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Link building case studies, myths & fails
ProSEO 2011
“What did you say then, which you could say now, and it would mean something different?”
Link building in 2017
What does it look like?
But…
RankBrain
Machine Learning
AI
Voice search
Assistants
This is all cool stuff
But then I see this…
Content-driven link building campaign
119% increase in organic traffic
Thinking about the future is cool (you should!)
But that’s not what this talk is about
I’m a pragmatist, I like results
I love links
But, you need big budget for links in 2017, right?
Actually, no. I’ll show you why.
But you do need these things…
You need… Visual assets, preferably interactive
You need… Visual assets, preferably interactive Visualise cool data
You need… Visual assets, preferably interactive Visualise cool data Recognisable brand
You need… Visual assets, preferably interactive Visualise cool data Recognisable brand Relationships with journalists
You need… Visual assets, preferably interactive Visualise cool data Recognisable brand Relationships with journalists You ...
You need… Visual assets, preferably interactive Visualise cool data Recognisable brand Relationships with journalists You ...
You need… Visual assets, preferably interactive Visualise cool data Recognisable brand Relationships with journalists You ...
These are all preconceptions
I had them
I’m going to show you case studies where we didn’t always have these things
Small companies Large companies Budget Team size
96% of UK businesses employ 0-9 staff Source
If we were going to work in that space, what would it look like?
I’m going to show you
7 case studies 3 content pieces that totally bombed 2 terrible outreach experiences
…and the stupidest thing I’ve done for a link
Let’s talk case studies, myths & mistakes
Case Study #1 A slow starter Myth - you need to visualise cool data
Can you see the story?
Started very slow
Then we noticed something
We pushed that angle harder
Toyota logos…
150+ pieces of coverage with 77 links
It’s ok to start slow, but watch the coverage you get closely and react
Be sure to display big images within a lightbox or popup
Case study #2 How to reduce risk in link building Myth – you only get one shot at getting it right
Idea Production Outreach Content-driven link building process
It can work very well
But carries risk
Create content around several events
Plug in new data and promote again
Case study #3 Low budget campaign and a lesson in going viral Myth – you need big budget & to go viral
I thought that going viral was a requirement
“Links work, sometimes” Tom Capper SearchLove San Diego 2017
Slow and steady can win the race
Launched June 2016, now has just over 50 links and counting
We’ve now produced lots of content for them Not a single one has gone viral
It’s consistency that wins – not going viral
Case study #4 Learning from traditional PR Myth – you need a visual, linkable asset
Traditional PR doesn’t need visual content
Take traditional PR principles & apply them to digital
You need some data, information or an opinion that is different
You need relevance & timeliness
Write one press release or a piece of advisory copy (tips, tactics, takeaways)
Pitch this into several sites, letting them take the bits most relevant to them
In 12 months… 100 links profiling one person – no infographics or visuals
Great for B2B and low-budget clients
Case Study #5 Relationships and brands aren’t everything Myth – you need to be a brand & have great relationships
“Just because you are worthy, doesn’t mean you’re newsworthy.” David Henderson, CBS News
Journalists don’t give a shit about what brand you are or what history you have with them
The story wasn’t clear
Journalists we’d worked with before weren’t returning emails
Being a brand wasn’t enough
Relationships can be hard to build
Also, there's no such thing as National Tolkien Reading Day. It's just Tolkien Reading Day and it's an international eve...
Also, there's no such thing as National Tolkien Reading Day. It's just Tolkien Reading Day and it's an international eve...
Case Study #6 Launching content on a Friday Myth – you need to launch at the right time
“I’ve got a random idea for a client.”
“I’ve got a random idea for a client.” “It won’t work, but try it anyway.”
Took a couple of hours
Launched on a Friday at 2pm
…by 5pm.
Lowest budget piece of content we’ve ever launched
Case Study #7 Sometimes, shit happens Myth – you don’t need to launch at the right time
US Election data from Google Trends
US Election data from Google Trends Don’t launch you content here
Revisit content and relaunch
And finally…
The stupidest thing I’ve ever done for links
What happens when you eat chillies…
What happens when you eat chillies…
What happens when you eat chillies…
What happens when you eat chillies…
I’d like to say it was worth it
How many links?
Zero
To wrap up
These things are important
But, you need big budget for links in 2017, right?
You need… Visual assets, preferably interactive Visualise cool data Recognisable brand Relationships with journalists You ...
But hopefully I’ve convinced you that you don’t need all of them
You can’t rely on links alone
There isn’t a single answer to making your website link worthy
Brand, product, experience, price, reputation, trustworthiness
Forget these, link building may as well be dead for you
Small companies Large companies Budget Team size
Thank you! paddy@aira.net
Link building case studies, myths and fails - SearchLove 2017
Link building case studies, myths and fails - SearchLove 2017
Link building case studies, myths and fails - SearchLove 2017
Link building case studies, myths and fails - SearchLove 2017
Link building case studies, myths and fails - SearchLove 2017
Link building case studies, myths and fails - SearchLove 2017
Link building case studies, myths and fails - SearchLove 2017
Link building case studies, myths and fails - SearchLove 2017
Link building case studies, myths and fails - SearchLove 2017
Link building case studies, myths and fails - SearchLove 2017
Link building case studies, myths and fails - SearchLove 2017
Link building case studies, myths and fails - SearchLove 2017
Link building case studies, myths and fails - SearchLove 2017
Link building case studies, myths and fails - SearchLove 2017
Link building case studies, myths and fails - SearchLove 2017
Link building case studies, myths and fails - SearchLove 2017
Link building case studies, myths and fails - SearchLove 2017
Link building case studies, myths and fails - SearchLove 2017
Link building case studies, myths and fails - SearchLove 2017
Link building case studies, myths and fails - SearchLove 2017
Link building case studies, myths and fails - SearchLove 2017
Link building case studies, myths and fails - SearchLove 2017
Link building case studies, myths and fails - SearchLove 2017
Link building case studies, myths and fails - SearchLove 2017
Link building case studies, myths and fails - SearchLove 2017
Link building case studies, myths and fails - SearchLove 2017
Link building case studies, myths and fails - SearchLove 2017
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Link building case studies, myths and fails - SearchLove 2017

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Link building case studies, myths and fails, presented by Paddy Moogan at Distilled SearchLove London.

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Link building case studies, myths and fails - SearchLove 2017

  1. 1. Link building case studies, myths & fails
  2. 2. ProSEO 2011
  3. 3. “What did you say then, which you could say now, and it would mean something different?”
  4. 4. Link building in 2017
  5. 5. What does it look like?
  6. 6. But…
  7. 7. RankBrain
  8. 8. Machine Learning
  9. 9. AI
  10. 10. Voice search
  11. 11. Assistants
  12. 12. This is all cool stuff
  13. 13. But then I see this…
  14. 14. Content-driven link building campaign
  15. 15. 119% increase in organic traffic
  16. 16. Thinking about the future is cool (you should!)
  17. 17. But that’s not what this talk is about
  18. 18. I’m a pragmatist, I like results
  19. 19. I love links
  20. 20. But, you need big budget for links in 2017, right?
  21. 21. Actually, no. I’ll show you why.
  22. 22. But you do need these things…
  23. 23. You need… Visual assets, preferably interactive
  24. 24. You need… Visual assets, preferably interactive Visualise cool data
  25. 25. You need… Visual assets, preferably interactive Visualise cool data Recognisable brand
  26. 26. You need… Visual assets, preferably interactive Visualise cool data Recognisable brand Relationships with journalists
  27. 27. You need… Visual assets, preferably interactive Visualise cool data Recognisable brand Relationships with journalists You need to go viral
  28. 28. You need… Visual assets, preferably interactive Visualise cool data Recognisable brand Relationships with journalists You need to go viral To launch at the right time
  29. 29. You need… Visual assets, preferably interactive Visualise cool data Recognisable brand Relationships with journalists You need to go viral To launch at the right time
  30. 30. These are all preconceptions
  31. 31. I had them
  32. 32. I’m going to show you case studies where we didn’t always have these things
  33. 33. Small companies Large companies Budget Team size
  34. 34. 96% of UK businesses employ 0-9 staff Source
  35. 35. If we were going to work in that space, what would it look like?
  36. 36. I’m going to show you
  37. 37. 7 case studies 3 content pieces that totally bombed 2 terrible outreach experiences
  38. 38. …and the stupidest thing I’ve done for a link
  39. 39. Let’s talk case studies, myths & mistakes
  40. 40. Case Study #1 A slow starter Myth - you need to visualise cool data
  41. 41. Can you see the story?
  42. 42. Started very slow
  43. 43. Then we noticed something
  44. 44. We pushed that angle harder
  45. 45. Toyota logos…
  46. 46. 150+ pieces of coverage with 77 links
  47. 47. It’s ok to start slow, but watch the coverage you get closely and react
  48. 48. Be sure to display big images within a lightbox or popup
  49. 49. Case study #2 How to reduce risk in link building Myth – you only get one shot at getting it right
  50. 50. Idea Production Outreach Content-driven link building process
  51. 51. It can work very well
  52. 52. But carries risk
  53. 53. Create content around several events
  54. 54. Plug in new data and promote again
  55. 55. Case study #3 Low budget campaign and a lesson in going viral Myth – you need big budget & to go viral
  56. 56. I thought that going viral was a requirement
  57. 57. “Links work, sometimes” Tom Capper SearchLove San Diego 2017
  58. 58. Slow and steady can win the race
  59. 59. Launched June 2016, now has just over 50 links and counting
  60. 60. We’ve now produced lots of content for them Not a single one has gone viral
  61. 61. It’s consistency that wins – not going viral
  62. 62. Case study #4 Learning from traditional PR Myth – you need a visual, linkable asset
  63. 63. Traditional PR doesn’t need visual content
  64. 64. Take traditional PR principles & apply them to digital
  65. 65. You need some data, information or an opinion that is different
  66. 66. You need relevance & timeliness
  67. 67. Write one press release or a piece of advisory copy (tips, tactics, takeaways)
  68. 68. Pitch this into several sites, letting them take the bits most relevant to them
  69. 69. In 12 months… 100 links profiling one person – no infographics or visuals
  70. 70. Great for B2B and low-budget clients
  71. 71. Case Study #5 Relationships and brands aren’t everything Myth – you need to be a brand & have great relationships
  72. 72. “Just because you are worthy, doesn’t mean you’re newsworthy.” David Henderson, CBS News
  73. 73. Journalists don’t give a shit about what brand you are or what history you have with them
  74. 74. The story wasn’t clear
  75. 75. Journalists we’d worked with before weren’t returning emails
  76. 76. Being a brand wasn’t enough
  77. 77. Relationships can be hard to build
  78. 78. Also, there's no such thing as National Tolkien Reading Day. It's just Tolkien Reading Day and it's an international event.
  79. 79. Also, there's no such thing as National Tolkien Reading Day. It's just Tolkien Reading Day and it's an international event. We invented it, so we should know.
  80. 80. Case Study #6 Launching content on a Friday Myth – you need to launch at the right time
  81. 81. “I’ve got a random idea for a client.”
  82. 82. “I’ve got a random idea for a client.” “It won’t work, but try it anyway.”
  83. 83. Took a couple of hours
  84. 84. Launched on a Friday at 2pm
  85. 85. …by 5pm.
  86. 86. Lowest budget piece of content we’ve ever launched
  87. 87. Case Study #7 Sometimes, shit happens Myth – you don’t need to launch at the right time
  88. 88. US Election data from Google Trends
  89. 89. US Election data from Google Trends Don’t launch you content here
  90. 90. Revisit content and relaunch
  91. 91. And finally…
  92. 92. The stupidest thing I’ve ever done for links
  93. 93. What happens when you eat chillies…
  94. 94. What happens when you eat chillies…
  95. 95. What happens when you eat chillies…
  96. 96. What happens when you eat chillies…
  97. 97. I’d like to say it was worth it
  98. 98. How many links?
  99. 99. Zero
  100. 100. To wrap up
  101. 101. These things are important
  102. 102. But, you need big budget for links in 2017, right?
  103. 103. You need… Visual assets, preferably interactive Visualise cool data Recognisable brand Relationships with journalists You need to go viral To launch at the right time
  104. 104. But hopefully I’ve convinced you that you don’t need all of them
  105. 105. You can’t rely on links alone
  106. 106. There isn’t a single answer to making your website link worthy
  107. 107. Brand, product, experience, price, reputation, trustworthiness
  108. 108. Forget these, link building may as well be dead for you
  109. 109. Small companies Large companies Budget Team size
  110. 110. Thank you! paddy@aira.net

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