on Your Website

    3. Commit to high-quality content

    Remember that the ultimate aim of SpamBrain and every Google algorithm update is to improve the experience for anyone who uses Google. They want to keep their users loyal, which means serving up the content that’s most relevant to their search queries.

    One of the most effective things you can do to ensure your link-building stays on the right side of Google’s spam policies is to keep an ironclad commitment to high-quality content. This is important for your linkable assets and the content that will serve as referring URLs in your campaigns.

    This means creating content that provides tangible value to its target audience, demonstrates a high level of expertise in the subject matter, and is written for a human audience rather than in a style that’s intended to artificially “game” a search algorithm.

    Though it’s not always easy, maintaining a high content standard in all aspects of your link building will prevent spammy practices from seeping into your backlink profile and will set you up for future success with Google’s user-focused algorithms.

    [ad_2]

    Jeff Peroutka

    Source link

  • 10 Powerful Link-Building Tactics for Boosting Your Website's SEO | Entrepreneur

    10 Powerful Link-Building Tactics for Boosting Your Website's SEO | Entrepreneur

    [ad_1]

    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Link building is an essential cornerstone of any solid SEO strategy, and with Google’s continued trend towards machine learning in its algorithms and rewarding sites that display relevance, quality, and authority, building a healthy link profile is harder than ever.

    In this post, we’ll look at 10 of the most powerful link-building tactics you can use to build a quality backlink profile and start climbing your target SERPs.

    Related: Why Is Link Building So Controversial?

    Guest blogging

    Guest blogging is the classic go-to for link-building tactics for one simple reason: it works!

    This tactic involves contacting blogs and online news sources in your niche and pitching the site owners’ content outlines. If they accept and like your content, you can link back to your target website either as part of an author bio or within the body of the content.

    There are a few better ways to ensure your backlink’s referring page has the kind of topical relevance that Google loves to see. It’s also a great way of demonstrating your expertise to your target audience in the process. Just be sure to cast a wide net with your blog outreach, and don’t just stick to sites that explicitly call for submissions.

    Leverage your existing network

    Leveraging your existing network is one of the easiest link-building tactics out there, yet it’s unfortunately neglected by many SEOs.

    If you’ve spent a long time in your industry, you’ve likely built a rich network of ex-colleagues, partners or other contacts. These people may be able to authorize organic dofollow backlinks on their site and will already be familiar with your level of expertise in a particular topic.

    Ask around and see if your network can throw some relevant links your way.

    Register on business directories

    Directories are a controversial subject in the modern SEO community. However, considering how cheap and easy it is to acquire these kinds of links, there’s very little downside to finding directories with a clear relation to your niche and getting listed with a link to your site.

    If you choose your referring domains wisely and look for a high degree of relevance for both the directory site as a whole and the businesses that are listed on it, you’ll be able to build a high volume of valuable links in a very short space of time.

    This can be a particularly useful link-building tactic for local brick-and-mortar businesses looking to optimize for localized keywords, such as “florists in Honolulu.”

    Related: 19 Sure-Fire Subject Line Formulas for Link-Building Emails

    Broken link building

    Another big one among low-cost, low-effort link-building tactics, broken link building is a great way to build links at scale for those embarking on a new SEO campaign.

    This tactic involves finding broken links (pointing to a dead page) on websites that have a topical relationship to your business and reaching out to webmasters, suggesting that they amend the link to point to one of your resources.

    The referring webmasters get to improve their user experience, and you get a powerful new link!

    Unlinked mentions

    Link-building through unlinked mentions is one of the more attractive link-building tactics because it doesn’t involve creating fresh external content to act as a referring page.

    In this strategy, you simply find mentions of your brand name on external sites, then reach out to the webmasters and ask them to link their mention of your business. As they’re already familiar with you and are happy to mention you as an authority in your industry, you’re likely to have a high success rate.

    Competitor link building

    Competitor link building involves analyzing your competitors’ backlink profiles to determine which kind of content is most likely to garner high-quality links within your topic focus.

    Using a backlinks analytics tool, you’ll be able to see whether your competitors get the lion’s share of their links to infographics, ultimate guides, tutorials or other kinds of content, and also discover the actual focus of the content.

    You can use this research to inform your own content calendar and maximize the chances of attracting quality, organic links from similar referring domains.

    Related: 6 Elements Your Link-Building Campaign Must Include

    Repurposing content

    Think about your site’s MVP — that one piece of content that gets a huge proportion of all the traffic and shares and has kept on proving its value long after it was first published.

    If it’s done well in its current format, it will likely see the same success in other formats, such as a video or infographic.

    Though it’s one of the higher-effort link-building tactics on this list, repurposing content can pay dividends by building on your stock of evergreen content and offering plenty of long-term value.

    Redirect links pointing to inferior content

    During your research for SEO drives, you’ve probably come across pieces of competitor content that have a ton of quality backlinks despite the content being fairly mediocre.

    If you’ve got a page on your site that you know blows a certain competitor out of the water, then you may be able to acquire new, powerful backlinks by reaching out to the referring domain authors and suggesting they link to your content instead.

    Considered one of the “gray hat” link-building tactics, redirecting competitor backlinks will not only help your visibility but could decrease your competitors’ in your target SERPs.

    Forum link building

    Forums and similar sites are often associated with spammy, low-quality link-building tactics. However, they can be fantastic referring domains for links to content and resources that are relevant to the conversation and useful to the site users participating in these communities.

    One of the best link-building tactics for sites with a rich library of authoritative content, this strategy involves looking for discussions about your business niche on sites like Reddit or Quora, offering some useful input, and linking to your content as a reference.

    Social media link building

    Social media can be a hugely effective tool in your link-building arsenal, enabling you to become a more visible authority and develop a strong network of content creators who are likely to cite you as an authority.

    Some of the most effective social media link-building tactics include using popular hashtags when sharing content to get your online assets in front of journalists and bloggers, following journalists in your niche to look for interview and citation opportunities, and actively participating in industry discussions to get your brand in front of potential linkers.

    [ad_2]

    Jeff Peroutka

    Source link

  • The Top 12 Myths of Affiliate Marketing | Entrepreneur

    The Top 12 Myths of Affiliate Marketing | Entrepreneur

    [ad_1]

    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Affiliate marketing is a popular strategy businesses use to drive sales and grow their brand. Although it’s one of the most popular marketing tools in the booming creator economy, some misconceptions about using affiliate links can prevent bloggers from benefiting from them.

    1. Affiliate marketing is dead

    Statista shows that from 2010-2022, U.S. affiliate marketing spending has steadily increased, reaching $8.2 billion in 2022. Clearly, this channel is not only not dead but also thriving. These days, over 80% of brands run affiliate programs, with 16% of online orders attributed to affiliate marketing.

    Affiliate marketing drives sales and is used by anyone from media companies, such as Business Insider and The New York Times, to smaller startups and brands that use it through referral programs.

    2. It’s too much work

    Modern tools make creating an affiliate link easy. Bloggers can start posting affiliate links and earn money from them on day one.

    Popular programs include Amazon Associates, ShareASale and Commission Junction. The idea is to connect customers with brands through relevant content and tools by posting affiliate links that generate sales.

    Related: How to Start Your First Affiliate Marketing Campaign

    3. It’s passive, low-effort income

    While some believe affiliate marketing is too much work, others mistakenly believe it takes virtually no work. Although implementing these links is indeed easy, bloggers need to work on their content, presence, and credibility and attract followers to generate sales and make money with affiliate marketing.

    Influencers must be mindful of conversions since they are paid by actions. This means that more active calls-to-action, more selling content and more creative product presentation will be needed.

    4. Size matters

    A common misconception is that only influencers with a big audience can benefit from affiliate marketing. The truth is that conversions play a bigger role than audience size.

    Not only do micro-influencers (those with 1,000-100,000 followers) perform at least 90% of successful influencer marketing, 90% of brands actively want to work with them through affiliate strategies. Because of their smaller followings and high engagement rates, micro-influencers are often seen as a cost-effective way for brands to reach targeted audiences and drive sales.

    5. Affiliate marketing blocks other income streams

    Earning through affiliate programs does not prevent bloggers from entering into direct contracts with brands, but it does help them attract the attention of companies they’d want to work with.

    Additionally, affiliate marketing often becomes a stepping stone to working more closely with the brand. Active blogger partners always have an advantage when selecting brands for the partnership since they have the results and audience data to back up their “influencer” status.

    Related: How To Start Affiliate Marketing with No Money in 2023

    6. “My audience is too niche”

    Believe it or not, a niche is often good for affiliate marketing.

    Remember, you can’t be successful if you’re trying to appeal to everybody. Having a specific niche is good because it gives you a clearly defined audience with reliable preferences, tastes and buying habits. Brands know these things, so if your niche has gained interest from fans, it can earn interest from brands, too.

    7. Brands only care about sales

    Sales are no longer the only available form of brand partnership. Brands are willing to collaborate with other targeted actions that generate awareness and credibility, such as starting a trial period, installing a mobile app or requesting a free consultation.

    These alternative forms of action are suitable even for bloggers who are particularly sensitive about maintaining their audience’s trust and wish to foster a relaxed atmosphere.

    8. It’s not a viable long-term plan

    Long-term partnerships are common in affiliate marketing because both parties benefit from sustained collaboration: You get to know the audience better, so your offerings are more relevant, and the audience builds trust in you and the brand.

    Cultivating a relationship with the audience and building trust allows marketing expansion to include content like online courses, software and other digital products.

    9. It’s too late to get started

    The misconception is that there is too much competition in affiliate marketing. However, with new companies emerging each year, the range of advertisers to promote is constantly expanding. Blogs that provide value will always stand out and have access to profitable brand partnerships.

    Related: 8 Things I Wish I’d Known Before Starting Affiliate Marketing

    10. It’s just advertising

    When Forbes surveyed millennials, 84% said they hate advertising, so equating affiliate marketing to advertising can make it seem unappealing.

    However, as an affiliate, you only recommend products you have personally tried and liked while providing valuable content to your audience. Your readers will appreciate your tips and personal experience because they don’t want to spend their time and money experimenting. Affiliate marketing provides a more authentic and unique approach to promoting products.

    11. You need a blog to be an affiliate

    To sign up for affiliate marketing programs, you just need a following somewhere that will see and click your custom links. Having a community is much more important than being on a specific platform.

    For example, beauty influencers often promote brands through sponsored content on their social media platforms by creating makeup tutorials and including affiliate links to their websites in the description box of their videos.

    12. Affiliate marketing is expensive

    Affiliate marketing is the least costly way to monetize a blog on any social media platform. You can create a website for free and maintain a following using tools that social networks provide. For example, banners, plugins and CPA tools are usually accessible for free within affiliate marketing platforms.

    While it is true that you will need to invest time and potentially some money to market your blog, it is no more expensive than monetizing through any other available tool on the market if you plan to make it a full-time job and earn a substantial income.

    [ad_2]

    Ksana Liapkova

    Source link