Link building is the process of creating inbound links to boost your rankings on search pages. They have been one of the most widely used techniques used by websites on Google and other leading search engines worldwide. Even though it has always been an aspect of SEO, the techniques and tools have massively changed. Links create some sort of navigation between the pages on the internet. In other words, search engines will crawl between pages in order to see which ones will rank higher. Typically, those with a higher amount of links will be higher than those with fewer. Previously, older search engines which have become less popular in recent years used different methods of ranking. But, since Google has been leading, they use a PageRank Algorithm. This means that Google checks how many people linked to your page and then ranks you from thereon.

Why do we use link building tools?

Some say that link building tools are essential for success, and to some extent they are. But, do not forget that there are multiple other factors which are important too, information for this can be found in our blogs. We use link building tools to form credibility when trying to higher our ranking for search engines. This way our website is more visible for those interested.

What are the best tools to look out for?

There are different types of link building tools for different needs. For example, link research, link tracking, and even overall statistics which will benefit us. There are thousands of different tools all over the internet which benefit companies in different ways. So, we are going to cover three different examples below.

  1. Research: Researching allows you to find keywords and content in your industry which are performing in the best way possible. SEMRush has the tools to help you with this. But, it does not just stop there. On a website like this, you can find multiple different tools along with link and keyword research. Others include link opportunities, backlinks analysis and link outreach.
  2. Backlink Profiles: Majestic SEO allows users to gather enough data on different backlinks to create a profile which can influence your own makings. Majestic SEO provides the information necessary when you use the search bar. After searching for what you want, you will be provided with statistics including external backlinks, referring domains, referring IPS, backlink history and many more.
  3. Outreach: Link building can be difficult, hence the tools to help us and make it more simple. But, that does not mean that the process will be straight forwards. Link Prospector by Citation Labs is a tool which helps to organise outreach opportunities. This tool can create 16 unique types of reports including content development and outreach, PR, outreach and conversation.

As we mentioned above, there are plenty more factors to SEO and link building than just the ones we have mentioned. Therefore, we suggest that you take the time to do some more in-depth research searching for more information and answers.

Generating traffic is something which we try to focus on as it brings more engagement which could lead to more conversions in the long run. SEO, also known as search engine optimisation is one of the many ways which can help boost your website traffic if done correctly. One of the great aspects of SEO is that you do not need to necessarily spend any money as you can work organically to make improvements. So, we have put together some information to help boost your traffic.

Keyword Research

There are plenty of websites on the internet which allow you to take part in keyword research at no cost, for example, Uber Suggest. So, why not take advantage of them! Keyword research is one of the best ways in which you can boost your traffic and improve your SEO at the same time. Choosing the right keywords will enable you to organically connect with the right audiences by ranking on the search engines.

Blog Regularly

Hopefully, when blogging your site will gradually increase its page views. Therefore meaning that you will gain some regular, loyal readers to your blog to help with your engagement. But, if you have an unregular blogging schedule, those people will not know when they should come back to read your next post. Posting once or twice a week at the same time is a great way to keep the reader entertained as it generates a balance, unlike having a schedule where you post every day as it could be understood as spammy or poor quality content.

Quality Content

Whether you create good quality content or poor quality content, your audience will be able to see the difference. Therefore putting time and effort into all of your work is something which you should prioritise. It has been previously proven that low-quality content does not rank high on Google. This is something which will impact your page presence and even your page visitors. So, to keep your site visible to your audience, creating good quality content is something which will help.

Use of Links

As mentioned in our previous post, link building and using backlinks is very useful when it comes to increasing traffic and SEO. Higher volumes of backlinks will equate to a higher ranking on search engines which will lead on to bring more traffic and engagement. Along with this, linking from your site to other pages can create a flow of traffic, especially if the page itself has a high amount of views.

Our Help

Struggling for ideas? Don’t know where or how to start? SEO is not something an individual can perfect overnight. But, do not worry, here at Hive Digital Media we can help you will all sorts from content marketing to SEO. To find out more click here.

Are you wondering how to get more backlinks to your website? Thankfully, there are plenty of ways which you can learn more and deepen your knowledge. You do not need to be the most skilled person to build some backlinks for your site, anybody can do it with a little bit of help. Therefore, we have some tips for you!

What Are Backlinks?

Backlinks are links which go from one website to another. They are also known as inbound or incoming links in SEO practices. In other words, if somebody places a link to your website on their site or page, you will have a backlink from them, visa vera.

links from one website to a page on another website. Google and other major search engines consider backlinks “votes” for a specific page. Pages with a high number of backlinks tend to have high organic search engine rankings.

Pensive male customer looking away at copy space, touching chin, thinking. Handsome young man in casual shirt and glasses standing isolated over white background. Advertising concept

Why are they important?

Most of the time the major search engines tend to class backlinks like a voting system. The more backlinks you have the more useful and engaging your website is to the audience. So, a pattern which is sometimes seen is that those with higher amounts of backlinks tend to rank higher on the search pages.

The higher your website’s ranking is on the major search engines will also lead to multiple other results. These may include more visibility to an audience, which could lead to more conversions and so on.

How Can You Get Them?

Backlinks do not just magically appear one day, you have to put in the work to get them. But, how exactly can you get them?

Writing good quality content

There is a big difference between good quality content and poor quality content. So much so it could even impact the number of backlinks you receive. Typically, when companies are writing content, they may take part in some kind of content curation to find out more information and get some ideas. In this case, if a company likes your work they might use some of your content and link to your website, creating a backlink. But, if your work is not link-worthy and desirable, this will not occur.

Comment on other relevant blogs

Blog commenting is a simple and easy way which you can create your own backlinks. Finding relevant blogs which relate to your work gives you the opportunity to promote your business by leaving a message and link in the comments. As well as leaving a backlink this tactic will also increase your exposure.

Broken link building

The web is filled with broken links, giving you the chance to focus on broken link building to bring more backlinks to your site. It is a tactic which allows you to find a broken link on the web and recreate the content. If the link has other sites already linking to it, you can then get them to link to the new information. Therefore, this will build more links.

When trying to gather a better understanding of digital marketing and what it entails, you do not want to spend your time searching through different websites go find individual answers. Therefore, we have put together a list of common digital marketing questions and answers for you to read. This way, you will be able to deepen your knowledge in one place.

SEO - Digital marketing

Search Engine Optimisation

Search engine optimisation is an essential part of digital marketing, but why? Why is it so valuable and important to business in today’s society? Below is a list of SEO related questions to you can get a better idea of search engine optimisation.

What is SEO and why is it important?

SEO is the process of upgrading and optimising the content throughout your website to attract more traffic to your website. It is also used to increase and boost your websites ranking on search engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo making it crucial for the long term.

Should I create an SEO strategy plan?

Whether your business is big or small, an SEO strategy plan is essential. You could be years into a successful business or even days into a new one, whatever the duration, a plan will benefit you. Although, before you make one you need to understand how, why and what aspects you need to include. This way you have a rough idea of what to do before you begin.

What should I include?

  • Keywords – Search keywords which rank for your topic
  • Look at your competitors and your target audience
  • Build pages for each ranking topic and optimised content
  • Link building – Backlinks
  • Social media
  • SSL certificate

These are some of the aspects you could include in your SEO strategy plan for 2020, although, there are plenty more things you can add too.

Social Media

Social Media

If you are trying to grow your brand, social media is the perfect place for you to gain a new/bigger audience. With millions of people scrolling on each platform each day, you are bound to increase your traffic with the right strategy.

What are different platforms good for?

Different social media platforms will give you different results. Some might give you better results than others, some might bring you a different target audience and others may not work at all… but which are which?

Facebook – Facebook has approximately 2 billion monthly active users, meaning you will be able to interact with your target audience no matter what. The platform allows businesses to customise their target to make it more specific to its users. It is great for maintaining customers and building relationships.

Twitter – Although Twitter is not one of the most popular platforms, it is still used by hundreds of millions of people each month. Twitter is great for reaching a new audience and creating more conversions for your business. Before putting your time and money into Twitter you should ensure that it is the right platform for you.

LinkedIn – Typically used for connecting with other people, organisations and B2B businesses. This platform tends to have a specific audience of those between the ages of those who work 9-5 jobs.

Which platform is better for my company?

This depends on what type of company your business is, how it works and who you are trying to reach.

As mentioned above if your business is a B2B organisation, you are best focusing on those platforms which allow you to interact with other professionals. An example is LinkedIn.

Whereas if your business is more of a B2C organisation and you are trying to connect with direct customers, platforms like Facebook will be a better option.

Content Marketing

Content Marketing

Content marketing is also another important aspect of digital marketing. It allows you to interact and educate your audience with the necessary information, which will result in relationship building. Here at Hive Digital Media, we offer the service of content marketing. We specialise in working with different businesses to create outstanding content to connect target audiences to brands.

What are the benefits of content marketing?

Content marketing has multiple benefits for your company, some of them include:

  • Increased Sales
  • Increased brand awareness
  • Higher volume of traffic

How can I create new content regularly?

There are plenty of sites which allow you to use photos on their website which are copyright free, this way you will not be breaking any laws when promoting your business. If you are looking to create content from scratch then there are sites including Canva which can help you. A good way to get some ideas for your content is by using content curation. This allows you to browse and brainstorm ideas from other businesses content.

Digital marketers, managers, and businesses are constantly talking and thinking about SEO (search engine optimisation), but what actually is it and why is it helpful?

What is SEO?

Search engine optimisation is the process of making changes to different aspects of your website to push your search ranking higher on engines including Google and Bing. This will result in the quantity of your organic traffic increasing and hopefully, more conversions/sales. Along with this, you will keep in a competitive position within your market.

What goes into SEO?

Search engine optimisation is not just a word with no meaning, it is something which your business will have to do to rank higher. It requires plenty of research and knowledge before you can dive into the deep end.

Optimised content

Optimising your content is one of the key elements when it comes to SEO. You need to do you research on different factors including keyword research to enable you to see better results. There are plenty of websites all over the internet which will help you find keywords to optimise your content.

To optimise content we suggest you:

  1. Do not put too much information while including too many keywords
  2. Do your research on your rankings
  3. Make your content smooth for readers

Website Security

Website security is essential, especially when it comes down to Google checking your information. Having a secure website will not only help boost your ranking, but it will also attract more customers as it shows safety.

To increase your website security we suggest you:

  1. Create strong passwords
  2. Install security plug-ins
  3. Install an SSL certificate

User Interaction On Page

The bounce rate, conversion rate and the time which a customer has stayed on your page play a huge role in SEO. If a customer clicks on your page and then comes straight off, this shows Google that your website is not very engaging to your audience. Therefore, it may have a negative effect on your ranking. Whereas, if the customer says on your website and positively interacts with your site, you may be boosted.

To increase your on-page interaction we suggest you:

Try to target with your direct audience when using paid ads or when you are using on social media. This way, the people who will be interacting with your website are more likely to be looking for the service that you are offering. This means the customer will stay on your website for longer trying to find out more.

In What Way Is SEO Beneficial?

SEO can be beneficial to businesses of all sizes. Whether you are a small business starting off or a larger business which has been running for years, SEO can definitely help your business grow. Not only this, but it could also improve the user experience, hopefully creating more conversions.

How Can I Learn More About SEO?

As we have already mentioned, SEO may take years to learn. It is not something which you can grasp overnight. There are plenty of online courses, books and even lessons which you can attend to boost your knowledge of search engine optimisation. The main piece of advice we can give you when trying to learn more is to look around and find courses to help widen your knowledge.

How Can We Help?

Here at Hive Digital Media, we offer a service of SEO. In other words, we can provide you with a beneficial SEO strategy that works for you, your brand and where you are wanting to rank for organically. If you want more information on our services, click here.

How to Choose the Right SEO Agency

When deciding to choose the right SEO agency for your business, it can be a difficult and daunting prospect. With so many agencies out there, how do you know the good from the bad when you’re trying to work out how to choose the right SEO agency?

Building your search engine optimisation (SEO) strategy is a complicated process. It takes experience, time and dedication to ensure your website is found in the major search engines – it doesn’t happen overnight. So, if you’re considering outsourcing to support your SEO strategy, here are some things to consider when looking for the right online marketing agency.

What is SEO?

SEO or Search Engine Optimisation refers to the optimisation of your online content website. So that it shows up in a prominent position within the search results for a given set of search queries or topics (often referred to as keywords). Search engine giants, such as Google, continuously make updates to their search algorithms to reward good quality and relevant website content. As well as punishing those trying to ‘trick’ search engines by cramming their sites with irrelevant keywords, poor quality links and content.

5 Tips for Choosing a Reliable SEO Company

To help narrow your search, use the five tips below to help you find the right SEO agency for your business.

Tip #1 – Define your SEO SMART goals

In order to find the right SEO agency for the job, you first need to figure out which areas of your online presence you want to improve. You might need a whole new website, or you may just need SEO. If you’re not sure which areas you need to improve, then get a digital marketing analysis done. A good agency will have the data needed to prove which areas are most beneficial to focus on.

Tip #2 – Browse different SEO companies

To find the best SEO company for your business, you’ll need to weigh up all your options. If you’re after an increase in traffic, look for one that can track and measure all of your company data. This includes phone calls, contact forms, site visits, click-through rates, and more. Be sure to make decisions based off results instead of just your first find.

Tip #3 – Read reviews & testimonials

Reading reviews is a strong way to gather unbiased opinions about a company. So turn to reviews, case studies or even testimonials. This is a key way to discover if an SEO company is a reputable agency. As not much compares to honest reviews and stories. You will often find these reviews by exploring the company’s site or searching for them on sites like Google.

Tip #4 – Schedule a consultation

Whether you are near or far away from the SEO company, you can always ask for a consultation. Most likely, the agency will be happy to pull up some research on your industry and walk you through some strategies they have used on past clients/customers. A consultation will help you get a feel for the type of people on their team. As well as their level of passion and creativity.

Tip #5 – Define your SEO budget and boundaries

If you’ve found an agency which you think could help your business grow, don’t rush into things. Before you get invested in a service you can’t afford, don’t forget to plan out your budget ahead of time. It is a good idea to ask about package deals and price ranges early on. As you can see if the service is in your price range. Most SEO companies will have a variety of monthly packages to choose from, which should make your life easier.

If you would like to talk to us on how we can turn your content into leads and revenue, then just hit the ‘Let’s Talk’ button below.