How to build authority in a digital world

By Sherry BonelliĀ  / Guest Column

These days, people go online to look for trusted local businesses they can go to when they need products or services. When an online search is performed, Google uses hundreds of factors to determine which websites show up high in search results, and ā€œauthorityā€ is one of those factors.

Building your companyā€™s authority can not only help with your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts and help you rank higher, but it can also help build trust with potential customers. But how do you do it? There are several ways you can use your industry knowledge to position yourself as an expert who can be trusted by your current and future customers. Here are a few:

Get backlinks to your website

Getting high-quality backlinks to your website is a known ranking factor that can help boost your rankings when people do a search for your busiĀ­ness. However, getting backlinks is getting more and more challenging.

First, never pay for backlinks. Paid-for backĀ­links are sketchy and the websites that link to your site are generally low quality. This is a horĀ­rible combination and can get you ā€œblacklistedā€ from Google (meaning your site could get banned from its search results.) You want to get high-qualĀ­ity backlinks from quality websites.

As a local business, reach out to your chamber of commerce, business networking groups, indusĀ­try sites, etc., and ask for a link to your site. Give them a reason to link to your site, as well. Instead of asking them to link to your home page, give them a deep link to a page on your site that proĀ­vides their visitors with valuable information, like a link to one of your blog posts.

Also, instead of asking a website to just link to your companyā€™s URL, ask them to add some conĀ­text around the link. If youā€™re able to get keywords into the backlink to your site (through whatā€™s known as ā€œanchor textā€) thatā€™s a bonus.

If you do any sponsorship or charity work, these types of events and partnerships make for great backlink opportunities. For instance, if youā€™re sponsoring a breast cancer awareness event, ask the charity to link to your website. You should promote your sponsorship on your site and link back to the charityā€™s website. Not only does this show your customers that youā€™re inĀ­volved in the community, but it also helps your backlink building efforts.

When you get high-quality backlinks, Google sees that as a sign that youā€™re trustworthy ā€“ and that can help boost your search rankings.

Generate press releases

If you truly have great news to share, a press reĀ­lease is a good way to get exposure for your brand. PR can also help to increase online branded searches for your business.

When youā€™re writing your press release, be sure to think like a journalist. Donā€™t be salesy or just pitch your products or services.

Before you write your press release, be sure to do keyword research so you can sprinkle them throughout the press release (use the targeted keywords one to two times in the press release ā€“ donā€™t overdo it.) Your press release should be about 500 words and should include two to three backlinks, no more. The links you inĀ­clude should be directly related to the topic of the press release. Be sure to include a summary of your press release so people can quickly see what itā€™s about.

If your press release distribution site allows, add images, video or audio to keep your readers engaged.

At the bottom of the press release, include your NAP (businessā€™ name, address and phone numĀ­ber), your website URL, a link to your Google My Business listing and a Google Map to your busiĀ­ness, if possible.

Solicit online reviews

People trust online reviews almost as much as a personal recommendation. Google takes menĀ­tions of your brand and customer reviews into consideration when determining where to rank your site in search results, so encourage your hapĀ­py customers to leave reviews. Five-star reviews also help build trust with potential customers who are looking to do business with you.

The more people who see your website listed, your businessā€™ name online and find you toward the top of Google search results, the more brand authority you will get. This means more authority for your business, which means trust from future customers. So start building your companyā€™s auĀ­thority today.

Sherry Bonelli, digital marketer and presenter/ speaker, is the owner of early bird digital marketing, a full-service digital marketing agency in Cedar Rapids. Reach her at http://earlybirddigitalmarketing.com