SEO

Domain Authority as Website Quality Metric

by SEO Savvy August 12th, 2014

Domain Authority (DA) is a website quality score first developed by Moz as a holistic measurement of your site’s important SEO metrics. The greater your domain authority, the higher the quality of your website and the more likely it is that your site will rank in organic search. However, given all the changes to Google’s search algorithm, including the push towards semantic search, is domain authority still an important SEO metric?

While it may not be the final word on your site’s ranking potential, domain authority is a very useful gauge to analyze the quality of a website. Below, we’ve answered three basic questions about domain authority so you can better understand what the numbers mean for your website.

1) What is domain authority?

“Domain authority” is a quality score that roughly determines how well a website will perform in organic search results. Fundamentally, domain authority is meant to approximate how competitive any given site is for ranking well in Google search results. Since Google takes a variety of different factors into account when calculating organic search rankings, so too does domain authority. Domain authority is measured on a scale of 1 to 100; the higher your score, the stronger your domain authority and, by extension, the more likely it is that your site pages and content will rank in Google organic search.

2) Does domain authority matter?

Yes. Even with Google’s recent algorithm changes, domain authority is a valuable metric for analyzing site quality. Since domain authority is made up of an aggregate of different metrics, it’s an important view of your website’s overall quality and SEO performance. A low domain authority score means you have to improve the quality of content and backlinks to your website as well as improve on-page optimization. Quality is the key and that takes time and effort to build into a website. For example, if you are still looking for shortcuts to organic rankings and obsessing over the perfect keyword density, or buying spammy low-quality exact match anchor text backlinks, you may want to rethink this. Your DA score will thank you later.

3) How can I improve my website’s DA?

First of all, it’s important to keep in mind that it is extremely difficult to gain a DA number of 100. Only the most popular of sites, such as Facebook and Google itself, are able to do so. Second, unlike some metrics, like page views, conversions or visitor time on site, domain authority is difficult to influence quickly with a single tactic. It is a holistic view of your website’s quality.

Keeping this reality in mind, you should ensure that all your technical on-page SEO is in place. This means that your site URL structure, meta tags, header tags, alt image tags, internal linking and keywords are working in harmony with one another. Once your technical SEO is strong, focus on generating quality links through the creation of linkable content, also known as content marketing. Nothing has a more direct impact upon domain authority than having plenty of amazing, original and highly sharable content that is linked to from multiple

How to Use Google Authorship for Better Online Marketing

by SEO Savvy July 8th, 2014

Google is on a mission to discover the best content on the web that’s been created by true subject matter authorities. Brands can leverage content marketing to increase brand recognition in online search, delivering the right content, at the right time, to the right customer. One possible solution for this is Google Authorship.

What exactly is Google Authorship? It’s more than a byline; it’s one of the fastest ways for companies to increase traffic to their site, increase click-thru rates, build brand awareness, and improve lead generation. It’s also part of Google’s ongoing push to eliminate duplicate or spam content while pushing its search algorithm to become more social media oriented. Google Authorship increases credibility, which is key to landing more clicks. In fact, Google Authorship can increase click-thru-rates from 30% to a whopping 150%, according to Internet Marketing Incorporated.

While 65% of companies say they are actively incorporating Google Authorship into their current content marketing strategy – according to CopyPress – many of these same companies are unsure how to go about using the service to its full potential. Here’s are our suggestions:

#1: Google Authorship is your “digital signature.”

Google Authorship is a way for Google to show the author of the content in question next to his/her content in search results. Rather than just showing the article title, the search results will also show the author’s name and link to his or her Google+ profile. Google used to also display photos, but they’ve recently done away with this. Google Authorship also includes the number of G+ circles the author is in along with a link to more search results for the Author.

Knowing this, you should be utilizing your Google+ profile, if only to boost your credibility. While it may not seem like a good use of your time to interact on here when you could be reaching more users on Facebook and Twitter, keep in mind that Google+ is the fifth most popular social media site at present, and the benefits related to Google Authorship are worth a little bit of time each week. At the very least, make sure your profile is up-to-date, including your most recent information, and showcases you as a professional.

#2: Your Author Rank may impact the placement of your content in search results.

While Google has yet to formally make a statement on the specific role of Author Rank, we know that the more social activity your articles receive (i.e., the more re-shares, clicks and +1s), the more of an authority you will be seen as. Other factors that can impact Author Rank may include engagement on G+, authority on other platforms, comments, and inbound links. Most critically, Author Rank allows Google to remember the authority and credibility that you have built as an author, which is separate from the authority of a personal blog or company website.

Bottom line: Google Authorship can help your business supercharge its content marketing strategy. To do this, remember that Google Authorship is all about building credibility through relationships. Become a thought leader by harnessing your company’s internal knowledge and putting a face and a name to this knowledge.

How to Earn Inbound Links

by SEO Savvy June 17th, 2014

Is there still a place for link building? The debate isn’t necessarily whether link building is alive or dead, but what links mean from a marketing standpoint. As with all aspects of SEO, link building has evolved. And as our efforts are refocused based on algorithm updates and industry evolution, we shift our gaze to link earning rather than link building.

What does this mean? Link building is still an important part of SEO, but in order to make the most of your inbound links, the focus, as always should be on quality rather than quantity.  Building a brand with a link earning approach is a more traditional method that, when done correctly, will naturally produce inbound links.

Link building has evolved, and diversifying your link building efforts and tactics is absolutely necessary.

You can earn those links by:

• Interviewing industry experts and making yourself available to be interviewed, thus positioning yourself as an expert authority. HARO is an incredible resource: Sign up for newsletters for your industry, and respond to pitches. This gets your name out there, and can even act as a plug for your business. If you want to go a step further, sign up as a reporter to pitch queries yourself, and you’ll soon find yourself with industry resources available to you.
• Doing in-person networking at local events and building relationships that may lead to links. Networking isn’t just for sales staff and job seekers. Meeting others in your industry can bring about partnerships and collaborations. Go to events with an open mind, plenty of ideas, and a helpful spirit, and you may be surprised by the connections that you make. Others are likely willing to help you, if you’re open to it.
• Joining business and industry organizations, like the Chamber of Commerce, and ensuring that you’re listed in the online member directories. There are many reasons to join your local Chamber of Commerce, including making new connections, receiving publicity for your business, and increasing your credibility. This is possibly the simplest way to make yourself visible in the community, but the more you extend yourself and become involved, the better off your business will be.
• Updating outdated content and fixing bad backlinks. Where you want to earn links is always going to be a part of your strategy. Moz used competitive analysis to determine ways in which to build links on .gov and .edu sites. If you have information that is relevant and well written, you can help these reputable sites by letting them utilize your information. And if you have a history of bad backlinks, you can use these new, good links to fix your reputation.
• Creating compelling, relevant content. Links in the right context are still a valuable resource. Your inbound links should connect users to content of quality – YOUR content. By spending significant time and energy on your content, you’ll have content worthy of inbound links from other websites. When you’re truly writing content that’s geared towards your audience, rather than regurgitating bland facts, you’re much more likely to have luck earning links.

Although link building has evolved, it still plays an important role in your overall search marketing strategy. With recent algorithm changes at Google, you’ll just have to work a little harder to ensure that your inbound links are contextually relevant, add to a positive user experience, and highlight the high-quality content that you’re providing to your users.

Boosting Search Traffic by Answering the Common Questions

by SEO Savvy May 22nd, 2014

Customers today are out there looking for their own answers and solutions. They search online, often extensively, to find information and answer questions that they may have before they make a purchase.  Identifying specific topics and creating content for your company blog is a great way to capture that search traffic, and expose your company to potential customers who are conducting online research. Brand exposure early in the search process is important for building trust with online customers before they buy.

The Trending Customer

According to the CEB, today’s customers complete 57% of purchase research before ever talking to a company rep or sales team. With the available technology and information online, consumers are now spending more time doing their own research, price point checking, and product comparison before they buy. Companies can best make themselves customer-friendly by providing the information that will answer common questions and provide desired information, prior to directing them to their products.

The Importance of Blogging

The key element of your blog’s content is providing information that explains the value of your company and proves the expertise you have. A good company blog will offer in-depth articles covering topics that are relevant and beneficial for your target audience.

According to Ignite Spot’s infographic on blogging statistics in 2013:

• 77% of those on the internet read blogs
• 81% of internet users trust advice and information read on blogs
• 61% of consumers have based a previous purchase decision on a blog post
• Marketers who blog, generate 67% more B2B leads than those who don’t

A company should invest time and resources into their blog in order to provide the customer with answers as they search. With a variety of blog posts, numerous keywords are covered with topics spanning the subjects relevant to potential consumers. Additionally, you should consider looking into keyword research tools to help you determine which specific keywords users enter when they search online.

Working With Your Sales Team

Now, with customers doing much of their own research, sales and customer service teams are a great resource in order to figure out how to answer the questions customers have before making a purchase decision. Work with your sales and customer service teams to understand commonly asked questions from prospective and new customers.

What is most often the first question asked when your sales team is called? This could lend itself to an in-depth blog post you’ll want to have on your site. As customers search online for the questions they have, they will find your blog posts among the top results. Even if your products are difficult to price and customers frequently ask, “What is the price of ____?” blog posts can define the different options that affect price, answering questions without giving specific numbers.

Generating New Customers

A company blog will provide a stationary tool that works like a magnet for drawing in new potential customers. When customers seek solutions for their problems, the blog will pull in curious viewers and nudge them towards a purchase decision. Your company magnet could either draw customers in and keep them within your website, or be overpowered by other company marketing magnets.