The New Way to Build Inbound Links: Create Useful Content

The New Way to Build Inbound Links: Create Useful Content:

The other day, an old friend asked me an interesting question. Is traditional SEO dead? I asked him how he defined “traditional” SEO, to which he replied, “you know, keywords, link building, all that stuff.” After laughing for a moment as he stripped such a complex practice down to one pithy phrase, I assured him that traditional SEO as defined is far from dead. SEO methods such as link building and relevant keyword usage should still be practiced, and are indeed critical tools to drive traffic and increase website conversion. Rather, as the online marketplace becomes a more sophisticated ecosystem, the rules of the game have changed, and more is demanded of online marketers.
As I wrote in a previous blog, in our new era of social search, brands now need to produce quality online content that users find interesting and useful, and then actively promote it on social media. Companies need to pay close attention to how they’re shaping their online message, not only on their website, but across all social media platforms.
With the proliferation of social and mobile, more people are using the Internet as the go-to platform for information and purchase decision. To capitalize on this trend, companies are going to have to spend more time and resources managing their growing online presence by producing a robust level of quality content, and optimizing its reach and effectiveness with traditional SEO techniques such as link building and keyword usage. In this way, quality content is now the centerpiece of every company’s SEO link-building strategy.
WHAT IS IT?
Online content can mean many things, however it usually has the following characteristics:

• It is website-based, and shared throughout a company’s social media channels. Sometimes great content originates on a brand’s social media, such as a viral meme or video, but oftentimes it is housed on your website and distributed from there.
• It often takes the following forms: Blogs, e-books and white papers, video content (Youtube Channel), podcasts, photos (Flickr, Pinterest) and presentations (Slideshare). Whatever the medium, you want to focus on providing original content that will generate interest and drive traffic to your website and social media.

WHY IT WORKS
Think of web-based content as your company’s online PR manager: it informs your prospects as to what you do, and how passionately you do it. It also establishes you as a trusted resource for prospects that may be looking for more information about your product or service, or to solve a problem they may have.
And here’s the best part – It works.  Here are a few statistics on blogging:

• Blogging results in a 55% increase in website visitors.

• Companies that blog have 97% more inbound links than those that don’t. Search engines like fresh content, which will increase your number of indexed pages.

• People like fresh content. Companies that blog have 2x the Twitter followers than those that don’t.

With a vast array of formats to create content on, you should always be contributing original content to keep your prospects engaged and constantly interacting with your website. Amplify the effectiveness of your unique content with traditional SEO practices such as link building and keyword optimization, and you have a winning combination.
Like I told my friend, in today’s fast-paced environment, companies that embrace change and engage prospects online with rich content are setting themselves up for continued success in our new SEO 2.0 world.
Are you producing online content that attracts and converts? Let me know what has worked, and what has not.