The document discusses the significance of backlinks in SEO, emphasizing that not all links hold equal value and that understanding link equity is crucial. It presents four case studies demonstrating how a single high-quality backlink can drastically improve a website's rankings and traffic. Additionally, it outlines a 'golden link toolkit' for evaluating potential links before and after coverage, focusing on authority, relevance, and performance metrics.

2. @duncseo
I am addictedto understanding backlink results.

3. @duncseo
Today, I’m going to share 4 case studieswith you

4. @duncseo
4 case studieswith immensebacklink results.

5. Do PRs know which links really count?
@duncseo

6. @duncseo
In fact - does anyone know which links really count?!

7. 56% of PRs consider ‘link building for SEO’ as a PR offering
@duncseo

8. We need a clear understanding of link equity.
@duncseo

9. @duncseo
Track & measurelink benefit.

10. @duncseo
Zero relevance
=
Zero link equity.

11. Can 1 link set a
website on fire?
@duncseo

12. spike.digital |12
“Therecouldbeonereallygoodlinkfromonewebsiteouttherethatis,for
us,areallyimportantsignthatweshouldtreatthiswebsiteassomething
thatisrelevantbecauseithasthatonelink.”
JohnMueller
WebmastersTrendsAnalyst[Google]
@duncseo

13. We estimate is that this happens in
1-5% of PR coverage that contain links.
@duncseo

14. A definition of the highest (SEO) impact backlink
Pre-coverage
 overarching authority
 domain wide traffic
 page level content relevance
@duncseo

15. A definition of the highest (SEO) impact backlink
Pre-coverage
 overarching authority
 domain wide traffic
 page level content relevance
Post-coverage (analytics)
 page level context
 page level traffic
 page level ranking
@duncseo

16. What do SEOs think of this?
@duncseo

17. Links aren’t equal
“Not all links are created equal.”
Chris Algar, Head of SEO at Sykes Cottages
@duncseo

18. Links aren’t equal
“…it is a voting system. It's the same
system we chose presidents and prime
ministers. Not all votes are equal and
the votes with the most cash and
loudest megaphones, mean more. ”
Emile Rossouw, founder @ Digital Score
@duncseo

19. This becomes the toolkit
Pre-coverage
 overarching authority
 domain wide traffic
 page level content relevance
Post-coverage (analytics)
 page level context
 page level traffic
 page level ranking
@duncseo

20. When 1 Link Sets A
Website On Fire
Case Study #1 (2019)
@duncseo

21. Reactive PR
@duncseo

22. Reactive PR
Journalist Company Owner
News article relating to a
product shortage, which the
company owner was an
authority to comment upon.
@duncseo

23. Reactive PR
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24. What happened?
@duncseo

25. Zero top 3s in May 2019 –> 8 top 3s in December 2019
Source:
Semrush
Article goes live Aug 24th
2019
@duncseo

26. Page level links / ranking
Backlinks (1 from pharmacynetworknews.com)
13
Ranking Keywords (all product specific)
25
Page 1 phrases (product specific)
3
@duncseo

27. 1 link.
@duncseo

28. When 1 Link Set’s A
Website On Fire
Case Study #2 (2020 - 21)
@duncseo

29. “Can you get me a couple of amazing links to this page…?”
Duncan
(SEO)
Andre
(PR)
Long form ‘how to’ article
created, outreached and placed
on 1 high authority website.
@duncseo

30. What happened?
@duncseo

31. Zero top 3s in September 2020 –> 25 top 3s in February 2021
Source:
Semrush
Article goes live Oct 19th 2020
@duncseo

32. We ticked these boxes
 overarching authority
 domain wide traffic
 page level content relevance
 page level context
 page level traffic
 page level ranking
 link context
@duncseo

33. Domain strength
@duncseo

34. Page level relevance & context
0.00%
0.50%
1.00%
1.50%
2.00%
2.50%
3.00%
3.50%
Website ecomm. conversion rate Backlink ecomm. conversion rate
@duncseo

35. Page level links / ranking
Backlinks (1 from Yahoo.com)
20
Ranking Keywords (all product specific)
31
Page 1 phrases (product specific)
2
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36. 1 link.
@duncseo

37. When 1 Link Sets A
Website On Fire
Link earning Case Study
#3 (2017 - 21)
‘How to’ content in the
lighting industry
@duncseo

38. @duncseo

39. When 1 Link Sets A
Website On Fire
Case Study #4 (2018 - 21)
‘How to’ content in the
health sector
@duncseo

40. @duncseo

41. Anchor text is still a strong signal for link equity
@duncseo

42. As a side point on anchor text
• Google is now telling its users that anchor
text (from the right type of resource) is
important
@duncseo

43. Toolkit

44. Golden Link Toolkit
@duncseo

45. Golden Link Toolkit (pre-coverage)
• Authority/Traffic indicators.
• Website traffic (Semrush /
Similarweb)
@duncseo

46. Golden Link Toolkit (pre-coverage)
• Authority/Traffic indicators.
• Website traffic (Semrush / Similarweb)
• Brand search volume (Google ads, Semrush, Ahrefs)
@duncseo

47. Golden Link Toolkit (pre-coverage)
• Authority/Traffic indicators.
• Website traffic (Semrush/Similar Web)
• Brand search volume (Google ads, Semrush, Ahrefs)
• Is the website featured in Google News?
@duncseo

48. Golden Link Toolkit (pre-coverage)
How to check a website is in
Google News:
Use the site: search operator in
the Google News tab.
@duncseo

49. This is the toughest one…
@duncseo

50. Golden Link Toolkit (pre-coverage)
• Page level content relevance
• What is the article’s ‘main content’?
‘Main Content (MC) is any part of the page that directly
helps the page achieve its purpose. MC is (or should be!)
the reason the page exists.
The quality of the MC plays a very large role in the Page
Quality rating of a webpage’
(search quality evaluator guidelines)
https://static.googleusercontent.com/media/guidelines.rate
rhub.com/en//searchqualityevaluatorguidelines.pdf
@duncseo

51. Golden Link Toolkit (post-coverage)
• Link context
• Deep pages offer the search engine some specificity; as does ‘anchor text’
• Is the link a ‘vote’ in favour of the target landing page?
• Is the outbound link ‘qualified’ or clean?
@duncseo

52. Outreach Analytics Toolkit (post-coverage)
• Page level content relevance
• What is the article’s ‘main content’?
• Link context
• Page level traffic/rankings
• Use Semrush or Similarweb to track page level traffic/organic search rankings.
@duncseo

53. Track organic growth of a placement (Semrush)
• Filter your targeted ‘main content’ topic
@duncseo

54. Track in relation to ‘main content’ phrase (Semrush)
• Filtered by: ‘Engagement rings’ / Top 3
@duncseo

55. Summary
@duncseo

56. Make impact with links
• Being 100% on-point is a pre-requisite.
• Track your coverage in terms of traffic and keyword
rankings. Is it a good page?
• Monitor your website once a link goes live, filtering
by the ‘main content’ theme.
• Create relevant, evergreen content for pitching.
These are your link earners.

57. Good luck finding those
golden links!
@duncseo

58. Check these out
@duncseo

59. Some resources on getting the right backlinks
The Magic Of Link Building (Nitin Manchanda) (https://www.semrush.com/webinars/seo-bytes-
with-nitin-the-magic-of-link-building/)
Ultimate Guide to Link Building: How to Build Website Authority, Increase Traffic and Search
Ranking with Backlinks (Eric Ward, Garrett French) (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ultimate-Guide-
Link-Building-Credibility/dp/1599184427)
Link Building Debunked: Discover the Secret to Earning Huge Backlinks Without Hiring an SEO
Agency Kindle Edition (Matt LaClear) (https://www.amazon.com/Link-Building-Debunked-
Discover-Backlinks-ebook/dp/B06XYTHFR4)
@duncseo