Would You Still Want This Link If Google Didn't Exist?

In this session from The Digital PR Summit 2024, James takes an open and honest look at the importance of the relevance of links as part of your SEO and digital PR strategy.

Transcript

1. WOULD YOU STILL WANT THIS LINK IF GOOGLE DIDN'T EXIST? James Brockbank, Digitaloft
2. TODAY, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: 1. WHY RELEVANCE MATTERS IN DPR. 3. RELEVANCE & E-E-A-T. 4. HOW TO RETHINK RELEVANCE. 2. WHAT RELEVANCE LOOKS LIKE.
3. Are You Playing to Play, or Are You Playing to Win?
4. Are You Playing to Play, or Are You Playing to Win? Make sure you’re playing the real game, not some more complicated game you’ve made up for yourself. - Lesley Sim https://commoncog.com/playing-to-play-playing-to-win/
5. Do we overcomplicate what impactful links look like?
6. Relevancy is the hottest topic in digital PR that no one can agree on.
7. LOTS OF QUESTIONS. LOTS OF OPINIONS. DOES THE RELEVANCY OF LINKS REALLY MATTER? AT WHAT POINT DOES A STORY STOP BEING RELEVANT? DOES RELEVANCE MEAN THE SAME THING IN EVERY INDUSTRY? WILL LINKS THAT AREN’T REALLY RELEVANT HARM A SITE’S RANKINGS? CAN YOU BE SO RELEVANT THAT THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH JOURNALISTS INTERESTED IN COVERING A STORY? IS THERE A SWEET SPOT BETWEEN RELEVANCY AND REACH POTENTIAL? RELEVANCY MEANS TOPICS THAT CLOSELY ALIGN WITH WHAT THE BUSINESS SELLS OR OFFERS. CREATE THE CONTENT YOUR AUDIENCE WANTS TO CONSUME, EVEN IF THAT STEPS AWAY A BIT FROM YOUR CORE OFFERING. RELEVANCY MEANS USING YOUR BRAND’S EXPERTS TO SPEAK ON TOPICS THAT THEY’RE EXPERIENCED IN. RELEVANCY IS ABOUT CREATING CONTENT THAT PEOPLE WANT TO SHARE. RELEVANCY IS ABOUT CREATING CONTENT THAT’S RELEVANT TO NOW. RELEVANCY IS ABOUT PUBLICATIONS IN THE SAME COUNTRY AS THE BRAND.
8. WHAT DOES BEING RELEVANT MEAN?
9. BEING RELEVANT = TOPICAL ALIGNMENT.
10. RELEVANCE IN DIGITAL PR IS ABOUT TELLING STORIES THAT ARE CLOSELY CONNECTED TO THE TOPICS IT MAKES SENSE FOR YOUR BRAND TO TALK ABOUT. TRAVEL BRAND WHERE TO GO WHERE TO STAY WHAT TO DO WHERE TO EAT HOW TO TRAVEL TRAVEL TRENDS
11. WORK HARDER TO INFLUENCE SEO WE CAN PULL TO MAKE DIGITAL PR RELEVANCE IS THE BIGGEST LEVER THAT SUCCESS.
12. WHAT DOES RELEVANCE LOOK LIKE?
13. EXPERT COMMENTS FROM BOXT IN METRO’S ARTICLE ABOUT 5 THINGS YOU MUST DO TO SAVE ON ENERGY BILLS BEFORE YOU TURN YOUR HEATING ON.
14. DATA ON THE UK’S CHRISTMAS CRIME HOTSPOTS BY ADT IN THE MAIL ONLINE ARTICLE ABOUT ‘EX-BURGLAR REVEALS TOP TIPS TO STOP THIEVES FROM TARGETING YOUR HOME’.
15. RECOMMENDATIONS FROM SWIFT DIRECT BLINDS ON WHY ROMAN BLINDS ARE THE PERFECT WAY TO KEEP YOUR HOME WARM AND COSY IN IDEAL HOME’S ARTICLE.
16. EXPERT COMMENTS FROM BLACKS ABOUT WHY RUNNERS SHOULD WEAR A BASELAYER IN THIS GUIDE FROM MEN’S FITNESS.
17. WE SEE TRENDS AMONGST THE MOST RELEVANT PIECES OF PRESS COVERAGE. ✅ Links that point to key commercial pages on the site.
18. WE SEE TRENDS AMONGST THE MOST RELEVANT PIECES OF PRESS COVERAGE. ✅ Links that point to key commercial pages on the site. ✅ Links within content that leverages the brands’ expertise in their key topic areas.
19. WE SEE TRENDS AMONGST THE MOST RELEVANT PIECES OF PRESS COVERAGE. ✅ Links that point to key commercial pages on the site. ✅ Links within content that leverages the brands’ expertise in their key topic areas. ✅ Links that cite campaigns as a source; the ultimate form of editorial link.
20. WE SEE TRENDS AMONGST THE MOST RELEVANT PIECES OF PRESS COVERAGE. ✅ Links that point to key commercial pages on the site. ✅ Links within content that leverages the brands’ expertise in their key topic areas. ✅ Links that cite campaigns as a source; the ultimate form of editorial link. ✅ Links from within content that perfectly aligns with the brands’ key topic areas.
21. WE SEE TRENDS AMONGST THE MOST RELEVANT PIECES OF PRESS COVERAGE. ✅ Links that point to key commercial pages on the site. ✅ Links within content that leverages the brands’ expertise in their key topic areas. ✅ Links that cite campaigns as a source; the ultimate form of editorial link. ✅ Links from within content that perfectly aligns with the brands’ key topic areas. ✅ Links that positions the brands their people as voices of authority.
22. WHY RELEVANCE MATTERS IN DIGITAL PR.
23. LINKS ARE A MEANS TO AN END. LINKS. INCREASED RANKINGS. REFERRAL TRAFFIC. INCREASED ORGANIC TRAFFIC. INCREASED SALES & REVENUE.
24. It’s not the link we want, it’s the outcome.
25. IT DOES NOTHING FOR YOUR REPUTATION IF YOUR BRAND OR PEOPLE ARE COMMENTING ON TOTALLY IRRELEVANT TOPICS.
26. YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND SEED SITES & LINK DISTANCE RANKING & THEIR IMPORTANCE ON THE IMPACT OF LINKS. Google’s “Producing a ranking for pages using distances in a web-link graph” patent makes reference to a set of seed pages and a ranking score that is generated for each page within a set based on the distance of these from the seed pages. The shorter the distance between the seed sites and a webpage, the higher the score.
27. THE ONLY ‘SEED SITES’ WE KNOW ARE THE NEW YORK TIMES & THE (NOW DEFUNCT) GOOGLE DIRECTORY.
28. SEED SITES HAVE THREE COMMON CHARACTERISTICS. RELIABLE & TRUSTWORTHY SITES. HIGH QUALITY WEB PAGES. WELL CONNECTED TO OTHER NON-SEED PAGES (E.G. LOTS OF OUTBOUND LINKS).
29. ANOTHER GOOGLE PATENT BY THE SAME INVENTOR SUGGESTS SEED SITES ARE BROKEN DOWN INTO TOPICS. The ‘Scalable system for determining short paths within web link network‘ patent suggests that the set of seed sites is broken down into shards, and the link distance is calculated within each of these. We can assume that these shards are topics or niches.
30. THE SEED SITES FOR EACH TOPIC ARE LIKELY TO BE THOSE DEEMED TO BE THE MOST AUTHORITATIVE & TRUSTED: TRAVEL. • Lonely Planet • Travel & Leisure • Condé Nast Traveler • AFAR
31. THE SEED SITES FOR EACH TOPIC ARE LIKELY TO BE THOSE DEEMED TO BE THE MOST AUTHORITATIVE & TRUSTED: TRAVEL. FINANCE. • Lonely Planet • Travel & Leisure • Condé Nast Traveler • AFAR • The Wall Street Journal • Fortune • The Economist • Financial Times
32. THE SEED SITES FOR EACH TOPIC ARE LIKELY TO BE THOSE DEEMED TO BE THE MOST AUTHORITATIVE & TRUSTED: TRAVEL. FINANCE. SPORTS. • Lonely Planet • Travel & Leisure • Condé Nast Traveler • AFAR • The Wall Street Journal • Fortune • The Economist • Financial Times • ESPN • The Sporting News • Bleacher Report • CBS Sports
33. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN E-E-A-T & RELEVANCE.
34. EXPERIENCE. EXPERTISE. AUTHORITATIVENESS. TRUSTWORTHINESS. The extent to which the content creator has the necessary first-hand or life experience for the topic. The extent to which the content creator has the necessary knowledge or skill for the topic. The extent to which the content creator or the website is known as a go-to source. The extent to which the page is accurate, honest, safe, and reliable.
35. EXPERIENCE. EXPERTISE. AUTHORITATIVENESS. TRUSTWORTHINESS. The extent to which the content creator has the necessary first-hand or life experience for the topic. The extent to which the content creator has the necessary knowledge or skill for the topic. The extent to which the content creator or the website is known as a go-to source. The extent to which the page is accurate, honest, safe, and reliable.
36. LOWEST E-E-A-T. LACKING E-E-A-T. HIGH E-E-A-T. VERY HIGH E-E-A-T. Pages in this category are often spammy and lack any form of credibility. They fail to provide a positive user experience (UX) and could cause physical, mental, emotional or financial harm to users. This now also includes inaccurate AI content. Pages lacking E-E-A-T aren’t considered to be harmful or to have the potential to cause harm, but they’re those that aren’t created by those with experience or expertise. Pages with a high level of E-E-A-T offer significant amounts of first-hand experience, expertise, credibility, and trustworthiness, but the breakdown of these differs by sector. Pages with very high E-E-A-T are created by people or published on websites that are considered to be a go-to source for a topic.
37. LOWEST E-E-A-T. LACKING E-E-A-T. HIGH E-E-A-T. VERY HIGH E-E-A-T. Pages in this category are often spammy and lack any form of credibility. They fail to provide a positive user experience (UX) and could cause physical, mental, emotional or financial harm to users. This now also includes inaccurate AI content. Pages lacking E-E-A-T aren’t considered to be harmful or to have the potential to cause harm, but they’re those that aren’t created by those with experience or expertise. Pages with a high level of E-E-A-T offer significant amounts of first-hand experience, expertise, credibility, and trustworthiness, but the breakdown of these differs by sector. Pages with very high E-E-A-T are created by people or published on websites that are considered to be a go-to source for a topic.
38. LOWEST E-E-A-T. LACKING E-E-A-T. HIGH E-E-A-T. VERY HIGH E-E-A-T. Pages in this category are often spammy and lack any form of credibility. They fail to provide a positive user experience (UX) and could cause physical, mental, emotional or financial harm to users. This now also includes inaccurate AI content. Pages lacking E-E-A-T aren’t considered to be harmful or to have the potential to cause harm, but they’re those that aren’t created by those with experience or expertise. Pages with a high level of E-E-A-T offer significant amounts of first-hand experience, expertise, credibility, and trustworthiness, but the breakdown of these differs by sector. Pages with very high E-E-A-T are created by people or published on websites that are considered to be a go-to source for a topic.
39. Start thinking about E-E-A-T like your reputation, and it very quickly starts to make a lot more sense… especially when you consider that reputation is one of the main things that influences trust. After all, you’re far more likely to trust a person or brand with a great reputation, right? “ ” E-E-A-T = YOUR REPUTATION.
40. Page 27, Google Quality Rater Guidelines: https://static.googleusercontent.com/media/guidelines.raterhub.com/en//searchqualityevaluatorguidelines.pdf
41. Page 27, Google Quality Rater Guidelines: https://static.googleusercontent.com/media/guidelines.raterhub.com/en//searchqualityevaluatorguidelines.pdf CONTENT.
42. Page 27, Google Quality Rater Guidelines: https://static.googleusercontent.com/media/guidelines.raterhub.com/en//searchqualityevaluatorguidelines.pdf CONTENT. AUTHOR.
43. Page 27, Google Quality Rater Guidelines: https://static.googleusercontent.com/media/guidelines.raterhub.com/en//searchqualityevaluatorguidelines.pdf CONTENT. AUTHOR. BRAND.
44. Page 27, Google Quality Rater Guidelines: https://static.googleusercontent.com/media/guidelines.raterhub.com/en//searchqualityevaluatorguidelines.pdf CONTENT. AUTHOR. BRAND. ON-PAGE.
45. Page 27, Google Quality Rater Guidelines: https://static.googleusercontent.com/media/guidelines.raterhub.com/en//searchqualityevaluatorguidelines.pdf CONTENT. AUTHOR. BRAND. ON-PAGE. OFF-PAGE.
46. ON-PAGE SIGNALS. OFF-PAGE SIGNALS.
47. ON-PAGE SIGNALS. OFF-PAGE SIGNALS. • The things a business or person says about themselves. • Things that are demonstrated on the website. • Things that are mostly in your control.
48. ON-PAGE SIGNALS. OFF-PAGE SIGNALS. • The things a business or person says about themselves. • Things that are demonstrated on the website. • Things that are mostly in your control. • The things that other people say about a business or person. • Things that are demonstrated on other websites or places. • You can influence, but mostly out of your full control.
49. ON-PAGE SIGNALS. OFF-PAGE SIGNALS. • The things a business or person says about themselves. • Things that are demonstrated on the website. • Things that are mostly in your control. • The things that other people say about a business or person. • Things that are demonstrated on other websites or places. • You can influence, but mostly out of your full control. Digital PR.
50. RETHINKING RELEVANCE.
51. WE PLACE TOO MUCH EMPHASIS ON SEO METRICS: DOMAIN AUTHORITY.. DOMAIN RATING.. AUTHORITY SCORE.. TRUST FLOW.. FOLLOW. NOFOLLOW. SYNDICATED. AFFILIATE. Link Metrics. Link Types.
52. Do we overcomplicate what impactful links look like?
53. IF GOOGLE DIDN’T EXIST? WOULD YOU STILL WANT THIS LINK
54. DIGITAL PR IS ABOUT SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST LINKS.
55. DIGITAL PR IS ABOUT SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST LINKS. 1. REFERRAL TRAFFIC.
56. DIGITAL PR IS ABOUT SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST LINKS. 1. REFERRAL TRAFFIC. 2. INCREASED BRAND AWARENESS.
57. DIGITAL PR IS ABOUT SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST LINKS. 1. REFERRAL TRAFFIC. 3. ASSOCIATION WITH PUBLICATIONS. 2. INCREASED BRAND AWARENESS.
58. DIGITAL PR IS ABOUT SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST LINKS. 1. REFERRAL TRAFFIC. 3. ASSOCIATION WITH PUBLICATIONS. 4. SALES / LEADS & REVENUE. 2. INCREASED BRAND AWARENESS.
59. If you’d still want a link if Google didn’t exist, that’s a pretty good indicator that it’s good for your brand; for awareness, referral traffic or revenue.
60. These links have the biggest impact on SEO success & align with what Google’s algorithms look to reward.
61. STOP THINKING THAT SEO METRICS ARE THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS WHEN DOING DIGITAL PR. ✅ What’s the potential to reach new audiences who don’t already know you exist?
62. STOP THINKING THAT SEO METRICS ARE THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS WHEN DOING DIGITAL PR. ✅ What’s the potential to reach new audiences who don’t already know you exist? ✅ Could the people who click the links turn into customers or clients?
63. STOP THINKING THAT SEO METRICS ARE THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS WHEN DOING DIGITAL PR. ✅ What’s the potential to reach new audiences who don’t already know you exist? ✅ Could the people who click the links turn into customers or clients? ✅ Does the coverage get people talking positively about your brand or products?
64. STOP THINKING THAT SEO METRICS ARE THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS WHEN DOING DIGITAL PR. ✅ What’s the potential to reach new audiences who don’t already know you exist? ✅ Could the people who click the links turn into customers or clients? ✅ Does the coverage get people talking positively about your brand or products? ✅ Does the coverage help potential customers to trust you with these associations?
65. STOP THINKING THAT SEO METRICS ARE THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS WHEN DOING DIGITAL PR. ✅ What’s the potential to reach new audiences who don’t already know you exist? ✅ Could the people who click the links turn into customers or clients? ✅ Does the coverage get people talking positively about your brand or products? ✅ Does the coverage help potential customers to trust you with these associations? ✅ Does the coverage get you mentioned alongside your brand’s key topic areas?
66. UNDERSTAND THAT WHAT BEING RELEVANT LOOKS LIKE FOR ONE BUSINESS CAN LOOK VERY DIFFERENT FOR ANOTHER. SITE 1: THE GOALS AN ESTABLISHED PERSONAL FINANCE BRAND THAT’S EARNED LINKS FROM HUNDREDS OF UNIQUE DOMAINS OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS. THE SITE RANKS AT THE BOTTOM OF PAGE 1 FOR ‘CREDIT CARD’ TERMS.
67. UNDERSTAND THAT WHAT BEING RELEVANT LOOKS LIKE FOR ONE BUSINESS CAN LOOK VERY DIFFERENT FOR ANOTHER. SITE 1: THE GOALS AN ESTABLISHED PERSONAL FINANCE BRAND THAT’S EARNED LINKS FROM HUNDREDS OF UNIQUE DOMAINS OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS. THE SITE RANKS AT THE BOTTOM OF PAGE 1 FOR ‘CREDIT CARD’ TERMS. SITE 2: THE GOALS A BRAND NEW PERSONAL FINANCE BRAND THAT LAUNCHED LAST MONTH. THE SITE RANKS OUTSIDE THE TOP 100 RESULTS ON GOOGLE FOR ‘CREDIT CARD’ TERMS.
68. UNDERSTAND THAT WHAT BEING RELEVANT LOOKS LIKE FOR ONE BUSINESS CAN LOOK VERY DIFFERENT FOR ANOTHER. SITE 1: THE STRATEGY THERE’S NO LINK GAP TO CLOSE WITH COMPETITORS. FOCUS ON TACTICS THAT CAN EARN HYPER-RELEVANT LINKS.
69. UNDERSTAND THAT WHAT BEING RELEVANT LOOKS LIKE FOR ONE BUSINESS CAN LOOK VERY DIFFERENT FOR ANOTHER. SITE 1: THE STRATEGY THERE’S NO LINK GAP TO CLOSE WITH COMPETITORS. FOCUS ON TACTICS THAT CAN EARN HYPER-RELEVANT LINKS. SITE 2: THE STRATEGY THERE’S A LARGE LINK GAP WITH COMPETITORS THAT NEEDS CLOSING. FOCUS ON EARNING QUALITY LINKS AT SCALE, EVEN IF RELEVANCE ISN’T AS TIGHT.
70. SET BETTER EXPECTATIONS; THE MORE RELEVANT YOU GET, THE LESS COVERAGE YOU’LL (USUALLY) EARN. TRAVEL [GLOBAL] FAMILY TRAVEL FAMILY [USA] TRAVEL [UK] TRAVEL [SCOTLAND] Scale of relevant publications.
71. BUILDING LINKS VS BUILDING YOUR BRAND: IT DOESN’T NEED TO BE A CHOICE BETWEEN ONE OR THE OTHER.
72. It’s the end result that matters, not the way you get there.
73. /digitaloftuk /digitaloftuk @digitaloftuk digitaloft.co.uk