Profile Link Building
Will the Real (dont use my name) please stand up…
Recently I’ve received 3 calls looking for another “who does affordable website design” and that they “ are returning a phone call”.
After finding out who they are I let them know I have not made any cold calls but I’d be glad to talk to them as by chance my name is “Rob” and I “build websites”. They were looking for a different person who shares my first name and industry but found me instead. Yeah for me! This oddity got me thinking, how many of me are out there? So, I did a search for myself. What I found was quite interesting to say the least (really neither here nor there). To that end...
Marketing tip #409 (DIY SEO, Directory Link Building & Reputation Management):
In your quiet time in the morning or the evening, do a search for your own business name, website address, and main keyword (in separate searches) and see what comes up. Use this to:
1 – see what profile “claim” opportunities there are (marketing)
2 – see what others are saying about you (reviews / reputation management)
3 – see what competition is using a name similar to yours (brand protection)
For profiles, simply click the link, click “claim” on the page, and create an account to gain control over the profile. From here, simply ensure it is accurate and complete, including your contact info and most importantly – a link back to your website.
Side Note – It is especially important to ensure your Google Maps listing is up to date and accurate. Be sure to log into your Google My Business account and do so. If you need help doing so, we can assist with the updating or claiming first your local Google listing.
For reviews – use this opportunity to engage with your audience. If the review is positive, let them know that you saw it and appreciate it. Invite them to share with their personal network their experience with you. If the profile is negative, this is your opportunity to address it. If the review is false, correct the facts with patience and understanding. If the review is true – set yourself in a position to “fix” the issue. Be sure to be sincere and believable. Avoid canned hallow shallow answers. Either way, you come out as the professional. Google Alerts and Mention.org are good resources to be emailed an alert when a particular search term (such as your name) yields a new result.
You can also use the search technique to see what the competition is doing – in particular the ones with a similar name. Believe me, they may be out there. Make sure they have not borrowed your content. Copyscape and DMCA are good resources to check this.
Use site:url.com to see what pages Google has indexed for you, and use Link:url.com to see where there are links going back to your website.
You can then do a search for directories by industry name “ (industry) directory”, create a profile and add your business information. This creates another link back to your website. The more “relevant” links you have going back to your website in places where you are searched for, the more Google will like you, and it is also another opportunity for your target market to find you as well.
Rob Shurtleff
The Website Guy
Marketing tip #409 (DIY SEO, Directory Link Building & Reputation Management):
In your quiet time in the morning or the evening, do a search for your own business name, website address, and main keyword (in separate searches) and see what comes up. Use this to:
1 – see what profile “claim” opportunities there are (marketing)
2 – see what others are saying about you (reviews / reputation management)
3 – see what competition is using a name similar to yours (brand protection)
For profiles, simply click the link, click “claim” on the page, and create an account to gain control over the profile. From here, simply ensure it is accurate and complete, including your contact info and most importantly – a link back to your website.
Side Note – It is especially important to ensure your Google Maps listing is up to date and accurate. Be sure to log into your Google My Business account and do so. If you need help doing so, we can assist with the updating or claiming first your local Google listing.
For reviews – use this opportunity to engage with your audience. If the review is positive, let them know that you saw it and appreciate it. Invite them to share with their personal network their experience with you. If the profile is negative, this is your opportunity to address it. If the review is false, correct the facts with patience and understanding. If the review is true – set yourself in a position to “fix” the issue. Be sure to be sincere and believable. Avoid canned hallow shallow answers. Either way, you come out as the professional. Google Alerts and Mention.org are good resources to be emailed an alert when a particular search term (such as your name) yields a new result.
You can also use the search technique to see what the competition is doing – in particular the ones with a similar name. Believe me, they may be out there. Make sure they have not borrowed your content. Copyscape and DMCA are good resources to check this.
Use site:url.com to see what pages Google has indexed for you, and use Link:url.com to see where there are links going back to your website.
You can then do a search for directories by industry name “ (industry) directory”, create a profile and add your business information. This creates another link back to your website. The more “relevant” links you have going back to your website in places where you are searched for, the more Google will like you, and it is also another opportunity for your target market to find you as well.
Rob Shurtleff
The Website Guy