Picture by wichayada suwanachun
Google wants authenticity and quality in its search results. Here’s a checklist for success and authoritative dominance on Google.
Google has been penalizing Web sites it thinks are unethical in link building for search-engine optimization. Why? Google wants authenticity and quality in its search results.
Unfortunately, the search-engine’s algorithms might be emulating a witch hunt – an over-reach that punishes Web sites.
So it’s vital that you backlink with authoritative, credible sites. Some might be obvious to you, others might not.
Here’s a checklist for success and authoritative dominance on Google:
1. Register with sites
If you’re in retail or have a location to receive visitors, consider registering with Bing, Citysearch, DexKnows, Foursquare, GoogleMyBusiness, Local, Manta, MapQuest, MerchantCircle, Superpages, TOPix, Whitepages, Yellowpages and Yelp.
2. Social media
Establish social accounts. That would include Facebook, LinkedIn and X (Twitter). Include Pinterest if you’re in retail or B2C. You have about 300 social media sites to consider.
While you’re at it, insert social media icons in a prominent place on your pages in order to help build brand awareness. This will help increase engagement, and will help to enhance trust with your customers.
So your users can easily share your site’s pages with their followers, insert social-sharing buttons/widgets for either ShareThis or AddToAny. For WordPress sites, my preference is SassySocialShare.
3. Bookmarking sites
Also depending on your type of business and whether you have a blog, consider setting up accounts on reddit, Scoop.it and StumbleUpon.
4. Better Business Bureau (BBB)
Consider the BBB. You’ll enhance your reputation among the clutter of competitors. Put the BBB’s logo and link on your home page.
5. Your local Chamber of Commerce
Consider joining a chamber, especially if its Web site has a membership directory with links to members’ Web sites. Be sure your site includes a link to and from your chamber.
6. Press releases
To attract millions of people to their sites, it is common for site owners to pay a company to publish press releases containing links to their sites on search engines. The press releases can also be submitted to editors at the online sites of AP-Associated Press, television and radio stations, and newspapers.
(Note: To get attention from Google News: Login to your Google Account in Publisher Centre and click “Add Publication.” Fill in the form and click “Add Publication.”)
Make certain your site’s domain name is in anchor text in every press release.
Top press-release distribution firms are authoritative and respected by Google and the media, but they’re expensive. To save money, you can also write and email press releases to media outlets yourself — assuming you’re adept at writing press releases and emailing them.
To save money, you can also write and distribute press releases yourself — assuming you’re adept at writing press releases and emailing them.
However, the reward is great for web sites because site links in press releases are valuable. The links often help boost your sites’ prominence with the strongest-possible ranking on search engines. So, online press-releases are valuable for search-engine optimization.
Both the press-release sites and the news media sites usually have a strong Page Rank, such as a Page 6 ranking or higher. If your site has a low Page Rank, a highly ranked link to your site can boost your site’s ranking as well as its search-engine prominence. That leads to a major increase in visitors.
7. Leverage your suppliers and vendors
Ask your vendors to mention you on their sites. There’s a couple of ways – whether they blog or publish testimonials – get them to link to your site.
8. Submit your blog to blog directories
Good blog directories include: AllTop, Bloggapedia, Blogarama, OnTopList and Technorati.
LinkedIn is not a blog directory. But it is a great place to insert a blog. Better yet, insert a link of a blog on your Web site.
9. Consider inserting on Web 2.0 blogs
These blog sites are bland but they still provide valuable links. They include: Blogger, Tumblr and WordPress.
10. Sponsorships
Every business has an opportunity to sponsor community events. Consider sponsoring events within your sphere of business, a local college or nonprofit, or consider the potential of cause-related marketing, which can increase your sales by double-digit percentages.
Include your domain name in every piece of collateral and signage, and make sure the organization’s site links to you.
11. Directory submissions
Consider submitting your domain to DirectoryWorld, and you can see a good directory list here.
12. Videos
Establish a YouTube account to upload your videos.
Remember great e-mail marketing with your links must include social media and videos. Do it yourself videos are OK, but get help if you aren’t a pro.
13. SlideShare
Get added utility and value from your business/sales presentations by inserting them on SlideShare, which you can use free for 30 days. The more informative the better.
From the Coach’s Corner, here are relevant articles:
For Strong Local SEO Performance, Avoid 6 Errors — A key strategy to make your cash register ring is to have a strong Internet presence. That means strategizing for strong local search-engine optimization (SEO). With strong local SEO performance, your business will have online top-of-the-mind awareness in your community. You want to be easily discovered by potential customers.
Got a New Strategic Partner? Try Joint Web Press Releases — Each of you can garner new prospects as you enhance your image with additional credibility and authoritativeness. You will with the right Internet buzz.
SEO and Other Strategic Tips for a No.1 Rated Blog – To own your blogging niche, you must understand the evolving process — important basics in search engine optimization (SEO) and other strategies. If you’ve been blogging for awhile, you know success doesn’t keep come automatically.
4 Best Practices to Enhance Your Google Ranking with Digital Content – There are four best practices if you want strong ranking from Google’s search rank algorithms, higher click-through rates and more social sharing from your content and press releases. That’s according to the Ranking Factors Study from Searchmetrics. The study shows the four practices improve message visibility and campaign results on the Internet.
“Google only loves you when everyone else loves you first.”
-Wendy Piersall
__________
