We have a new Sheriff in SEO Town and he goes by, ‘Brand Mentions.’

Link building used to rule SEO, but today Brand Mentions has taken control. Why? Google trusts Brand Mentions more because they are harder to manipulate and falsify.

The Dark Past with Link Building – Back in the day, Google and other search engines decided that the more links a website had leading to their site, the better SEO ranking the site should get. However link building was easy to fake, and many website and SEO managers began to utilize Link Pyramids and other artificial link building strategies to increase the number of inbound links to their sites.

Today, most search algorithms are OVER that. They, (especially Google) dislike being ‘tricked’ and your SEO will suffer if you try. So don’t do it! If you have existing artificial links from the “glory days past”…find them, and dump them, before they come back to haunt and hurt your website.

A Bright Future with Brand Mentions – Google has determined that quality links and brand mentions on other (reputable and legit), websites carry more weight than plain links to your site.

Their reasoning: If a website manager, content writer, or social media manager, (from an unrelated brand) trusts your brand enough to mention it and/or link to it, then Google approves, and will give your site a higher SEO ranking.

Brand Mentions can range from:

• Text mentions of your brands name
• Discussing your brand
• Having a live link with copy about your brand
• Sharing your content

Platforms where Brand Mentions count:

• Websites
• Blogs
• Social Media (Google+, Facebook, Twitter, etc.)

Ways to monitor your Brand Mentions:

1. Use robotic applications such as, Fresh Web Explorer or Mention
   • Pros: Fast and easy (what a combo)
   • Cons: Not free and can be less accurate
2. Manually use Google to identify Brand Mentions:

Identify  Brand Name Mentions:

• Open a Google Search
• Use parenthesis around your “Brand Name” – to ensure you only get results with your exact Brand Name

• Click on Search Tools and select location and the time frame you want to search

Identify Brand Website Mentions:

• Open a Google Search
• type url:website (example, url:o2creative.com)
• Click on Search Tools and select location and the time frame you want to search

From here you can take the necessary steps to protect your brand’s identity and recognize those who are recognizing and mentioning your brand.

If you have questions or concerns about your website’s SEO, we are here to help. O2 Creative specializes in websites, SEO, graphic design, branding, marketing strategies, and printing. Our team of skilled and creative designers, web programmers, copywriters, and social media experts work with clients to ensure their businesses stand out. Give us a call, send us an email, or stop by our office today. · [email protected] · Phone: 970.726.8021