What You Should Pay Attention to Beside Inbound Links in Your SEO Campaign
It’s no secret that inbound links, those coming from reputable sources, are at the centre of search engine optimization (SEO). Besides, it has a positive effect on reputation and credibility whenever your brand is mentioned in the media.
However, there are a few differences between links, citations and mentions that online marketers should know about. They don’t provide the same value to a website’s SEO, but can be used in conjunction to improve the overall perception of a brand.
The Inbound Links
A link to your website is pretty straightforward. When a blogger or another entity links to your website from their pages is considered an inbound link. Through various ways your business can be listed as a reference or resource. For example, you get a link pointing directly to an article you had written that might be particularly informative for someone else’s readers.
The key aspect for a marketer to know about links is that quality is essential. Unless the website linking to yours is relevant and credible, it won’t benefit you in any way.
The Value of a Citation
You might have heard of citations in research papers or academic assignments, and they work in a similar way in the digital world. Citations are links that can be used as a reference verify or support a piece of information found elsewhere.
Due to this, citations can have a special value to Google and even for website visitors. Moreover, citations coming from high-authority websites can even give you a SEO boost as strong as an inbound link. That’s why, it’s so important to have your business information on sites like Yelp or other industry pages always updated.
Ultimately, citations are all about conveying visibility and credibility. Some of them will appear naturally as you register your business with certain government agencies and regulatory boards.
Mentions in the Online World
Generally, marketers focus entirely on links and many underestimate the value of citations. However, most aren’t aware that it’s worth paying attention to mentions as well.
Mentions can take a lot of different forms, but they generally refer to instances where a specific brand, company or website is referred to online. Usually, there is no accompanying link (or one with a “nofollow” tag) hence it’s presumed they don’t provide any SEO value. However, that assumption isn’t entirely accurate.
It’s highly likely that Google has been monitoring mentions and “nofollow” links, especially with the rising popularity of social media. Although it’s not entirely clear how they evaluate them, it’s known that they contribute positively to search engine visibility.
These mentions might not have the obvious SEO value of an actual inbound link, but that doesn’t mean they don’t count — particularly if the referring domain is a popular platform or trusted website.
