In the face of continuous search engine evolution, it’s important for marketers to evolve accordingly in order to attain and/or maintain top performance in search engine results pages. Research has shown that SEO efforts account for 70% of links accessed by web users.
Below are five actionable strategies for the SEO expert who wants to remain relevant as the New Year approaches.
- Use content creation to attract quality inbound links
Regardless of all changes made to search engines over the last year or so, high quality inbound links are still a big ranking factor for search engines, and it is unlikely that this will change. Many link acquisition methods are likely to be considered spammy, particularly if used in excess e.g. reciprocal linking.
However, creating high quality and relevant content is not only a winner in terms of audience engagement, it is one surefire way to earn links from high quality websites and the referral traffic it brings. In addition, high quality shareable content increases brand exposure and higher sales.
- Co-citation links
Each time your website is listed next to your competitors’ sites, it informs search engines that your companies are found in related niches. Therefore, co-citation links are a good source of credibility for your brand.
To get yourself co-citation links, start by searching for the “top 10” or “best” content curation articles/lists within your niche. If your business/products/services are not listed, contact the curated content’s publisher and request them to add you to their list. You should have justification for why you want to be added, and make it easy for them by including a summary in addition to the link when sending the information.
- Editorial links
Editorial links are just about the most powerful SEO tools in your arsenal. These are links that come from objective, high-authority publications within your niche field. You can also get editorial links by making informative posts to assert your thought leadership within your niche.
To succeed however, you must create outstanding content that will drive shares within relevant circles in your niche. You may guest post in high-authority directories, but be ready to go through detailed scrutiny before your content is published. You can also do interviews, wherein you will be allowed to cite some of your work as part of your responses.
