What Is Link Equity? – A Comprehensive Guide to Enhancing Your SEO Strategy

Link equity or link juice is an interesting and vital SEO factor that Google uses as an algorithm to rank sites or pages.

It is the process or idea of channeling the authority and value of one page to another via links. While you may find it similar to another concept called PageRank, there are differences (that we will discuss in this article).

Having ample knowledge of this factor will help you strengthen your site’s SEO. It may also help you pick websites for link-building, among many options.

In this article, we will explore the various ins and outs of link equity and explain everything in detail. Additionally, we discussed the factors that determine link equity and how well it will work.

Understanding Page Authority

Link equity has a direct connection to page authority since the latter is what passes during the former.

In case you didn’t know, page authority is the numerical value of a page’s ability to rank on Google search engine results. It can be anywhere between 0 and 100; a higher score means it is better for the page.

This score can pass between pages during link-building, causing the link equity process. 

We should clarify that Google doesn’t necessarily use PA as one of its algorithms when ranking a page. However, they do use the same factors that give a page a higher authority.

So, a page with a high authority is likely to rank higher in search engines; it doesn’t do it itself. PA is a collateral factor to a high rank, not casual.

Explanation of Link Equity in a Metaphorical Manner

We understand that the concept of link equity may seem vague for any start-up. After all, it is intertwined with some other factors of SEO. So, let us show you a quick metaphorical explanation of link equity here.

Suppose you own page A, which doesn’t have much authority yet. Meanwhile, page B is a high-profile website with a high PA score.

Now, imagine the two pages as two water tanks, where one is almost filled with water (page B), and the other only has a small amount (page A). This water represents the authority of the pages.

When we build a link between them, like a thin pipeline, we can expect some water to go from page B to page A. This way, some value or authority is transferred from one to the other.

Because link equity works this way, it is also called link juice. Did you notice that the water here doesn’t really represent the popularity or reach of the pages but their authority?

Yes, that is a crucial factor because link equity doesn’t directly talk about the transfer of organic traffic but authority. In our previous example, we can think of these visitors and other factors as something mixed in the water. The authority of the page depends on these factors.

You can expect your site’s visitors to increase because of the links, but it is not necessarily the same as authority transfer.

How much value a link can transfer may depend on the potential number of visitors it can pass. But that is not the case for no-followed links.

Because of this, even link equity is also not always guaranteed. It depends on some factors.

Let us explain them to you next.

Link Equity Determining Factors

When thinking of link equity, we expect it to pass value between different pages. However, this transfer can get blocked or slowed by several underlying factors. We listed them below-

Relevance of the Link

In order for Link Juice to work, the backlink to the site must be relevant.

For example, let’s say that your pages contain blogs on different features of a compact digital camera. This page got an incoming link from a page about DIY gazebo-building tips. As we can see here, the topics are very dissimilar, and the link is not relevant at all.

Google can tell when the links are irrelevant. These types of links don’t usually pass that much authority.

Position of the Link on the Linking Page

When ranking or checking our pages, Google crawlers inspect their structure, aside from various other factors. This information gives Google the necessary data of where they should rank on SERP.

Since the link’s position on the page is a part of its architecture, it also plays a crucial role in determining the authority of the said page.

So, let’s say that the link is in the footer. In that case, crawlers may deem it of less value (except for certain pages) than links placed on the article’s main body. Basically, Google wants the link to actually help the audience. They want it to be somewhere easily noticeable.

As such, links positioned perfectly on a page will allow more link equity.

Number of Links on the Linking Page

Let’s say that a linking page has hundreds of links on it, one of which is linked to your page. Now, when Google inspects the former page, they will take in the fact that more links mean individual links are less helpful for an audience.

The backlink to your page can be lost among all the links on the linking page. So, you may not get many visitors to your page. Google will hold this fact when determining the value of that backlink in helping your page rank.

In turn, you will get less value or authority passed by that link.

HTTP Status of the Linked Page

According to Google, all redirects pass PageRank (their old link equity measurement). That includes not only 200s or 301 permanent redirects but also temporary 302s.

You may wonder why it is relevant to link equity. Well, among the redirects we mentioned above, the former two can smoothly allow link equity in all search engines. Moreover, they also provide other advantages. But let’s not digress ourselves.

Meanwhile, the temporary 302s may not work in other search engines outside Google and not work as well in retaining link juice.

PA of the Linking Site

Remember our earlier example of two water tanks? Think about it- more water can pass from page B to page A if the former has a higher amount.

Similarly, if a page has a high page authority, then an incoming link from this page to yours will generate more link equity. Thus, your page can benefit more from this.

That’s why you should focus more on pages with high authority and visitors while link-building.

Crawlable or Not

In case you didn’t know, crawlers can be blocked from certain pages. You can do it with the robots.txt file. It is a command that tells the link to avert that page when inspecting a site.

As you can expect, the crawlers won’t take that page into account. So, any link from that page won’t provide any page authority or value to yours. It can still pass visitors, though.

No-follow or Do-follow

Similar to the previous point, the no-followed links get ignored by crawlers. Unlike the robot.txt file, which blocks crawlers from a page, the no-follow command blocks crawlers from inspecting a link.

Link equity can only happen via a link if it is do-followed. But this sentence is yet to be confirmed, and many believe no-followed links still pass some authority. But it definitely doesn’t do it as much as do-followed ones.

Not to mention, no-followed links have other benefits, and you need some of them for your backlink profile to be natural.

Importance and Benefits of Link Equality

Since you have followed this blog so far, you may already have a rough idea of how link equity can benefit a page.

However, while we used terms like pass or transfer here, they don’t quite explain link juice well. This process doesn’t necessarily decrease the value of the linking site while increasing the value of the linked one.

Moreover, link equity can also happen through internal linking. We can increase the authority of one of our pages by getting links from another of our pages with high PA. It can also keep the links relevant.

We know that backlinks have many advantages, like generating leads and crowds. Link equity is one of them.

Let us also clarify to you that aside from page authority, link equity can also increase your domain authority. After all, the latter is also calculated using the number and quality of backlinks.

Finally, link equity can also increase the trustworthiness of your pages to Google, especially when the links come from a renowned website.

How to Measure Link Equity

There is no definitive unit of measurement for link equity. However, you can still get a rough idea of your site’s link juice by inspecting its backlink profile.

We mostly try the following steps-

Checking Your Site’s PageRank

PageRank is almost irrelevant now since Google no longer counts it when ranking sites. It is still useful, though. The more PageRank a site has, the higher link authority it will pass to your page.

PageRank scales from 0 to 10. Note that this measurement is not that accurate nowadays.

Checking the Domain Rating or Authority

If you want a more accurate result than PageRank, the DA or DR can help. But again, neither of these is used by Google, so the units are still not absolute.

Domain authority and domain rating are measurements of the authority of a domain created by Moz and Ahrefs in accordance. They both scale from 0 to 100.

Check the DA of your linking sites. Ones with higher DA or DR can cause more link equity to your pages.

Utilizing Google Search Console

Since you probably already know how to use Google Search Console, we won’t go into too much detail. Our point here is that you can understand your site’s link equity using this tool, too. Let us give you a short rundown of the process-

• Visit Google Search Console and verify your domain following their instruction.

• Go to its ‘Search Traffic’ then ‘Links to Your Site’.
• You can see all the sites linking to your page in order and all your top linked pages (both external and internal linking).

Now you have an idea of your pages with high link equity as well as sites that are passing more link juice.

Utilizing Paid Tools

If you want, you can also use paid tools like Ahrefs, Moz, or Semrush. All of them will require you to create an account first. Afterwards-

• For Semrush, click on the ‘Backlink Analytics’ in the sidebar.
• For Ahrefs, click on ‘Backlink.’
• For Moz, click on the ‘Inbound Link’ tab.

They will then show you a detailed analysis of your pages’ backlinks, indicating their link equity. Also, they show better results than free tools.

How to Build and Maximize Link Equity

In this section, we explain in-depth the various processes of increasing the link equity to your pages and domain. Don’t worry, as they will be simpler than they sound.

Creating a Diverse Backlink Profile

During link equity to your page, the process transfers authority from the linking page as well as the domain.

Getting more than one backlink from the same site may increase the link equity of your page. However, too many links from the same site may not provide as much link juice as you expect.

Google will deem your page more authoritative when you get links from a high-profile site, but many links from that site won’t contribute much to this.

As such, you should diversify your backlink profile. Try going for several high-profile websites to get backlinks from.

In that way, you can expect a steady link equity from multiple websites since Google will see that many high-profile sites are linking to your page or domain simultaneously.

Check the picture below for example-

It showcases the page having (the number of high-quality referring domains in the picture) websites providing backlinks to it. As you can expect, the page has a high link equity and PageRank.

Staying within Your Industry

During one of our previous sections, we explained how it is important for backlinks to be relevant to your page.

You must get backlinks from websites or pages within your industry or niche. Otherwise, we are afraid the link equity won’t work as intended.

Internal Linking

You probably already know what internal linking is or how to use it best, so we won’t go there. Our point here is that if you want to increase your page’s link equity, you must also focus on internal linking.

Try putting backlinks on your high-authoritative pages to your low-value ones to elevate the link juice of the latter. Needless to say, utilizing proper anchor texts is also a good step here.

Do note that internal linking may only share authority from one page to another within your domain. So, it won’t directly increase your overall domain’s authority.

How to Manage Link Equity

Getting backlinks from spammy or low-profile sites will do the opposite of getting them from reputable sites. If Google notices that you are getting lots of backlinks from such a website, it will deem your pages less trustworthy.

Thus, the process will reduce the link equity of your site. In order to manage a steady link equity, we suggest you try the following-

First Step: Beware of Negative SEO Attacks

Targeted SEO attacks can be a common practice in many industries. One of their common variations is to create various backlinks to your page on a spammy website.

Once Google’s crawlers notice that your website is getting a sudden increase in backlinks, they get suspicious. If they find out that the links are from such low-quality or spammy sites, Google can lower your page authority or, even worse, penalize your site.

In order to avoid decreasing your link equity, we suggest occasionally checking your backlink profile. If there are backlinks from spammy websites, you can disavow or no-follow them.

However, if you can remove the links by contacting that site’s owners, then try that before taking other options. We must mention to you that disavowing without careful consideration can have negative consequences for your site.

How to Identify Spammy Websites

Identifying spammy websites in your backlink profile is key to keeping your link equity from going down. The process is simple. Let me explain-

Backlink Inspection to Check for Spammy Sites

The first method is simple, where we only need to use any SEO tool like Ahrefs or Google Search Console.

When inspecting your site’s backlink profile, you may notice that some sites linking you have a really lower DR or DA than others. These are most probably spammy websites or low-quality ones.

We won’t recommend you start no-following every backlink from the listed domains. Some of them can be legitimate good sites, but they are just starting. That is when our second point below comes into play.

Traffic Observation

A link to your site can provide sufficient value, mostly if it can provide referral traffic. So, if it can’t manage to do that steadily, then don’t expect the link to allow much link equity either.

Needless to say, spammy or low-quality sites won’t send much organic traffic your way.

After you check for such websites through backlink analysis, you can check each of them manually. Keep them only if the page actually-

• Has helpful and informative content
• Is within the same industry or niche as yours

This goes without saying: Don’t spam links.

Second Step: Balancing No-follow and Do-follow Links

While it may seem like no-follow links are useless due to them not passing authorities, they still have their merits.

We all want a steady link equity and to make our backlink profile seem natural to Google. For that, a balance between no-follow and do-follow links is necessary.

Conclusion

We hope our blog gives you a proper idea of link equity and its relevance to your site’s ranking. Its condition depends on the effective link-building of your site. Meanwhile, content is important for link-building.

9 Reasons Why Link Building Is Hard

Link building comes with a number of challenges and various difficulties, and knowing them is a must for any site owner willing to rank.

Given the importance of link building, it is not ignorable and must be done carefully for optimal results. 

The process expands from creating quality content to keeping it up to date and contacting high authority sites for backlinks.

Unfortunately, many underestimate the obstacles they will face and go at it blindly, only to struggle to reach their desired spot on SERP.

Today’s blog will list all the various reasons why link building is hard and how you can deal with them.

Short Understanding of Link Building

Link building is creating a good backlink profile for your domain by getting backlinks from other websites to your pages. While it may sound so simple, the process is very tricky, we are afraid.

On the one hand, you must keep your content genuine, informative, and helpful to attract more valuable backlinks.

On the other hand, the backlinks your pages receive must be relevant and from authoritative websites for them to work best.

Of course, your pages must also be updated regularly to keep their value intact and not lose backlinks.

An effective link building process can help you out with the following-

• Attracting more organic traffic to your pages within your community
• Getting more followers on your domain
• Help Google find you more trustworthy and authoritative and rank you higher on the search engine
• Allow more community engagement in your domain

Why Link Building Is Difficult

According to a study by Conductor, 41% of SEO experts consider link building as the most challenging tactic, right above keyword research.

Link building takes time, resources, and effort to work the best. Moreover, we need creativity, persistence, and expertise to perform the necessary steps.

Due to these issues and risks, many often fail at link building. Some of them go to link building services for help.

Let us show you the challenges you may face while building backlinks below to help you better prepare.

1. Creating Quality Content

Before you go to your targeted website to build links, you must have high-quality content in mind.

As you can see, any high-profile website may only link to your page if the content is actually worth it. It must be informative, practical, authentic, up-to-date, and helpful for the audience.

So, building the content first as best as you can will be a must. 

Now, it is easier said than done since quality content requires ample knowledge of the community’s queries. It also may require keyword research using various SEO tools.

Your blog or videos must be relevant to your service or industry and easily shareable. It should also be friendly and optimized for smartphones, social media platforms, and Google search engines.

Finally, the writing must be engaging and alluring.

2. Reaching Websites Manually

Unfortunately, you can’t automate the process of reaching high-profile websites to convince them to build links to your domain. 

Yes, many attempts to use bots to spam blog comments, but those are not hard for site owners and Google to identify. It will do the opposite of what you planned.

So, you must manually reach the website and add guest posts, blog comments, or join forums to establish your presence. These posts and comments must be as engaging and attractive as your content.

Moreover, finding suitable websites to target for link building takes time. We use SEO tools like Ahrefs or Semrush in this.

Your to-do list here may include-

• Identifying the pages to get links to
• Finding relevant and highly authoritative websites within your industry or niche to get links from
• Deciding how you must approach each specific website, be it a post, comment, forum discussion, or email
• Checking your site’s backlinks profile often to know how many backlinks you have obtained

3. Spending Time on Competitor Analysis

All the processes we have included so far will take much of your time to manage. That is if we guess you are not getting any link building service for help,

But the time spent here won’t just stop at getting the links. It will continue to take your time by requiring you to stay at the top of the competition. 

We must warn you here that competition for link building is quite intense. Be careless for a while, and you may see your high-value backlinks being replaced by other websites.

In order to solve this, competitor analysis is mandatory.

4. Spending a Good Sum of Money

Building links costs money and a high sum at that. Of course, if you get links from low-quality and spammy websites, that won’t cost much but also negatively affect your SEO.

In order to get backlinks from high-profile websites, you may have to pay them a certain amount. Moreover, some of them will ask you to subscribe with a monthly payment.

Note that Google does not favor buying links like this. However, they don’t really pay much attention or have any way of knowing about any transaction. So, it is safer than you may think.

You can choose two options here.

• Either getting help from a link building service. Or,
• Getting backlinks yourselves.

Now, both of them cost money. For example, any link building service will come at a cost, which can be subscription-based.

Meanwhile, if you want to get the backlinks yourself, that often costs more. It may involve-

• Hiring freelancers to create quality content, like blogs, videos, infographics, etc., for your page.
• Paying money to the linking website within your industry.
• Using paid tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, Moz, etc.
• Paying any specialist to help with the guest posts or comments.

Note that handling all the SEO sectors alone can get overwhelming, so hiring a specialist can be imperative.

You must assess your budget carefully and ensure your link building project takes as little money as possible. After all, you will still need more money for your business, marketing, or service.

5. Staying Persistence and Experiencing Rejection

It goes without saying that you may face lots of rejections when you start your new link building program. There can be different reasons behind this. Let us give some examples-

• Perhaps the website isn’t offering backlinks at the moment.
• Maybe the site already has an excellent linking relationship with one of your competitors and isn’t willing to replace it.
• Your idea, content, or approach may not be to their liking.
• It is possible that your emails have ended up in their spam folders due to the high number of emails high-profile websites receive.
• The website may be getting lots of emails from your competitors, and some of them are offering better content.
• The website may charge a high fee that you don’t want to pay.

Overall, you must be ready to face such failures and keep on going with perseverance. The process may be gradual, but slow and steady wins the race.

6. Finding Relevant and Authoritative Websites

You should put more emphasis on the search for finding specific websites for your backlinking strategy. Remember that the linking site must be relevant to your industry for more link equity.

However, it is way easier said than done. Most websites you find after searching any keyword may not be relevant. Your goal here must be to get websites as close to your niche as possible. It will attract more people to click the links.

Let’s say your domain is on Gardening Tips, and you searched with the keyword- Backyard Decoration Ideas.

While you may find results specific to this keyword, when you check their domain, it can be related to other niches, like weddings, gazebo-building, etc.

It may take so much to find the perfect websites for a single target non-branded keyword, let alone multiple. Some relevant ones you see may not be highly authoritative either.

It can be an ideal practice to find and target your competitor’s backlinks by checking their backlink profiles. You can try Ahrefs’ site explorer for it, as shown in the following picture.

7. Keeping up with Google Updates

As we constantly handle link building tasks, we know how tricky it can be to update everything according to Google updates.

When making content or trying to rank higher, you need to maintain different policies set by Google. Consider it as the Google search engine law, where doing anything outside the policy can penalize your content, leading to a lower search ranking.

There have been various cases in the past where Google suddenly rolled out new policies and penalized a number of websites. For example, the Penguin Update of 2012 was a target towards sites that used spammy measures to rank higher.

Moreover, another update a couple of years back decreased the importance of keywords in SEO and increased the role of content quality.

Let’s say that all your SEO practices and backlinking process are now according to Google’s policies. However, it can very well violate any new policy they add tomorrow.

That is why you must stay ready, track Google updates, and update your content according to it. It is best to keep your content helpful and refrain from resorting to any underhanded means to rank. We suggest not underestimating Google’s crawlers.

This leads us to our next point.

8. Avoiding Black Hat SEO

Remember that we mentioned ‘underhanded means’ in our previous section? Well, these are called black hat SEO by Google.

Black hat SEO usually gives the audience a low-quality experience. It also involves spamming keywords, backlinks, repetitive posts, blog comments, etc.

Buying backlinks is also a type of black hat SEO, but they are not as targeted nowadays. Regardless, you must still be careful Google doesn’t notice it.

9. Following the Trends

Consumer behaviors change all the time. If you are in any business or marketing sector, you will probably change your service according to these changes.

However, the same goes for your content, such as blogs, videos, infographics, listicles, etc. Maybe people were more attracted to your content since it was trendy for a while.

Unfortunately, that can change, and your site’s ranking may drop after some months or years. The crowd hardly sticks to one website unless it can provide them with new, updated, and improved content.

So, your best strategy here is to know the consumer psychology and shift your content keywords according to these. Needless to say, it will take a massive amount of time, resources, and effort, aside from expertise and creativity.

Conclusion

After following so far, you probably think link building is way too tricky for people without experience, which is somewhat true. However, you will need to practice it to build expertise.

But if you can’t spare time or effort, consider spending money on any service that can help you. The good news is that it actually costs less than doing it yourself.

From Zero to Hero: A Start-Up’s Journey Through Effective Link Building

Link building is the hardest aspect of search engine optimization (SEO), but it is also the most important one.

It is even more challenging for start-ups to secure quality backlinks, as getting outreach from reputable sites is difficult without having a solid brand identity.

However, there’s no avoiding this part of your SEO checklist. As a start-up, your success will hugely depend on how successful your link building campaign is.

So, how do you overcome such challenges and ensure that your start-up secures high-quality links?

The answer isn’t simple, and you will need a strategy unique to your brand. For a start, you can have a look at our in-depth link-building guide for start-ups.

Stick around till the end to read our advanced link building strategies!

Understanding Link Building

Before we get into link building, it’s essential to understand what a backlink is. 

Backlink: A link used by a website when it links to a page of another website.

For example, this is a backlink that leads to Ahrefs. The link is considered an inbound link for Ahrefs’ website. 

Link Building: Link building is an SEO technique of getting other websites to link to your website. It is the practice of securing quality backlinks.

Importance of Link Building

Link building is a critical element for your website’s SEO. In fact, links are one of Google’s top two ranking factors. 

Having many reputable sites link to your page signals to search engines that your website is trusted and valuable. 

For example, Search Engine Journal is one of the top SEO websites, which has nearly 5 million backlinks. 

Via Ahref backlink checker

Having quality links results in a higher authority rating, referral traffic from credible websites, and dominating SERP. 

Moreover, links will remain one of the top ranking factors in the future. 

We have established that backlinks are very important, and getting quality links should be one of the first priorities in your SEO campaign.

Unfortunately, link building is the hardest SEO tactic to follow. 94% of the entire world’s content does not have any backlinks. 

As a result, having a solid link building strategy is more than required for any startup looking for success in SEO. 

The Early Stage: Laying the Groundwork

Before starting your link building journey, it’s time to lay the groundwork by conducting website audits and defining clear goals. 

Initial Website Audit

These factors are crucial to analyze as an early measure of link building:

• Site Speed: Use GA4 or third-party plugins to check the loading speed of your website. Slow-loading sites can negatively impact user experience and search engine rankings.
• Mobile Responsiveness: Ensure your website is optimized for mobile devices, as Google prioritizes mobile-friendly sites in its search results.
• URL Structure: Evaluate whether your URLs are clean, concise, and structured logically. Good URL structure improves user experience and is favored by search engines.
• Navigation and Site Architecture: Assess how easy it is for both users and search engine crawlers to navigate your site. A clear hierarchy and simple navigation facilitate better indexing and user experience.
• Crawl Errors: Use tools like Google Search Console to identify and fix crawl errors, such as broken links and 404 pages.
• SSL/TLS Certificate: Ensure your website is secure with HTTPS. Security is a ranking factor for Google and impacts user trust.

On-Page SEO Evaluation

After a technical audit of your website, check your website’s on-page SEO status to ensure you can build on a good foundation. Follow these steps:

• Content Quality and Relevance: Review the quality of your website’s content. Is it relevant, informative, and valuable to your audience? High-quality content is more likely to attract backlinks.
• Keyword Optimization: Analyze whether your content includes relevant keywords without overstuffing. Proper keyword usage helps improve search rankings and visibility.
• Meta Tags and Descriptions: Check if each page has a unique and descriptive title tag and meta description. These elements are crucial for search engine rankings and click-through rates.
• Image Optimization: Ensure that all images have descriptive, keyword-rich file names and alt tags. Optimized images can improve site speed and user experience.

Backlink Profile Assessment

If you have already managed to get some backlinks, it’s crucial to evaluate them before starting your link building strategy.

• Current Backlinks: Review the existing backlinks to your website using tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz. Assess the quality and relevance of these links.
• Link Quality: Analyze the authority and trustworthiness of the domains linking to your site. High-quality, relevant backlinks are more beneficial than numerous low-quality links.
• Anchor Text Analysis: Check the anchor texts used in incoming links. Natural, relevant anchor text distribution is essential for SEO.

Developing Link Building Strategy

Assuming that you have conducted a proper audit of your website, it’s time to put together a sound link building strategy. 

An excellent place to start is to check out how your competitors are doing.

1. Analyze Competitors’ Link Profile

To audit the links of your competitors (and even find relevant competitors), you will need tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz, among others. 

Identify competitors by using the Keywords Explorer tools of Ahrefs or SEMrush and find relevant websites that are ranking well for those keywords.

For example, a startup company for VR technology can find competitors by analyzing search terms like “VR headset price” with SEO tools. 

After identifying relevant competitors, check out their backlinks by analyzing each website with the mentioned SEO tools. The following tools are our favorites:

• Ahrefs Site Explorer
• Moz’s Open Site Explorer

With the information on your competitor’s backlink profiles, you can get valuable insights such as –

• Identify benchmarks for the types, quality, and number of backlinks you need
• Learn effective strategies for link-building
• Find relevant and high-quality websites that are likely to link to you
• Find opportunities by identifying where your competitors are strong and where they are not

The idea here is that the websites that are linking to your competitors will likely also link to you. This is a great place to start if you do not know which websites to identify for building your backlinks.

2. Find Relevant Keywords

You need excellent content on your website to attract backlinks.

It’s simple! If your site does not have relevant content, you will have to pay for most of your backlinks. 

In contrast, having quality content will help you organically gather more links. 

Therefore, after a detailed competitor backlink analysis, it’s time to do keyword research. 

Use keyword research tools from Google, Ahrefs or SEMrush to find relevant keywords to write content on. When creating a list of keywords, focus on these things:

• Focus on keywords that have a high search volume and low competition
• Secure long-tail keywords that are specific to your niche
• Ensure your content on a specific keyword will fulfill the search intent behind it

3. Create a Content Plan

You cannot ignore the importance of content as a successful strategy for attracting links.

Well-made content results in quality backlinks and backlinks increase the content’s visibility. 

However, creating link-worthy content is a challenge in itself. 

Content as a Link Magnet: High-quality, valuable content is the cornerstone of effective link building. Content that provides value naturally attracts backlinks.

These types of content attract links:

• Content including original research or surveys
• Content that has well-designed infographics and visual data representations
• Content with comprehensive and authoritative articles or guides on specific topics
• How-to guides, tutorials, and educational posts

Create a content calendar and publish regularly using your researched keywords. Constantly update your content to ensure trustworthiness.

Tactics for Effective Link Building

Analyzing competitors and creating helpful content are some of the primary steps of your startup’s link-building strategy.

After you complete these basic tasks, it’s time to utilize some effective tactics that will help you get links with little to no costs.

Here are a few tactics that we use over here at Rankpa: 

Guest Blogging

Guest blogging is when you write and publish content on someone else’s website to secure backlinks.

If a website in your niche has high authority, you can offer to write a blog for them and include links that point to your website. 

This will funnel a great deal of traffic and get you a valuable link from a trusted source.

Let’s look at a simplified version of the steps you need to take for guest blogging:

1. Look for blogs that are relevant to your niche and have a good following and domain authority (Tools like Moz’s Domain Authority Checker can help assess the quality of potential blogs).
2. Before pitching or writing a post, understand the target blog’s audience. Tailor your content to match their interests and needs to ensure it resonates with them.
3. Reach out to the target website. When pitching a guest post, personalize your email, explain why your content is a good fit for their blog, and how it will add value to their readers. A pitch for guest blogging could look like this.

Examples of a pitch for guest posting

4. Create informative, engaging, and well-written content. It should provide value to the host blog’s audience and encourage them to engage with your brand.
5. Include links back to your site naturally within the content. These should be relevant and add value to the reader. Avoid overstuffing your post with links to your site.
6. Aim for long-term relationships with host blogs for ongoing guest blogging opportunities. Regular contributions can solidify your authority and lead to more consistent link-building success.

Skyscraper Technique

Created by Brian Dean of Backlinko, the skyscraper technique is a super-effective trick to secure backlinks through content. 

Here’s how it works:

Step #1: Find popular, link-worthy content.

Step #2: Create even better content.

Step #3: Reach out to authoritative sources to secure links.

Let’s break it down as briefly as we can:

1. IdentifyPopular Content:

Find existing content in your niche that has attracted a significant number of backlinks.

Use tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or BuzzSumo to analyze which pieces of content have been most successful in terms of social shares, engagement, and backlinks.

2. Create Superior Content:

Create something that is considerably better. This could mean:

• Making it more comprehensive
• Updating outdated information
• Improving the design and readability
• Including original research 
• Including more multimedia elements like images and videos

3. Outreach: 

After creating your superior content, the next step is to promote it and get it in front of the right audience

Reach out to websites and individuals who linked to the original piece of content, informing them about your new and improved version.

Websites will naturally want to link to something valuable to their readers, and that’s why the skyscraper method works so well!

Networking with Influencers

Influencers or people with incredible reach in your niche have a large audience.

Having a backlink from their website or social media will drive a massive amount of traffic to their website. 

This is seen as a strong endorsement by search engines, thus enhancing your website’s authority.

You can use tools like BuzzSumo, Followerwonk, or HypeAuditor to find influencers in your field.

Directory Submissions

In 2024, links from web directories are not as substantial as links from high-authority sites. 

However, it is still a small ranking factor, especially for local businesses. 

Screenshot from BOTW.org

Web directories are databases that categorize and provide links to various websites.

Directory submissions can help in building a basic foundation of backlinks, especially for new websites. It can give you a small boost to start your link-building journey.

For local startups, having your business listed on websites like Yelp or Yellow Pages can help improve visibility.

Local Partnerships and Sponsorships

If your startup is looking to improve local SEO, collaborating with local businesses, organizations, or events can be an effective link building tactic.

Collaborate with other local businesses for joint promotions, events, or offers. These partnerships can result in reciprocal linking, which benefits both parties.

Sponsoring local events, sports teams, or charities can help you secure links from these organizations’ websites and social media platforms.

Monitoring Link Building Progress 

Let’s say you have secured some backlinks using outreach, guest blogging, and paid methods. Now, it’s time to see how the acquired links are affecting your startup’s website.

To analyze the quality of a link, you need to measure the following factors:

• Whether the linking site is relevant to your industry or niche
• The authority score of the domain referring to your site
• Referral traffic
• If the link is dofollow or nofollow
• The anchor text used in backlinks
• Link Placement

SEO tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush help you analyze your backlinks, the growth of your backlink profile over time, the anchor text used, and the geographic location of linking domains. 

Overcoming Common Challenges 

Link building is already a challenging process. 

On top of that, you will have to deal with even more issues as a startup.

The #1 challenge that comes into our mind is budget. 

As a startup, you have to do a lot with very little. While other businesses are spending $1,000 to $15,000 per month for their link-building campaign, you may not have the luxury to do so.

In this section, we will discuss how you can overcome such difficulties.

Dealing with Link Rejections

You will face way more rejections than approvals. Why?

As a startup, your website won’t have a high authority score or traffic. As a result, other websites will not be very excited to collaborate. 

It’s part of the process, and the start of the journey is the hardest. 

Here are a few tips on dealing with link rejection:

• Sometimes, the rejection provides an insight into what the site is looking for. Use this feedback to refine your approach.
• Rejection is part of the process. Stay professional and courteous in your responses, leaving the door open for future opportunities.
• If your initial proposal is rejected, consider offering alternative pieces of content that might be more aligned with the site’s interests.
• Use rejections as a cue to enhance the quality of your content. Make sure it’s informative, well-researched, and engaging.
• Don’t rely on a handful of sites for links. Continuously expand your list of prospects to increase your chances of successful placements.
• Sometimes, building a rapport with the site owner or editor over time is the key to turning a rejection into an acceptance.

Avoiding and Recovering from Penalties

Google penalizes websites that use black-hat SEO techniques like link schemes.

For example, you can get hundreds of links from several irrelevant and low-authority websites at a cheap cost. This will do more harm than good. 

As a result, it’s always better to focus on quality over quantity. Avoid schemes that promise quick links in large numbers.

If you identify harmful backlinks, use Google’s Disavow Tool to distance your site from these links.

If penalized, identify the reason, clean up your backlink profile, and submit a reconsideration request to Google. Be transparent about the steps taken to rectify the issue.

Resource Constraints

Now comes the question of limiting your cost. 

As a startup, you can save on your link-building budget through numerous methods:

• Leverage Free Tools: Use free versions of tools like Moz, Ahrefs, or Ubersuggest for basic link tracking and analysis. These won’t be as in-depth as paid tools, but they are a place to start.
• Content Collaboration: Engage in guest blogging, interviews, or content collaborations, which can be more resource-efficient than creating content independently.
• Focus on Local SEO: For startups, local link building can be more feasible and impactful. Engage with local communities, directories, and events for relevant links.
• Prioritize High-Impact Activities: Concentrate on link building strategies that require less investment but can yield significant results, like creating high-quality cornerstone content.
• Outsource Strategically: If budget allows, consider outsourcing certain SEO tasks to freelancers or agencies. This can be more cost-effective than hiring full-time specialists.

Advanced Link Building Strategies

It’s time to go beyond basic tactics. These advanced strategies are not the easiest, but they do bring excellent results:

Broken Link Building

Broken links are links that point to a page that does not exist.

According to Ahrefs study on link rot, over 60% of links from 2019 are dead.

Broken link building is when you find broken links on other websites and offer a page of your own site as a replacement. 

This is a win-win for both parties. You can secure a quality backlink, and the other website owner improves their site’s user experience by fixing a broken link.

Content Reclamation

Sometimes, your brand, content, or products can be mentioned without any links. 

Content reclamation is the process of finding such instances and contacting the webmaster for links.

Creating Linkable Assets

Create content that other websites cannot help but use and link to you. 

Such linkable assets can be:

• Infographics
• Original research
• Online tools
• Well-crafted guides

Final Words

The journey to securing high-quality backlinks is a long and complicated one.

Success, in this case, lies in finding strategies that work and eliminating those that don’t.

As a startup, your best bet is content!

Why Is Content Important for Link Building

Link building is undoubtedly one of the most crucial aspects of SEO. However, it is also the hardest!

According to a study by Conductor, 41% of SEO experts consider link building as the most challenging tactic, right above keyword research. 

As a result, executing proper strategies is more than needed to find success with link building, and one of the methods is content. 

When mentioning content, we are not only referring to guest posting, even though it is the most popular link building technique. 

Creating unique and linkable content can also help you secure quality backlinks. 

In this guide, we’ll get into the importance of (quality) content for link building, and you’ll also find some of the best strategies for success. 

Understanding Link Building in SEO

Google considers many criteria when ranking a website, and one of them is links. In fact, it’s one of the top factors for a site to rank on top. 

Before we dive into the topic of content’s role, it’s crucial to understand what link building is.

What is Link Building?

Link building is an effective SEO technique where the strategy is to get other websites to link to your website. 

Getting high-quality links point to your website means that Google will consider your website to have a high authority, allowing you to dominate SERP.

Link building strategies include, but are not limited to:

• Content creation and promotion
• Guest posting
• Broken link building 
• Skyscraper technique
• Influencer outreach
• Social media promotion
• Testimonials

How Link Building Impacts SEO

Not only does having quality backlinks direct traffic to your website but there are many other impacts of link building as well. Here are a few:

• Building Authority: Google and other search engines use links as one of the primary methods of determining the trustworthiness and authority of a website. When many reputable sites link to a page, it signals to search engines that the content is valuable and trustworthy.
• Referral Traffic: Having a referral backlink on a well-visited site will direct a lot of traffic to your website.
• Local SEO: Links from local newspapers, business directories, and events can improve local search engine rankings.

The Role of Content in Link Building

Content and link building have a symbiotic relationship. 

Well-made content results in quality backlinks, and backlinks increase the content’s visibility. 

As a result, you cannot ignore the importance of content as a successful strategy for attracting links.

Let’s explore this topic in-depth below:

Attracting Organic Backlinks

Having informative, exceptional and engaging content attracts backlinks.

When your content offers value, other websites are more likely to reference it in their articles, blogs, or resources.

For example, if your content has elements like infographics, comprehensive guides, or compelling narratives, it is highly sharable and will have a better chance of earning backlinks.

Building Relationships

When you reach out to other websites or influencers for link building, having stellar content gives you a strong footing.

Good content opens doors for guest posting, collaborations, and other partnerships, which are vital for building links.

Improving Search Engine Ranking

Search engines favor content that is seen as authoritative and relevant. 

Quality backlinks serve as endorsements, boosting the perceived value of your content in search engine algorithms.

For example, Backlinko’s incredible content on backlink strategies is one of the top results on Google for the keyword “best backlink strategy.” 

A quick search with Ahrefs reveals that this page has received over 2,500 backlinks. 

Diversifying Link Profile

Utilizing various types of content (like videos, podcasts, and case studies) can attract a broader range of backlinks from different types of domains.

Long-Term Benefits

Creating evergreen content ensures that your material remains relevant and continues to attract backlinks over time.

Regularly updating content keeps it current and relevant, which can attract new backlinks and maintain existing ones.

8 Strategies for Creating Link-Worthy Content

Now that you have a brief idea of the role of content in link building, it’s time to learn some strategies that will help the symbiotic relationship between content and links. 

Having boring content that does not provide any value will not attract backlinks, especially in a competitive niche. 

Therefore, your website must include well-made content, where the following strategies can help:

1. Focus on High-Quality, Original Research

Original research, surveys, and unique studies provide fresh data that is highly valuable and link-worthy.

In-depth reports on industry trends or insights position your content as a primary source of information.

For instance, we used several statistics from this content from AuthorityHacker, which compiles research from other credible sources and includes original data.

2. Create Comprehensive Guides and How-To Articles

Develop detailed, comprehensive guides that cover a topic extensively. These become go-to resources within your niche.

Practical, easy-to-follow tutorials and how-to articles are highly sought after and frequently linked to as useful resources.

3. Develop Thought Leadership Content

Share expert insights or opinions on current trends, future predictions, or industry changes.

Collaborate with industry influencers to create content, leveraging their authority and audience.

4. Utilize Visual Content

Well-designed infographics that visually present data or concepts are highly shareable and linkable.

Moreover, quality videos or podcasts that provide valuable content can earn backlinks from various platforms.

5. Leverage Data-Driven Content

Detailed case studies showcasing success stories or experiments are valuable for readers and are often cited in other content.

Compile and present statistics or data roundups on a specific topic, making your content a primary source for referencing.

6. Tap Into Trending Topics and Current Events

Use current events or trending topics as a springboard for content, linking your niche with something in the news.

Creating content that capitalizes on recent developments or upcoming events can generate immediate interest and backlinks.

7. Optimize for Readability and Engagement

Ensure your content is easily scannable with clear headings, bullet points, and short paragraphs.

Use storytelling to make your content more engaging and memorable.

8. Regularly Update Existing Content

Update your older content to keep it relevant, which can attract new links and maintain existing ones.

Content and Link-Building Tactics

Let’s say you have created highly valuable content for your own website that’s likely to bring in backlinks. While it’s one of the crucial elements to utilize content for link-building, it’s definitely not the only one.

Branching out to different avenues with content is the best approach to collecting valuable backlinks from reputable sources. Here are some strategies to consider:

Guest Blogging and Content Collaboration

Guest blogging is when you write and publish an article on someone else’s website or blog. Such posts allow you to gain backlinks, and you can always ensure the quality of the backlink by guest posting on a reputable site.

Guest blogging is also about building relationships with other industry influencers and bloggers, which can lead to more collaboration opportunities.

Collaborating with influencers, industry experts, or other bloggers to create content can also lead to shared promotion and backlinks.

Content Syndication

Republishing your content on other sites is called content syndication, and it is also another way of securing backlinks. However, the likeliness of getting high-quality links with content syndication is lower than guest posting.

Nonetheless, this is an effective technique for your website’s link building strategy. 

Here’s how you can get links with content syndication:

• Choose reputable platforms for syndication, like Medium, LinkedIn, or industry-specific forums.
• Ensure that the website republishing your content includes a link back to your original content to avoid SEO issues related to duplicate content.

Broken Link Building

Broken links are hyperlinks that do not point to any existing pages. 

The content of many reputable sites usually has some broken links due to the removal of pages, website restructuring, link rot, and human error, among other reasons. 

According to Linkody, around 8.03% of all links break within the first 3 months. 

If you have a compelling piece of content that can replace a broken link of other websites, it can be an excellent way of getting a quality backlink. This strategy is called broken link building.

Use tools to find broken links on websites within your niche. Once identified, you can contact the website owner and suggest your content to replace the broken link.

Sometimes, you may need to create new content that closely matches or improves upon the linked original content.

Using Social Media for Content Promotion and Links

Utilize platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram to share your content and engage with your audience.

Consider using paid promotions to increase the reach of your content to a targeted audience, which can also lead to more organic shares and links.

Tips for Effective Content and Link-Building Tactics

• Quality Over Quantity: Focus on creating high-quality content that provides value. Quality content naturally attracts more links.
• Consistency: Regularly produce and share content to maintain engagement and visibility.
• Engage and Follow Up: Actively engage with anyone who comments on or shares your content. Building relationships is key to successful link building.
• Monitor Your Backlinks: Use tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush to monitor your backlink profile and measure the effectiveness of your link-building efforts.

Final Words

Link building is one of the most important and hardest parts of SEO. In fact, 94% of all blog posts receive any backlink. 

Therefore, it’s essential to focus on quality content that will encourage reputable sites to link to your website.

So stop wasting money on repetitive content and start creating engaging posts that bring something new to the table!

8 SEO Conferences You Should Attend in 2024

Considering the constantly evolving trends in Google’s algorithm, attending a top-level SEO conference could be the best way to learn and adapt.

However, the world of digital marketing is not empty of con artists and fake experts, and finding the right seminar could be a challenge for newcomers in the field.

After looking at the numerous upcoming events related to digital marketing, we have compiled a strong list for you.

Here are the 8 most anticipated SEO conferences happening in 2024 worldwide.

1. Pubcon

Website: https://www.pubcon.com/pubcon-las-vegas-2024 

Address: MGM Luxor Hotel, Las Vegas, USA

Date: March 4-6

Price: $899

Featured Speakers: Jesse McDonald (IBM), Mark Irvine (SearchLab), Amanda Farley (Aimclear)

Pubcon will be focusing on the recent shift in the industry with the arrival of AI, as you will be learning about its integration in SEO, content marketing, and local search from the best minds. 

This will be the 23rd edition of the conference, where marketers, SEO professionals, and website owners can learn the new realities of search.

One of the best things about Pubcon is the networking opportunities it gives attendees with leading industry experts. 

Beyond the educational sessions, the conference promises entertaining activities, including a welcome reception and a closing ceremony.

2. SMX Munich

Website: https://smxmuenchen.de/en/ 

Address: ICM – Internationales Congress Center Munich, Am Messesee, 81829 Munich, Germany

Date: March 12 – 13

Price: €899

Featured Speakers: Rand Fishkin (SparkToro), Wil Reynolds (SEER Interactive), Andrey Lipattsev (Google)

The 2024 edition of SMX Munich promises to offer a mix of keynotes, sessions, and workshops led by esteemed experts in the field. 

One of the notable keynotes scheduled is “The Death of Marketing Attribution” by Rand Fishkin, which will dive into the changing landscape of online marketing attribution in light of recent policy and privacy changes, as well as tech advancements.

3. Digital Summit

Website: https://www.digitalsummit.com/ 

Address: Multiple states in the USA

Date: March 13-14; April 3-4; May 15-16; June 10-11; August 14-15

Price: $495 – $895

Featured Speakers: Seth Godin, Christine Den Herder (Amazon), Jerri Helms (HerperCollins Publishing)

In 2024, the Digital Summit conference series will continue its tradition of providing comprehensive training and networking opportunities for digital marketers. 

Digital Summit has planned 10 conferences in 2024:

• Orlando, FL (February 26-27)
• Las Vegas, NV (March 13-14)
• Chicago, IL (April 3-4)
• Kansas City, MO (May 15-16)
• Denver, CO (June 10-11)
• Minneapolis, MN (August 14-15)
• Philadelphia, PA (September 24-25)
• Atlanta, GA (October 3-4)
• Raleigh, NC (November 4-5)
• Dallas, TX (December 4-5)

The Digital Summit conference series is well-known for acknowledging relevant digital marketing trends, including AI & Chat GPT, B2B Marketing, Branding, Content Planning & Development, Creative & Design, Customer Journeys, Data & Analytics, Disruptive Tech, eCommerce, and more.

4. SMX Paris

Website: https://smxfrance.com/ 

Address: Étoile Business Center, Paris, France

Date: March 14 – 15

Price: €770

Featured Speakers: Thibault Berracasa (Bluelemon), Alberto Buron (Nricher), Noémie CLENET (APRR)

Focusing on search engine marketing (SEM) and optimization (SEO), SMX Paris will draw industry leaders to discuss the latest trends and strategies in online advertising.

You can look forward to an engaging program filled with insightful talks by over 50 professionals from France and abroad.

In its previous edition, SMX Paris featured keynote speakers like Lily Ray, Senior Director of SEO and Head of Organic Research at Amsive Digital, and Purna Virji, offering deep insights into SEO and content strategies. 

The success of the event is evident from the increasing number of participants each year, with 194 firms and 274 search professionals attending the 2023 edition.

5. BrightonSEO

Website: https://brightonseo.com/, https://us.brightonseo.com/ 

Address: The Brighton Centre, UK; Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego, USA

Date: UK: April 25 – 26; US: November 19 – 20

Price: UK: £0.00 – £780; US: $0 – $730

Featured Speakers: Aaron Rudman-Hawkins (The Evergreen Agency), Annika Haataja (Seeker Digital), Dan Taylor (SALT.agency), Kelly Sheppard (Sleeping Giant Media)

One of the world’s largest search marketing conferences is making a return in both the UK and the US.

From its beginning as a casual conversation in a pub to now being one of the most respected and popular events in the search marketing world, BrightonSEO has come a long way.

This event will feature two days of conference talks, fringe conferences specializing in topics like PPC, paid social, data and analytics, and digital PR, as well as one-day training workshops.

6. ContentTECH Summit

Website: https://content.tech/ 

Address: Virtual

Date: May 14-16

Price: Free

Featured Speakers: Michal Barash, Mike Lacey, David Boyle

If you’re looking for a virtual event, the ContentTECH Summit is an excellent option that will focus on the intersection of content, technology, and strategy.

You can expect to learn about the latest tech tools, strategies for content programs, and insights into marketing technology innovations at this event.

7. MozCon

Website: https://moz.com/mozcon 

Address: Seattle, USA

Date: June 3-4

Price: $299 – $1,699

Featured Speakers: Amanda Jordan (RicketyRoo), Crystal Carter (Wix), Azeem Ahmad (Azeem Digital)

Organized by Moz, MozCon is a popular conference in the world of SEO, and the 2024 rendition of it will take place at the Washington State Convention Center.

This time, there will be 20 speakers talking about generative AI, content marketing, and several aspects of SEO. 

If you can’t attend the physical conference, you can purchase livestream tickets.

8. International Search Summit

Website: https://webcertain.com/international-search-summit/barcelona/ 

Address: World Trade Center Barcelona

Date: November 14

Price: €145 – €750

Featured Speakers: TBA

World Trade Center in Barcelona will witness the International Search Summit conference, which is filled with talks that provide tips, tactics, and insights on improving online visibility in international markets.

The agenda typically includes a diverse range of topics, from international SEO and content strategies to audience engagement and paid media, addressing the unique challenges of managing international websites and global campaigns.​

Questions to Ask Digital Marketing Agency

Trying to find a suitable digital marketing agency could be a huge challenge, especially due to the sheer number of new companies in the industry.

As a result, initial interviews are your best method of getting a good idea of an agency you’re about to work with. 

Now, digital marketing comprises a multitude of fields, from SEO to influencer marketing. Therefore, your question should be specific to the services you need.

This article has compiled a list of essential questions you should ask before hiring a digital marketing agency. 

Whether you’re trying to find a suitable company to run your PPC ad campaigns or implement SEO strategies, you’ll find several questions related to specific fields.

General Digital Marketing Questions:

• What are your most successful projects in the past?
• Can you provide examples of similar businesses you have worked with?
• How much of your work is outsourced?
• Who will be responsible for the content creation process?
• What happens if we are not happy with the results?
• What are your methods of working with our team members?

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) Specific:

• Can you explain your approach to technical SEO audits and recommendations?
• How do you ensure the quality of backlinks?
• What tools do you use for tracking keyword rankings, and how often do you provide keyword ranking reports?
• How do you handle SEO for e-commerce websites, including product optimization and schema markup?

PPC (Pay-Per-Click) Advertising Specific:

• How do you structure PPC campaigns for maximum efficiency and relevance?
• Can you share examples of A/B testing or split testing strategies you’ve employed to improve ad performance?
• What bidding strategies do you use for different types of campaigns, such as search, display, or video ads?
• How do you optimize landing pages to improve the conversion rate of PPC traffic?
• Can you explain your approach to remarketing campaigns and audience segmentation?

Social Media Marketing Specific:

• How do you create and maintain a consistent brand voice and image across different social media platforms?
• Can you provide examples of successful influencer marketing collaborations you’ve managed?
• What metrics do you use to measure the success of social media advertising campaigns?
• How do you handle crisis communication and negative feedback on social media channels?
• Can you share your approach to social media advertising budget allocation and ROI tracking?

Content Marketing Specific:

• How do you conduct content gap analysis and identify content opportunities within a niche?
• Can you explain your content promotion and distribution strategies beyond publishing on the website?
• What’s your approach to content personalization and segmentation for different audience segments?
• Can you share examples of evergreen content pieces that have consistently driven traffic and engagement?
• How do you repurpose and update existing content to keep it relevant over time?

Email Marketing Specific:

• What email marketing automation platforms and tools do you recommend and use?
• How do you segment email lists to deliver personalized content and offers?
• Can you provide examples of successful email drip campaigns or lead nurturing sequences you’ve implemented?
• How do you ensure high deliverability rates and avoid emails ending up in spam folders?
• Can you explain your strategy for re-engaging inactive email subscribers?

Analytics and Reporting Specific:

• What custom dashboards and reporting tools do you use to provide clients with real-time insights?
• How do you attribute conversions to different marketing channels and touchpoints in the customer journey?
• Can you share examples of how you’ve used data to identify and address performance bottlenecks?
• What data privacy and security measures do you have in place when handling sensitive client data?
• How do you use predictive analytics to forecast future campaign performance and trends?

Budget and ROI (Return on Investment) Specific:

• How do you allocate budget across various marketing channels and campaigns based on performance data?
• Can you provide examples of strategies you’ve used to optimize ROI for clients with limited budgets?
• What contingency plans do you have in case a campaign is not delivering the expected ROI?
• How do you calculate customer acquisition cost (CAC) and customer lifetime value (CLV) to assess ROI?
• Can you explain your approach to measuring the incremental impact of digital marketing on offline sales or conversions?

Creativity and Innovation Specific:

• Can you share examples of out-of-the-box campaign ideas that yielded exceptional results?
• What tools or methodologies do you use for brainstorming and ideation sessions?
• How do you leverage emerging technologies, such as AI or AR, in your marketing strategies?
• How do you measure the success and ROI of innovative marketing experiments or pilot campaigns?

Mobile Optimization Specific:

• How do you ensure that mobile landing pages are optimized for speed and user experience (UX)?
• Can you provide examples of mobile-specific ad creatives and campaigns you’ve managed?
• What strategies do you employ to leverage mobile apps for user engagement and conversions?
• How do you handle mobile SEO, including mobile-friendly website design and app indexing?
• Can you share instances where you’ve used mobile advertising to drive in-store foot traffic for brick-and-mortar businesses?

Crisis Management and Reputation Management Specific:

• What steps do you take to proactively monitor and manage online reviews and reputation?
• Can you provide examples of reputation recovery campaigns you’ve executed for clients?
• How do you handle social media crises, negative PR, or viral backlash on behalf of clients?
• What legal and ethical considerations do you take into account when addressing reputation issues?
• Can you share a specific case where you turned a reputation crisis into an opportunity for brand improvement?

Communication Process:

• What is your preferred method of communication with clients (e.g., email, phone, video calls, project management tools)?
• How often can we expect updates and progress reports on our campaigns?
• Do you have a dedicated account manager or point of contact for each client?
• How do you handle communication during non-business hours or holidays, especially for time-sensitive campaigns?

Billing Process:

• What is your pricing structure for the services you offer (e.g., hourly rates, monthly retainer, project-based, performance-based)?
• Can you explain your refund policy in the event that the project is terminated prematurely?
• Are there any hidden fees I should be aware of?

Ensure that the answers provided to these questions meet the expectations and goals related to your digital marketing project. 

What Is the Difference Between a Brand Keyword and a Non-Brand Keyword

As the term implies, branded keywords are queries that include the names of brands/companies. In contrast, non-branded keywords don’t include any brand terms. 

As you start your SEO campaign, you’re probably going to focus more on generalized, non-branded keywords. However, is it the right strategy all the time? 

And is it better to create separate campaigns for branded and non-branded keywords? 

Both non-branded and branded keywords have their place in your SEO plan. In this guide, we’ll go in-depth about the core differences between the two and how you can utilize them to grow your brand, dominate SERP, and increase CTRs. Let’s get started:

What Are Brand Keywords

Search terms, including the name of your brand, unique product names, and variations of your company name, are brand keywords. 

Some examples of brand keywords:

• iPhone 14
• Amazon Prime 
• Samsung Galaxy S23
• Rankpa guest posting

Brand keywords are usually navigational, as users searching with brand terms know exactly what they are looking for. 

For example, someone searching “Rankpa guest posting” intends to visit Rankpa’s official website, contrary to users searching “guest posting services.”

What Are Non-Brand Keywords

Keywords without any brand-specific search terms are non-brand keywords. For example:

• Android phones
• Fishing gear
• Laptops under $500
• Digital marketing company

Non-brand keywords are usually search terms about products, services, or topics related to any brand in a specific field. 

Brand vs Non-Brand Keywords: What Are the Differences

Before heading into the topic of use cases for brand and non-brand keywords, let’s look at the primary differences between them:

Cost

When it comes to cost per click (CPC), brand keywords are relatively cheaper than non-brand ones, especially when the brand is pretty new.

For example, the CPC rates for “Rankpa” are going to be much cheaper than queries like “link building agency.” 

Competition

Non-brand keywords will have more competition as brand-related keywords tend to be more specific. 

Thousands of companies are competing for keywords related to your products or services. 

However, this does not mean that other companies won’t use your brand name in their campaigns, as this happens frequently in highly competitive industries. 

For example, at the time of writing, the SERP for the query  “xiaomi redmi a3” showed a page from GSMArena.com as the first result over Xiaomi’s own official page.

Conversion

When someone searches for “Rankpa SEO services” on Google, the user knows exactly what they are looking for and will most likely click on one of our pages. 

On the other hand, someone searching for “SEO services” will be met with thousands of options. Therefore, the likelihood of them clicking on Rankpa’s pages will significantly go down.

As you can see, brand keywords have way better conversion rates, attracting visitors who are already looking for a specific brand. 

However, users searching brand keywords are already likely to make a purchase. So, even if it may seem as though your brand keywords are bringing in customers, users may already be familiar with your brand and have decided to make a purchase before searching on Google. 

Does this mean you should not invest in brand keywords? Not really! Keep reading to find out more.

Targeting

Non-brand keywords target new customers for your company. 

People searching with brand keywords are already familiar with your organization. 

For example, if you’re searching for a “keyboard for gaming,” you are likely to have not decided on a brand and are exploring different options. 

On the other hand, if your query is “Logitech gaming keyboard,” you may have already decided on getting Logitech’s mouse. 

Overall, when it comes to targeting, brand keywords usually serve the purpose of being navigational, while non-brand keywords can bring new visibility to your company. 

When to Use Brand Keywords

People searching with brand keywords already have some idea about your brand. Their search intent could be –

• Trying to learn more about your brand
• Looking for comparisons between your brand and other options
• Searching for reviews
• Wanting to make a purchase

Considering these search intents, you should compete for brand keywords in the following situations:

1. Controlling SERP

With proper utilization of brand keywords, you control how the search results on Google are for your brand. Ideally, you want to make it as easy as possible for your customers to find you. 

This is an example of how the SERP should look when people search for your brand on Google. 

2. Getting Ahead of Competitors

If you are in a highly competitive industry, other companies may try to bid on your brand name to manipulate the SERP and get your customers swayed. 

Building a strong profile with your brand keywords prevents this from happening.

3. Controlling Customer Perspective

A lot of the time, people will search for your brand to learn more and compare it with other brands. They are not yet fully converted, and the information on the SERP will help them decide.

Therefore, you would prefer to have positive reviews and helpful information show up when potential customers search for your brand. 

When to Use Non-Brand Keywords

People searching with non-brand keywords want to learn more about different brands before purchasing. As a result, you would want to use non-brand keywords in the following instances:

1. Attracting New Customers

Non-brand keywords can help you attract new customers who are not familiar with your brand. As a result, they are naturally more competitive.

If you are a new brand competing in the market, it’s likely that people are unaware of your brand. In that case, you’ll have to compete for non-brand keywords to get your first customers from the search engine.

2. Building Brand Awareness

Having high positions on the SERP for non-brand keywords can also help with your brand awareness. 

For example, a person researching for monitors with queries like “best monitor for graphic designing” will find out about several brands. You would want your brand to be one of them to increase awareness and attract new customers.

Utilizing Both Brand and Non-Brand Keywords

Just because you are a new brand in a competitive market, it does not mean that you should only invest in non-brand keywords. Using both brand and non-brand keywords in your marketing campaigns can secure the best results.

If you are a well-known brand with a stream of customers, your focus should mainly be on brand keywords while investing in non-brand queries to attract new customers. 

New brands should primarily focus on non-brand keywords while also investing as much as possible in brand keywords to control their SERP.

Final Takeaway

Using both brand and non-brand keywords is essential for maximum growth. After realizing this, your next step should be creating a sustainable strategy for your PPC campaign.

Create different campaigns for both kinds of keywords to keep track of your spending. This strategy will help you determine which one from brand and non-brand keywords are bringing in the most conversion.