With the newest Google algorithm changes, penalties have been taken on many websites for unnatural and artificial linkbuilding tactics.  This update hit websites that used black hat SEO practices particularly hard, but it also affected many seemingly appropriate linkbuilding strategies. Because of these changes, careful, strategic, and natural linkbuilding is more important than ever. In the first part of this blog series by Rebecca, she talked about building natural links through event sponsorship, answering questions, holding contests, attending industry trade shows, and using public relations tactics. Let’s take a look at some additional ways to build great natural links.

Product Reviews

If you’d like to get the word out about a new products, reaching out to bloggers for a product review is a great idea. Many blogs regularly review products, services, and events, and offering a free item (or one at a significant discount) offers excellent incentive for bloggers to write about your new product. You can guide them to use the anchor text that you specify in order to maximize your links.

Another way to get links on product reviews is to search for existing reviews. Many blogs, such as The Impulsive Buy, specifically focus on reviewing brand new products found in the store. Once you find a blog post that already makes mention of your product, create a friendly and personalized email to contact the blogger about adding in a link. Setting Google Alerts is a handy way to monitor mentions of your brand, or products in your specific niche.

Pinterest

If your website is heavily dependent on pictures of clothes, design, beauty, entertainment, fashion, jewelry, photography, or food and recipes, your site is a natural fit for image sharing on Pinterest. Pinterest can generate great exposure for your brand through high quality, aesthetically pleasing photos of your products. It’s a great way to build a visual representation of your brand, find new followers who are interested in your products, and increase authority.

The trends in search engine optimization have been leading toward more social interaction, and Pinterest is a great way to communicate with people outside of your regular circles of interaction. The links on Pinterest became “nofollow” in March 2012, but that does not mean the links lack any value. Click-throughs on images on Pinterest are a great way to drive traffic to your site, especially now that Pinterest is the third most popular social network, behind Facebook and Twitter. In order for Pinterest to add value to your company, you need to be an online social butterfly. Be social, like, repin and comment on other users’ pins, and fly around to different pages to socialize with relevant users. Accounts that appear spammy will not gain a following like a comprehensive, personalized and organized Pinterest profile.

Legitimate Blog Networks

Before the changes of Panda, private blog networking websites like BuildMyRank.com, Unique Article Wizard, and SEOLinkVine were often used to bulk up link portfolios. In the past month, many of the links from these sites have either been deindexed or penalized. Does this mean that putting effort into any “blog network” site is a waste of time? Absolutely not.

There are many blog networks that are well-respected, moderated, and completely legitimate opportunities for linkbuilding. One of the most popular and robust blog networks is BlogHer. The site is geared toward women and divided up into several niches, such as family, sports, health, style, and tech. BlogHer operates an ad network to help bloggers monetize their blogs. They have stringent guidelines for what is posted on the site, where the links direct to, and have a no-tolerance policy for abuse and plagiarism. I have been a member of the BlogHer network for several years, and have not only found excellent content, but have created friendships and relationships with many bloggers within the network.

To join BlogHer, you just need to register for the website with your blog’s URL. Although the site has a feminine focus, there are male bloggers on the site as well. BlogHer does accept guest posted content, but they show preference to bloggers who are active in the network. Besides BlogHer, there are many other niche-specific blog networks. For instance, Entrepreneur.com accepts guest blog posts, is considered authoritative, and has a robust staff of industry experts on entrepreneurship. Search for networks within your niche or industry where you can interact with other users to gain credibility.

Testimonials

One great way to get the name of your brand out is through testimonials. Businesses love to get positive feedback, and asking them if they’d like a testimonial for their website is an excellent way to get your name and link on their site. They offer benefits to both the one who testifies, as well as the recipient. Testimonials are often placed on popular or important pages of a website, such as a homepage, which would be otherwise impossible with a standard link request. You can leverage existing relationships you have and ask if the site is interested in your feedback, and you will have a better chance getting a link by offering them something valuable.

What are some other tactics you use to build links using existing marketing strategies? I would love to hear your comments on how your linkbuilding has evolved, especially over the last few weeks since the most recent Google Panda and Penguin webspam updates.

Build Natural Links Through Existing Marketing Strategies – Part II is a post by SEO expert Nicole Bullock. For information about our SEO services or more great SEO tips and tricks, visit the SEO.com blog.

Social networking sites are important tools for Internet marketers. These sites are a way for companies to connect with fans of their products and services, and this is becoming apparent as more and more people spread the word through social media. Through Facebook Likes, Tweets, Pinterest Pins, and social bookmarks, companies can get an amazing return on investment for social efforts. But how do you tap into the power of social feedback from your customers?

Not every social interaction can be directly tied to ROI, but there is no value in ignoring your customers. Many companies have Facebook fan pages and Twitter accounts, but only a small percentage of these companies are using these tools to their full potential.  According to a recent post on Mashable Social Media, 85% of marketers believe customer insight is the greatest potential advantage of social media, but only 6% of businesses are actually using social media to collect social feedback.

There are several advantages to social media marketing over traditional marketing methods. Social insights are real and organic, helping marketers escape from potentially contrived feedback methods. In the social world, there is direct access to honest opinions and criticism. Individual users can be very powerful with social tools, having the ability to break a brand’s credibility with an influential negative comment. With this in mind, I suggest these ideas to help your social media efforts.

Invest Time Daily:

Because social networking allows real-time feedback, an hour’s effort here or there will not be enough. The most successful companies monitor their social tools 24/7, and will strive to respond to all comments in a timely manner.  50-75% of social chatter about a brand does not require any action, but finding the comments that require resolution is worth the time investment. Fans and followers will say what they think about your company, products, and marketing efforts without being prompted, and social media tells you what is working – quickly and directly. When it is not, you have a direct connection to help resolve concerns. These conversations can help mold your social strategy and brand perception.

Be Diverse:

Did you know there are over 200 social networking sites in use internationally? In addition to Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn, there many niche-specific social networking sites. These topic-specific sites range from sports to gaming. Research the social networking sites that are related to your industry and create a comprehensive profile. There is little reason to be on a site like Twitter if less than 10% of your target market is actively using it. Use social bookmarking sites to follow industry trends by topic, and share bookmarked content.

Join the Conversation:

Engagement with customers and followers shows that you care about their feedback. Be authentic, and show that your brand has a personality. Ask questions, and respond to answers. Analyzing customer feedback and conversation can help you come up with strategy ideas that you would not create otherwise. Watch what is being said during product announcements to tweak how you do the next one. Find out what trends your followers like, and integrate those trends into your strategy. Follow and respond to your customers/followers reactions. Ask for opinions and you shall receive.

Recognize Loyal Followers:

When you have identified enthusiastic followers of your brand, tag them in Facebook posts and send @reply messages on Twitter. Publicly reward the people who promote you for free. Forge relationships with influential followers, and reach out to see if they are interested in a partnership as a brand ambassador. These brand ambassadors will represent the brand publicly in a positive way and educate consumers about a brand.  Brand ambassadors appeal to the human side of the product, offering personal stories and opinions to their network of influence.

Consider a Social Media Marketing Firm:

If your company does not have the expertise or manpower to manage social efforts, consider outsourcing to a social media firm. With a social marketing partnership, experts will manage profiles, create content, assist with blog marketing, and provide the education needed to help you make the most of various social tools. When selecting a firm to help with your social efforts, be sure to choose a firm that will tailor a marketing plan to your company’s specific needs. With the right assistance, you will present the best image possible and help potential clients become an engaged part of your community.

What other ways do you have to turn social feedback into valuable data? Would love to hear all about them in the comments below.

5 Ways To Turn Social Media Feedback Into Valuable Business Data is a post by SEO expert Nicole Bullock. For information about our SEO services or more great SEO tips and tricks, visit the SEO.com blog.

One of the most important ways to enhance your link portfolio is through guest blog posts. Finding a relevant blog with an engaged audience can be a daunting task, but the return on investment is potentially significant. There are hundreds of thousands of blogs on the internet, but how do you create a relationship with a blogger for a quality link opportunity? What is the best way to make first contact? As a blogger who has both received requests and pitches, and one who has pitched other bloggers, I’d like to give a few tips for reaching out to bloggers.

Be informed:

Read the first few blog posts and the writer’s “about me” section. If the site has a search bar, see if the topics you are hoping to have posted about are in line with other content on the site. Be familiar enough with the blogger to personalize an email to them, and always address them by name. Nobody wants to get an email that begins with “Dear influential blogger” or “To whom it may concern.”

Make contact via email or social media:

Many bloggers work from home, and those with kids are not always in a position to take a phone call. Check the blogger’s “Contact Me” section, which should say their preferred method of contact. If a blogger doesn’t accept promotional content, it is often noted in this section. Some bloggers like contact initiated on Twitter or a Facebook fan page. Sending an email is often the most effective way to get a timely response.

Be concise:

Nobody likes to get a long-winded email, especially when it’s from somebody they don’t know. Be personal. Explain why your product or service is relevant to their blog’s topics/focus. Explain why you have specifically chosen this blogger to promote your product or service. Give a detailed explanation of what you are hoping to have the blogger post for you, and how soon you need it. If you plan to compensate the blogger with money or product trade, the initial email is a good time to do so.

Be prepared:

If you plan to ask a blogger to post guest content, have it ready to send. Don’t expect things to be done for free. Ask if they want to write their own content, or have it written for them. Create a contract that specifies what is expected of them, when it must be completed, and how they will be compensated.

Keep the door open:

Sometimes a blogger is very interested in the chance to connect with a brand or cause, but the specific pitch is not a good fit. If your pitch is declined, it’s appropriate to ask if they are interested in being contacted for other opportunities. Because the bloggosphere is a tight-knit place, ask if they know another blogger who might be interested. There are many bloggers who are eager to begin creating a relationship with a brand, but just need an introduction.

With these tips in mind, create a base template for your first-contact email. I have a template that I begin almost every blog pitch with, and I add in details for the specific pitch and the recipient. The bloggers who respond and work with you often will be interested in future promotions. Approaching a blogger with a personal touch will yield the best results, and may lead to great guest blogging opportunities in the future.

How To Successfully Pitch A Blogger For A Guest Post is a post by SEO expert Nicole Bullock. For information about our SEO services or more great SEO tips and tricks, visit the SEO.com blog.

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Social bookmarking is a way for people to tag, share, organize, store, and search for useful links online. Instead of saving sites as bookmarks or favorites in your browser, you compile them online into a website you can reach from any computer. These bookmarks reference noteworthy links and can be private, public, or shared within a specified group.

Bookmarks are tagged for ease of search; for instance, you can tag a recipe site with “food,” and bookmarks set to public can be searched by other readers. Once a site is bookmarked, the item can be voted upon with a like, thumbs up or thumbs down, or other voting criteria. Each different site has a unique community element to it, with nicknames for their users, such as a “Redditor” on Reddit.

Bookmarking can be used as a search engine optimization tool, making the website where the article appeared more visible. Some sites pass on link juice, others use noFollow attribute .Social tagging, also known as folksonomy, is a process by which users add metadata and keywords to shared content. Social bookmarking sites are often a target of spam, which makes tagging a valuable step for weeding through the poor quality content. Social bookmarking sites have helped many lesser known sites become discoverable to a larger audience, particularly when bookmarks are shared on other social media sites.

Depending on the website, you can bookmark articles, news, images, video, or other miscellaneous content. Some of the most popular social bookmarking websites are Delicious, StumbleUpon, Digg, Reddit, Xydo, and Pinterest.

What is a Social Bookmarking Site? [Video FAQ Series] is a post by SEO expert Nicole Bullock. For information about our SEO services or more great SEO tips and tricks, visit the SEO.com blog.