#16: Creating Great Links that Boost Your Website's Ranking

In Episode #15 Eric and Neil talk about link building. When you want to up your rating on Google, you need to have strong links to sites with a good standing. Build relationships with sites similar to your industry, and put in the effort to get your links out there. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:25 – What is link building? 00:40 – Google and the value of links 01:05 – You get to the top ranking on Google by having strong content and links 01:30 – Not all links are created equal 01:45 – Google can discern the authority of your links 02:00 – How to build great links 02:10 – Ahrefs.com pulls up links on your competitors’ sites and ranks those links based on domain authority 02:30 – It’s like a richter scale 02:45 – You want a domain authority of 60 or higher 03:00 – Hit up those sites and ask if they would be willing to link to your content 03:35 – Email relevant sites to get them to link to you 04:00 – Tools like Outreach.io and PersistIQ will send emails out for you 04:30 – Don’t automate the process too much 04:45 – Guest posting is another way to get great links 04:55 – Look for sites that are relevant to you 05:20 – Make everything easy for the site you are reaching out to 05:40 – Link building should start with building a relationship 06:15 – Guest post to drive customers and help your brand 06:50 – Using broken links from sites that go down every day 07:20 – Google “broken link checker” 07:30 – Find broken links in your industry 07:40 – Put your URL into Archive.org and make a better version of the original site 08:05 – Email the sites linking to that dead page, and offer your new content 08:25 – 20 to 30% success rate with broken links 09:10 – Roundup building 09:25 – Create a roundup for your niche, and people will reach out to you 09:55 – Subscribe to learn more marketing tactics! 3 Key Points: Link to quality sites that are related to your industry. Make the process easy for the site you are reaching out to. Look at building links as a byproduct of building relationships. Resources Mentioned: Ahrefs.com – Helps you find sites where you can link your content Outreach.io and PersistIQ – Tools to send out automated emails Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

15 Aug 201613min

In Episode #14 Eric and Neil encourage you to use cu. Learn how to create engaging videos and build up your brand and customer base. Eric and Neil will give you simple, straightforward guidelines to leverage the future of Facebook. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:25 – How to leverage Facebook Live 00:35 – It allows you to broadcast what you’re doing live. 01:00 – It’s a more personal experience with your customers 01:15 – Videos on Facebook will continue to grow 01:30 – The importance of Facebook Live 01:40 – Videos are pushed to the top of a newsfeed 02:00 – You get more comments, views, and shares 2:30 – Competitors, like Snapchat and YouTube 03:00 – This is one way to build a brand 03:15 – An opportunity to stand out and get people to buy from you 03:30 – Neil’s experience with Facebook Live is that the longer you stay on, the more people will view it 04:00 – Likes, shares, and comments will get your video to do better 04:30 – Neil does a Q and A on his live videos to get more comments 04:50 – Waiting rooms before a live video 05:35 – Playing two live videos at once 06:00 – Educational videos can drive business 06:30 – If you want the most engagement, announce your video the day before 06:50 – Timing makes a huge difference. Be consistent with when you do a Facebook Live video. 07:40 – Facebook Insights will let you know when your followers are most active on your page 08:05 – You need a verified account 08:25 – Leonard Kim’s article on how to get a verified page 08:58 – You want to reach an audience beyond your Facebook friends 09:25 – Test what material has most engagement 09:55 – Tweet @NeilPatel and @EricOsiu if you think news would be an interesting topic for live videos 10:35 – Leave a rating and review, and please subscribe! 3 Key Points: Facebook Live will continue to grow and become a prominent platform on Facebook. Use Facebook Live as a marketing tool to develop your brand. Find the most effective way to get people engaged in your videos. Resources Mentioned: Facebook Live – A new and growing tool that will help you build your brand Facebook Insights – How to find out when your follows are most active Leonard Kim’s article – Easy steps to get your page verified on Facebook Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

14 Aug 201614min

In Episode #13 Eric and Neil provide useful tips to help you stay consistent with your blog content. They’ll talk about the value of consistent posts, and they’ll give you the resources you need to keep producing content and stay organized. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:25 – How to stay consistent with content output 00:55 – Neil’s blog Quick Sprout and what happened when he took a break from blogging 01:15 – Keep on top of your blog 01:40 – Block out time to create your content 02:27 – If you’re not sure what to write on, go to Buzzsumo.com 02:40 – Find a blogger online and clearly label what you need from them. Ask for writing samples and know their rate. 03:20 – Pay should be between $50 to $200 for one blog post 03:40 – Schedule out your content with your writers 03:55 – Publish posts once you have a backlog of posts 04:10 – You will speed up with blog writing as you keep doing it 04:30 – You have to have a content bank 04:50 – Create an editorial calendar 05:20 – See what’s going to be posted in the future, and let people know what’s coming 05:30 – The calendar is a helpful tool for a book launch 06:00 – Editorial calendars will help you with organization 06:15 – The calendar helps you know what you should be writing on 06:35 – It will help you make sure you are targeting the right people 07:30 – Tools for an editorial calendar 07:35 – Coschedule is what Eric and Neil use 08:15 – Editorial Calendar plugin on WordPress 08:30 – Start out your blog at a pace that you can handle 09:10 – You need to have a process for writing 09:35 – A process can be handed off easily to other writers 10:00 – Make sure you don’t make things too complicated 10:45 – Leave a rating and review, and please subscribe! 3 Key Points: Have a backlog of content ready to post to your blog. Create an editorial calendar to help you stay organized and know what you should be writing about. Develop a process that can easily be handed off to other writers. Resources Mentioned: Quick Sprout – Neil’s blog Buzzsumo.com – A tool to help you find new topics to write about CoSchedule and Editorial Calendar plugin – Two tools you can use to create an editorial calendar Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

13 Aug 201614min

In Episode #11 Eric and Neil discuss premium quality backlinks. They’ll explain what the heck that means, and they’ll give you clear tools to help you create the best backlinks. As you find ways to connect people with your content, using the resources available to you and being proactive will drive up your rankings in no time. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:25 – How can you build premium quality backlinks? 00:45 – Get to the top of Google with backlinks and content 01:00 – Big websites have a high domain authority 01:25 – Backlinks are a vote of confidence 01:40 – You will up your rankings with better backlinks 01:55 – Network with people you know already 02:10 – Give each other value by posting on each other’s blogs 02:30 – Buzzsumo ranks most popular blog posts 2:45 – Take those posts and turn them into infographics 03:00 – Use Dribbble.com and Ahrefs.com to see who has linked to that post, and share your infographics with those readers 03:40 – Infographics can do even better than the original data-driven blog posts 04:30 – Your site will rank higher 04:40 – The Skyscraper Technique (from Brian Dean of Backlinko) 05:00 – Find who is sharing and linking certain content 05:30 – Find a way to expand the most popular content 06:00 – Reach out to people to share your newer, better content 06:25 – Making something that is better than what’s already out there 06:55 – Broken Link Checker and Ahrefs 07:25 – Create a better version of content that is no longer on the internet 08:00 – Reach out to the sites that have the dead links, and offer them your new version of the content 08:25 – Find resource pages and request that they link to your content 09:00 – Find people who are willing to be guest bloggers 09:25 – Get access to publishers and use their links 10:00 – PRServe 10:15 – Revolutionizing the PR industry 10:40 – You pay them only when your content gets in the press. 11:00 – The service drove more customers for Eric and Neil 12:00 – Subscribe to get content daily! 3 Key Points: Premium quality backlinks will boost your rankings. Start with people you already know, and then utilize online tools to create better backlinks. Create the best version of the most popular content on the web. Resources Mentioned: Buzzsumo – A resource to find the most popular content on the internet right now Dribbble.com – A resource to help you design infographics Ahrefs.com – Tracks backlinks and keywords for you and your competitors Backlinko – Brian Dean’s blog with helpful insights to strong web content Broken Link Checker – How to find dead links on the internet PRServe – A PR agency that only requires payment when your blog gets publicity Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

12 Aug 201615min

In Episode #11 Eric and Neil discuss the value of customer feedback. Reaching out to your audience when you’re starting your business and as your business is developing will help your company to continue to grow and see success. Find ways to consistently get the truth from your customers—take even the negative feedback into consideration. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:25 – Why and how should you collect customer feedback? 00:40 – What is customer feedback? 01:09 – “All that matters is what your customers are telling you.” 01:25 – The value of negative feedback 01:40 – “You can’t live in the black box.” 02:10 – Solve the customer’s problem 02:30 – Eric and Neil’s mistake when they built a blog was to leave out the audience 03:15 – Customers will drive your business in the long run 03:30 – Why people choose certain brands 03:50 – “Delight your customers.” 04:15 – Survey your customers and your competitor’s customers 04:50 – How often do you survey your customers? – Once a month at least. 05:00 – Do something about problems that come up. 05:20 – Buffer and Zapier have outstanding customer support 05:40 – Calling the clients to see how they’re doing 06:00 – Ask them: “If you had a bottomless budget, what would you have us do for you?” 06:45 – Don’t freak out about negative feedback 07:05 – Look at the volume of good vs. bad feedback 07:20 – Don’t bribe people to give you feedback. 07:50 – You want the truth. 08:00 – Requesting a testimonial from a happy customer 08:30 – Intercom helps you interact with customers 09:00 – Managing live chat on your website 09:30 – Leave a rating or review if you enjoyed the show today! 3 Key Points: Don’t ignore negative feedback. A good customer relationship will drive your business. Consistently take time to gather feedback and see what problems are coming up. Resources Mentioned: Buffer and Zapier – Two companies that are renowned for their incredible customer support Intercom – A company that can help you interact and get feedback from your customers Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

11 Aug 201613min

In Episode #10 Eric and Neil help you decide where to start out for your first marketing job. They weigh the pros and cons of an agency or working in house, and they discuss what really matters most—your learning and growth.    Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:25 – What should your first marketing job be? 00:45 – Agency vs. in house 01:10 – Where should people should go? – Agency. 01:40 – The poker analogy 02:10 – Becoming a well-rounded marketer 02:45 – Getting into the agency world 03:05 – Growth potential 03:45 – Break Media 04:25 – Agency people typically have higher skills and more experience 05:25 – Neil’s experience at a startup 06:45 – Where’s the company at? 07:10 – “Are you growing or not?” 07:30 – Opportunities will continue to come as you learn and grow 08:20 – Experience is worth more than the pay 08:40 – Subscribe to this podcast and leave a rating and review! 3 Key Points: Starting at an agency will give you a better learning environment. Your first salary should not be as important as the experience and opportunity for growth. Once you get in the door and continue  gaining experience, the better opportunities will come. Resources Mentioned: Break Media (now Defy Media) – A company that produces online video content Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

10 Aug 201612min

In Episode #9 Eric and Neil break down retargeting. Today, retargeting has made huge leaps and is a great resource that you should utilize in your marketing.   Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:25 – What’s retargeting? -- Ads the follow you from website to website 01:00 – Now retargeting has grown a lot 01:50 – Helping you build relationships with people 02:05 – Options today 02:20 – Example of an ad on marketing funnels 02:50 – Giving people more opportunities to act, or to buy 03:20 – “Turn all those people who said no into saying yes.” 03:35 – “Show them something different.” 04:00 – “Remarketing is like marriage and dating.” 05:05 – Digital Marketer Traffic Temperatures 05:40 – Cold traffic 06:30 – Segmenting who you’re going after 07:20 – Marketing for a local business 07:40 – Look-alike audiences 08:30 – An option to target cold audiences 08:45 – Start with Google and Facebook 10:05 – Targeting people from your email list 10:45 – Subscribe to this podcast and leave a rating and review! 3 Key Points: Retargeting helps you build longer lasting relationships with your audience. Give people more opportunities to buy your service or product. When you’re first starting out, try Google and Facebook for your retargeting. Resources Mentioned: Digital Marketer Traffic Temperatures – An article that will break down the different levels or “temperatures” of traffic for you Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

9 Aug 201614min

In Episode #8 Eric and Neil talk about starting your first marketing campaign. When your business is brand new, you may want to try to get as much traffic as possible—but what you really need to worry about is creating one-on-one relationships with your first few customers. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:25 – Where should you start your first marketing campaign? – “What worked for someone else won’t necessarily work for you.” 01:00 – Neil’s experience copying the campaigns of other companies 01:20 – “Throwing spaghetti on the wall.” 01:35 – Finding what sticks 02:00 – Picking one tactic that has the most potential 02:15 – Adding tools as you see success 03:00 – What’s your take on focusing on one area? – “That’s fine, just pick the one that sticks.” 04:00 – Growth for entrepreneurs 04:10 – one-on-one contact 04:30 – An example of this strategy 05:11 – “First hundred customers are all being acquired manually.” 05:30 – Those first customers are important 05:50 – Bad press when you’re starting out 06:10 – Driving traffic with blogs and ads 06:45 – Content marketing takes time 07:00 – Consider your cash flow 07:40 – With more money, focus on long-term strategies 08:00 – What channel would you avoid? – Partnerships. 08:30 – They have a low success rate. 09:00 – Content marketing 09:10 – Understand your audience first. 10:10 – Kissmetrics started with the wrong audience 11:10 – Subscribe to this podcast and leave a rating and review! 3 Key Points: You need to find the right marketing strategy for your specific business. Find out who your audience is before you establish long-term marketing plans. Avoid partnerships and content marketing when you are first starting out. Resources Mentioned: Kissmetrics – Neil’s company that went through a lot of marketing strategies Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

8 Aug 201614min