Through the years SEO has changed considerably, in particular the tactics used by individuals in order to gain media coverage for particular links.

By nature the SEO industry is one that focuses on links as they are part of hundreds of key ranking factors.

There are many tactics available in order to earn links, both on a natural and unnatural level. I shall explain in further detail and provide examples of some of the scalable natural tactics that can be used to improve your brand’s presence within search engines.

Planning

Before we talk about the actual tactics to use, it is vitally important to know when, where, and how to use them. At SALT we have created an internal tool that is used for understanding the full range of campaigns that we produce information on:

  • What tactics we can use
  • When they are going to happen
  • How long each tactic will take
  • Risk, reward and difficulty of each tactic
  • The actions that are required
  • Performance reporting
  • What competitors are doing

This allows us to understand what the most appropriate approach is.

Part of any offsite campaign should revolve around understanding your brand and the niche that it happens to be in.  What links do they already have? Are they missing any highly authoritative links?

Planning is the foundation of any campaign.

Potential scalable tactics

Below is a bullet point list of a couple of example scalable tactics that are highly recommended and will help to earn links, no follow links, and citations for your clients.

  • Using data
  • Surveys
  • Business news
  • Interviews

Client data

One scalable tactic would be to use the client’s data to produce news stories for the press.

For instance, if you are a car insurance company, one quick scalable option would be to produce a news story on the worst cities to leave a vehicle in. This idea could also be revealed on a yearly basis, showing the rise and fall of particular places.

The worst cities to leave a vehicle in has already been used in the press, with media outlets such as Plymouth Herald, Motoring Research, Honest John and Manchester Evening News publishing the story.

Surveys

There a numerous survey providers online, some that are free (if you find the respondents) or ones that you need to pay for, such as YouGov.

Implementing your own survey will allow you to create your own data set around a subject area that would have relevance to your brand.

Recently, SALT ran a survey around the topic of driverless cars that earned coverage on Auto Express, AM Online, Fleet News and Fleet World.

It is highly recommended that a higher number of respondents is sought as the results offer a more scientific and credible approach to the survey. Some publications, such as The Guardian require a minimum of 2,000 respondents.

Surveys are a big source of news in the 21st century.

Business news

Another scalable tactic and one to promote the business in a positive light is regular company news.

Below is a bullet point list of questions to ask yourself in order to create business news:

  • Is there a new member of staff?
  • Is there a new office/shop opening?
  • How has the company grown in the last year?
    • Number of staff
    • Number of items sold
    • More Shops
  • How old is your organisation? Is it celebrating a landmark?

Have you created or launched a new product or service?

Interviews

Are there a member(s) of your team willing to be interviewed on relevant media outlets?

This could be by offering advice among various subject areas such as:

  • HR
  • Finance
  • Operations
  • Marketing

Media services such as Response Source, Gorkana, and Help A Reporter Out send requests so that people can interview certain individuals. This will help your client/brand be featured in certain publications.

Finally

Behind each offsite tactic, both scalable and non-scalable, is a high level of skill and determination to make it a success. What tactics do you use on a regular basis that help earn media coverage for your brand or client?

When the results start rolling in, things can get very exciting.