Less than a year ago links were everything to the SEO industry. Whether it was guest blogging or content marketing, the sole aim of many agencies revolved purely around sourcing and acquiring links. Even now you can still find conferences and ‘how to’ guides yammering on about how great they are. So what if I was to say that links aren’t that important, won’t add as much value eventually and shouldn’t be the main focus of your SEO campaigns?
You might laugh with an air of whimsical disbelief, like a man at the pub had just tried to convince you Margaret Thatcher was actually part cyborg.
Yet if you piece together the mutterings and theories from global industry experts – both from everyone’s favourite poster boy Matt Cutts and thought leaders from the likes of SEOmoz – it starts to become clear that you might well be able to run a successful campaign without needing to build links at all.
The concept of an article with no anchor text, no link and just a mention of the brand name might result in many a clutched chest and pained grimace. But now’s not the time to rush screaming into the car park clutching the month’s supply of powdered milk sachets in your trembling arms, while phoning your cleaner to tell her she needs to go back to flogging Big Issues outside Dixons.
The answer is simple. By combining knowledge on entities, associations, co-occurrence and authorship, you can build a strategy that actually solves a problem or satisfies a need for your target audience. By doing this you will increase traffic and naturally generate links.
Like Hannah Smith mentioned at this year’s LinkLove conference, if you do stuff that gets links, rather than doing it for links, you are much more likely to succeed. And to save you the hassle of pooling all this together, I’ve done it for you. You’re welcome.
Entities and Associations
In 2011-2012 there was a lot of buzz around the topic of entities and associations, in particular Google’s ability to recognise them. Posts from SEOmoz, Search News Central and the ever-valuable Bill Slawski documented their predictions and analysis on how this might play out for SEO and manifest in the SERPs.
Since then, however, it has gone largely undocumented despite Google showing increasing signs that they are really heading down this path.
What is an entity?
An entity is a thing – a person, event or place. Previously, Google would need some form of anchor (a link) to identify that these things were important. But now the algorithm is clever enough to understand the content on a page, in conjunction with social signals, and work that out for itself.
And if lots of people are searching for the same entity, it’s safe to assume that Google will associate more importance to it.
An example
Take the name ‘Michael Sheen’. Unless you are a film fan, you probably won’t know right away that he’s a famous British actor. It’s the same with Google; unless there was specific data on the page – i.e. optimisation, titles or snippets – the search engines would have a really hard time trying to identify the context of his identity.
Now, however, Google can read the content of the page to identify similar patterns elsewhere, establishing Michael Sheen as an entity. By doing this, they can bring in a wider range of search results to the user including biographies, news and a filmography.
This process eliminates the need to have anchor text and overdo your on-site optimisation, because Google can understand the information without it.
How does it work out who Michael Sheen is and what’s relevant to Michael Sheen?
This explains a lot of what we’re seeing on this search page. People are really, really interested in Rachel McAdams (for some strange reason), and people do search for “Michael Sheen Rachel”. So Google knows that our entity “Michael Sheen” is closely connected with Rachel McAdams, and also that this Rachel person is important.
Even months after their breakup, news articles about the split are dominating the front page because Google knows there is a strong association between the two entities.
Associations
Entities aren’t always enough though. By just recognising Michael as an entity, you can tell that he’s an actor and what he’s worked on, but you would have to search again to see his importance to different worlds. Why’s he significant to gossip columns? What about insider film stories? Who is he closely linked to?
In “Related Terms”, we can see that we’ve got some naïve relationships being drawn here. Charlie Sheen has a similar name and was also an actor once before he embarked on a more lucrative career as a human car crash.
SERPs and the Knowledge Graph
The Knowledge Graph is a clear example of how these entities and associations play out. For example, a search for Michael Sheen gives you everything in the image below – a biography, movies and shows he’s been in and other searches that people have conducted, giving you a huge breadth of knowledge for just one search.
What else does this image tell us, though?
Well, nothing new, but we can use it to organise what we already know into a hierarchy that we can use for SEO purposes.
1. Google sorts entities into classes. If Michael Sheen was a population centre, we’d be seeing very different results! Michael Sheen is a person, so we see biographical details, sorted appropriately.
2. Google sub-classes these classes. Michael Sheen is an actor. He associates with other actors and has been in films and on the telly.
3. The associations an entity is “assigned” depends on these sub-classes. Michael Sheen is associated with Rachel McAdams (due to a close relationship) and with a list of movies and TV shows. Google knows who his family is, and knows his hometown – but doesn’t seem to emphasise the fact that he’s also a stage actor. Actors, unlike stand-ups, don’t get a special association with reviews of their performances or upcoming events.
What can we extrapolate from this?
Clearly, Google is using some combination of traditional Object-Oriented Programming techniques and the same machine-learning algorithms it uses with Panda. A flexible ability to recognise new and popular entities, together with rigid classes, sub-classes and attributes are determining what we see in an ordinary search.
It seems apparent that the types of association an entity can have are fixed. No matter how many times you try to associate an actor with charity work, it won’t stick, because “charity work” is not a type of association which an actor entity can have.
You can witness this (at time of writing) with Google searches for “David Walliams”. Charity work doesn’t come up high, nor do other professional affiliations. Searching for “David Walliams charity” will bring up articles on his charity work, of course, but it’s not a part of his entity profile. This is despite the fact that David Walliams is well known for the amount of work he does for charity, so it would seem like an obvious association to make.
At the same time, Google has to be able to learn new entities. This is common sense. If an overnight YouTube celebrity is dominating social media, but Google has a fixed set of entities updated with a strict algorithm, things like this would get missed.
By understanding this we can make it work for our brands, which I’ll come to later.
Co-Occurrence
Let’s start by defining the thoughts behind co-occurrence, as this is the interesting bit. Now, I could sit and type out the theory behind co-occurrence, but as Rand has already described it quite eloquently, I might just use that..
Now following this definition, many people might jump for joy at Google’s cleverness. It would seem co-occurrence really is at the heart of linkless branding. It demonstrates Google’s power at being able to scrape websites and not just decipher the content, but understand it. They can tell if a brand is mentioned on a page, even if there is no anchor text.
And because of this, it makes chasing for links slightly redundant. If Google can recognise when people are talking about someone or something, then why do you need to risk making it too obvious or spammy with anchor text?
It also ensures that relevancy is king. Gone are the days where you could write a blog post on “The top 10 reasons to eat soap” and squeeze in the anchor text ‘shower curtains’.
Google can tell there’s no connection between the brand and the content, so it’s just time wasted. Time that could have been spent crafting content relevant to the site you’re working on. If you sell shower curtains, find out what questions people are asking in the relevant industry blogs and social media. Then answer them.
By associating your brand with helpful, relevant content that people want to read and share, Google will identify that you are a force to be reckoned with on those terms.
The Flip Side
A week or so after the WBF from Rand above, Joshua Giardino wrote a magnificent post exploring this theory, presenting some quasi-empirical tests on the examples mentioned in the video.
His conclusion argued that these specific examples could actually be explained by examining the anchor text profiles of the sites involved – and wasn’t a direct result of lexical co-occurrence, but something he introduces as ‘Topical Pagerank’.
Topical Pagerank, according to Giardino, is an algorithmic calculation that values high weighted, authoritative links with keyword rich anchor text (which boosts page authority), combined with the lexeme variation and numeration on the relevant page. He then goes on to say that Google is using entity calculations to determine context and Penguin to weed out sites gaming the system. So what you’re left with are factors in the ranking algorithm that can derive context, assign value and penalise spammers. His theory goes into a lot more detail than that, and I’m almost certainly doing it a disservice with my rudimentary summation, so go read it.
The exciting thing here is the future. Giardino’s theory illuminates that Google can in fact distinguish and differentiate between concepts and context. Moreover, the search engine is reading around anchor text to try and understand what the page is about. This means that we, as SEO practitioners, can focus on creating amazing content that makes sense to the reader, as opposed to content that appeals to the search engines.
Authorship
If there was a Buzzword Champion for the last 12 months in our industry, it would almost certainly be ‘AuthorRank’. Hell, even I’ve written about it and my time is usually spent investigating whether a centipede could ever pull off a Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Used more in online dialogue by SEOs than Twitter teenagers using #YOLO, it has become a real focal point. Why? Because Google are showing clear indications that this is where they want people to shine.
What is AuthorRank?
There are hundreds of posts on AuthorRank that explain what it’s about. So if my brief definition below doesn’t suffice, take the time to read these in-depth and highly interesting posts about it from people like AJ Kohn, Mike Arnesen and Bill Slawski.
AuthorRank is the theory that eventually Google will integrate authorship as part of its ranking algorithm, promoting the content of prolific and respected authors above those with a less impressive profile.
How does it tie in?
Here’s where it gets exciting and tingly. You’re an author for a brand right? You post online, and get the little picture next to your post in the SERPs. So if Google is recognising you as an author with the eventual aim of evaluating your contributions, what are you?
You, my friend, are an entity.
As an entity, the topics you write about are your associations and if Google is using the lexical co-occurrence algorithm to understand the context of your writing and the AuthorRank algorithm to attribute authority to you as an author, then the Topical PageRank of your content is going to go up.
It works for brands too. Google recognises your site is a brand; it’s why you get sitelinks, right? So if you’re active as a brand socially and regularly produce great content that people want to talk about, then you’re tapping into the same ranking process.
Now that is winning.
How can you make this work for your brand?
Understanding how this all pieces together is one thing. Making it work for your site is another, particularly when AuthorRank isn’t even around yet. But there are things you can do to help your site and your online profile become powerful entities:
1. Identify Your Associations
This means we need to think like a Google programmer.
How is our entity classed? Well, let’s say we’re a clicks-and-bricks business in Blackpool selling computer hardware.
Our entity is of the commercial class. It is sub-classed into hardware (computers), and it has an important association with Blackpool (a location association). It’s not relevant that it’s offline as well as online, although this intensifies the location association by having a finite point of reference.
What other associations might our business have?
Well, every product that comes under hardware would be a start. Back to our Michael Sheen example. We want to make sure that Google knows which items are our bread-and-butter and make sure that these are most-associated with our business. We want server hardware to be our Rachel McAdams and mechanical keyboards to be our Tron: Legacy.
We can safely assume that Google is smart enough to parse our site structure, so we make sure that links to server hardware are front-and-center on the main page. We make sure that we talk about server hardware on the main page and on our “About” sections, and we generally downplay our less profitable mechanical keyboards section.
Use a variety of natural phrases to talk about your products. Don’t stuff ‘computer hardware’ in the content a thousand times to capitalise on an age-old SEO technique. Google can understand the semantic differences now, so fill your boots. I’ve even written you an example:
Not cool – “Brand A is a leading supplier of computer hardware, providing you with state of the art hardware at rock bottom prices. Once you see our range of computer hardware, you won’t want to look anywhere else because those who choose Brand A never go away.”
Cool – “Brand B is a leading supplier of computer hardware, providing you with everything you could ever need, including fans, motherboards, processors and devices, all at rock bottom prices. Once you see our huge range of components designed specifically for your needs, you’ll never want to look anywhere else. That’s why customers who choose Brand B never waver in their loyalty.”
If you don’t want to buy computer hardware after reading number 2, you’re a robot.
2. Be an Entity
Don’t hide behind an avatar anymore. Get yourself out there posting and contributing to your industry. Become a thought leader. There’s no better way to establish yourself as a person and build your brand authority than presenting yourself as a prolific part of the world you operate in.
Look at Rand Fishkin. Rand is an obvious example when you think about where this post is, but few have done it better. Rand is SEOmoz; you associate one with the other. But that would never have happened if Rand had decided to post under an alias, or not at all.
This isn’t an unattainable goal for you. Yes, he’s been posting for years and yes it might take that long for you to get there if you haven’t already started, but it’s worth the effort.
3. Real Content
‘Real content’ is the broken record of the last 12 months. Yet still no one is really doing it right. The majority of SEO agencies are still in the transition phase between guest blogging and content marketing. As such, there are thousands of poorly thought out infographics, videos and blogs out there, all attempting to capitalise on the rise of this phenomenon.
But, it really isn’t that difficult. Google want to provide searchers with relevant content. So make it! There’s no use creating an infographic about the prevalence of oil lamps if your client sells electric lights. It doesn’t benefit anyone and certainly won’t help Google associate your brand with your products.
Create real content that fits the company you’re representing. If they sell electric lights, find out the common questions customers ask or what the next big change in the industry might be. Then create an interesting and engaging piece around it that not only answers the question, but does so in a way that makes people say “wow”. That’s when Google will stand up and take notice.
The stand out example, which many of you will have seen (and if you haven’t, where have you been?), is the “How do they make money” from Seer, a great piece of content that was designed purely to satisfy search demand.
And what a surprise, it did brilliantly. There are also tens of examples from Distilled, who have nailed what it takes to not only produce great content, but promote it too.
4. PR
It’s a dangerous word to bandy about, particularly online. But the offline and online marketing world are rapidly seeping into each other. And those who don’t realise that will be left behind coughing and spluttering in a trail of media dust.
If Google is increasingly recognising popular entities as important, what better way to command their attention than appearing in the local or national press? Whether it’s a campaign you’re spearheading or a survey you’ve organised, the involvement of the media in your client’s strategy can provide a huge boost to brand awareness and trust.
Online estate agents eMoov were recently featured in several papers, national and local. A quick search for their brand name brings up these stories. Google can identify the brand name from the copy, tie this to the brand entity as a whole, and then raise it as an interesting association people might find useful when looking into eMoov.
Get your brand featured in the press and Google will attribute importance to it as an entity.
5. Reviews
By incorporating reviews into your site, whether it’s for a service or a product, you’re not only increasing your chance of conversions but you’re letting Google know that your entity is positively related to what you offer. But moreover, it just adds that extra level of engagement for your users. Because they get to shout about how great you are or let you know how you can be better.
As with your content, be honest and get real people to give real feedback. This is where you’ll get the benefit.
6. Social
There are few companies doing social well, even the big boys. Good social isn’t just telling everyone how well you’re doing. It’s about being social. You have a direct platform to your customers here and they want to talk to you. So talk.
There are some great examples out there: Innocent smoothies asking people to knit fruit clothing for their bottles, which they display on their accounts and even have in store; Old Spice with their constant ridiculing of other brands, humorous posts and personal video responses on YouTube to questions asked on social media; then companies such as Skittles, who are just mental.
And it doesn’t just have to be the large brands that do it. You can do it quite easily. If you give your customers a forum for discourse, they will use it. You just have to be there to respond and engage with them. The more you do that, the more likely they are to have a positive feeling about your brand. Then, when someone mentions they need a service you offer, who are they going to recommend?
With an established social presence, Google has something to hang your entire entity on. It knows you’re there, it knows you’re committed. It knows who your friends are and it knows who you order toner supplies from. Once your social accounts are up, Google can fill in any and all missing information about your entity in one fell swoop, and keep your social accounts near the top of search.
Need-Focused Strategy
I don’t know about you, but this shift is really, really exciting to me. The focus is on producing stuff that means something, that helps people and is interesting. It’s gone past the whole concept of ‘search engine optimisation’ and has moved into the area of a ‘need-focused strategy’.
But what is NFS? It is content you’re producing to fulfill a need that your visitors have for knowledge; social campaigns that you’re leading to fulfill your customers’ need to be treated like a real person; review platforms you’re offering to fulfill a need that your customers have to provide honest feedback.
It’s building from the ground up, so that you address the absolute basics in the best possible way. Get your author profile sorted, so people can see you’re the face of your company, ensure the site structure emphasises the products you want Google to associate with your brand and start producing great content that satisfies a need. It’s not the bells and whistles, like a calculator than can accurately predict what time of day Justin Bieber is eating a pretzel. All you need to focus on is the necessary stuff.
Most of all, it’s about making sure that your business makes sense to both Google and your customers. If we do this, we’re paving a road to cleaner SERPs without the need to hunt for and build links. Arguably we’re not there yet, particularly when you consider Giardino’s article. But it all seems to be heading in the right direction and one day the future might well be linkless.
I’d be interested to hear your thoughts. Do you think this is the way the SEO industry is heading? And have you already taken steps to action a need-focused strategy? Look forward to chatting with you in the comments.
