1. SEO vs PR vs Bloggers FIGHT! Linkbuilding & Outreach in a savvy -blogger world

2. Got on the Internet in 1986 at my school lab Working online with search since 1996 Paid & Natural Search plus social media Worked in-house within e-Commerce, Publishing & High Tech Have worked with Google (SEO for product sites), Orange, COI, NatWest/RBS, National Gallery, CIPD, Fidelity, GalaCoral, NBC Universal, Readers Digest, Bayer, Family Search, Amadeus, AMD, AmEx , TotalJobs, Virgin.com, Virgin Startup & more Chosen as a founding Modern Muse, contributed to book Pimp My Site, judge of the UK & European Search Awards, one of the SEO Chicks, blog on Huffington Post & run MostlyAboutChocolate.com plus on con committee for Eastercon 2015 (Dysprosium) for my sins AM I Who Obligatory slide !Judith Lewis @deCabbit @JudithLewis 3. I give away chocolate for relevant questions at the end of the talk 4. MY NOTES The law The ASA guidelines + CAP clarifications Google guidelines Its a fight SEO are crap PRs are crap Other bloggers are scaring the crap out of bloggers Good Dangerous - a few blogger network examples with badges 5. Bloggers arent print publications but they can have more engaged readerships, more targeted audiences and be more influential in their niche thus CAP code 6. Changes to the Law & Google Guidelines Google guidelines against Link Schemes: https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/66356 ASA Reminder to bloggers about their responsibilities: http://www.asa.org.uk/News-resources/Media- Centre/2013/Blurring-advertising-and- blogs.aspx#.U47NEigVfzM CAP Guidance on the ASA guidelines: http://www.cap.org.uk/News-reports/Media- Centre/2014/New-words-on-the- blog.aspx#.U47NLSgVfzM The LAW the ASA guidelines are based on: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2008/9780110811574/ contents 7. This is a fight between SEOs and PRs to win Bloggers But its also Bloggers vs PRs/SEOs 8. From a CLOSED Blogger FB Group Bloggers share they share PR/SEO contact details, pitches and payments (so they know what you paid before) They also deride your bad approach 9. Bloggers are ncreasingly eing targeted oth by SEOs PRs with an SEO remit PRs are being asked to do the job of an SEO while being a PR a difficult balance at times 10. Some SEO Approaches Gone Wrong The following are approaches and the blogger reactions from a closed blogger group (all spelling is theirs, not mine!) Repeated demands that I publish their great (great =generic) post immediately with a do follow link those that pay for a sponsored post and then when publish demand a do follow link even though we state no follow links Offering content wriiten by them, on the basis that 'it will help our traffic Then a company who thinks it's ok to ask for 3/4 follow links to pages that have nothing to do with the product being reviewed One company asked me to change all my links to 'follow' links and remove the disclosure because 'they could get penalised and her boss was worried'. I explained that I couldn't do that (for obvious reasons) - still insisted were contacted by a SEO wanting links removed (pretty normal) but this one blamed us for the companies penalty and then threatened to report us to google if we didn't remove the link 11. I was once offered to place an infograpic on my blog for no charge. SRSLY WTF?!? 12. PRs Arent Blameless Either PRs are increasingly being given SEO targets of links built, rankings increases and associated traditional SEO metrics I was offered baby shoes for my son who had died a few months previous at 11 days old. My blog was pretty much exclusively about him at the time Recipe competitions where you hand over all rights to your content to the brand by entering. they send you a product to review, you tested it, didnt like it and reviewed it. they didnt like the review and are asking to change the review or theyll remove you from their bloggers group A PR working for a large brand asking people to join their blogger network. You join then hear nothing for months and then get asked to promote one competition after another without ever getting to review anything for the brand I've had an email asking me to promote products from a dentistry site. I don't mean a site that offers toothpaste/tooth whitening etc, but a site that sells dentist chairs, drills etc Diet companies wanting me to promote their products and services when my blog is clearly against the diet industry 13. This isnt just about violating Googles ToS ASA guidelines, Google, CAP, other bloggers & mixed messages are confusing bloggers. Bloggers who have posted on UKFB, The Secret Blogger, UK Bloggers & other boards have terrified other bloggers that they will be penalised and possibly sued/jailed 14. Google Can Go To Hell 15. So holy crap what do you do? So WTF are you supposed to do?!? 16. Sweeten it to Win a Bloggers Heart 17. Successful Approaches 18. Over time, bloggers have become more savvy and less amenable to working without compensation 19. Chat with your targets on the phone after initial email contact The way I pitch things is carefully worded but I make it clear verbally what I expect within the law & guidelines 20. This is How I Do Successful Blogger Outreach Now heres the thing: Im not going to write it down on slides Id appreciate it if you didnt blog it Id be thankful if it was just something you learned Im hopeful you wont tweet it Thank you! 21. Invest in good blogger relationships 22. Example of an OK Sponsored Post disclosure, shares, non- EMAT links 23. SEO is a part of Online Marketing which includes PR. 24. I have decided to not work with bloggers based on: Too many badges EMAT Too many sponsored posts Beware It Isnt Always A Clear Path 25. WOAH! 26. http://www.mumreinvented.co.uk/ 27. Dont be a jerk to bloggers Word spreads fast 28. SRSLY Mark Hall??? 29. Engage and Be Interested Do not ask them outright to violate the ASA or Google guidelines honey catches more flies than vinegar ;-) Have a clear agreement by phone Increase payment value as their value increases Ensure brand shares content & feeds back Stop with the competitions already Always be polite Cast your line further with better bait for the big fishes Steps to Blogger True Love 30. THANK YOU! 31. You Can Stalk Me Online Twitter: @JudithLewis @MostlyAboutChoc LinkedIn: http://uk.linkedin.com/in/judithlewis Google+: https://plus.google.com/117564004595435401158/ Web: http://www.decabbit.com Blog: http://MostlyAboutChocolate.com SEO Blog: http://www.SEO-Chicks.com HuffPost: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/judith-lewis ...and the list goes on