SEO in Building Reputation and Expanding Market Reach on Writard podcast with Rachit Singh
In this Casual Sunday episode of the Writard podcast, Rachit Singh invites an important figure in the SEO industry for the very first time. Regarded as the Coolest Guy in SEO, Kris Reid shared his experiences about how he started his career as an expert in search engine optimisation and backlinking. Recovering from the global financial crisis of 2008, he was able to establish an empire that now spans across continents like Asia, Australia, and Europe.
He also shared his expert opinion regarding a lot about content and digital marketing, reputation engineering, and Google in general. This podcast is definitely something that you should not miss. For more about the host and his guest, read on.
Who is behind the Writard podcast?
Rachit Singh runs the weekly show Writard with new episodes every Wednesdays and Saturdays on the music and podcast sharing platform, Soundcloud. Established in August of 2016, the Writard host invited important people of the digital marketing industry such as Neil Patel, Ryan Biddulph, and Kris Reid.
He also shares his expertise regarding blogging, content marketing, and content optimisation. Furthermore, he has authored books in a fictional narrative like his Never on Rest series and Chattis – a romantic comedy novel. He is also a notable public speaker and marketer who has lent his digital marketing talents to several companies and individuals.
An entrepreneur himself, his content marketing firm, Scribbify, specialises in helping businesses build their reputation and image online.
Who gets to sit on the guest’s seat?
No one but the “Coolest Guy in SEO”! Kris Reid is an Australian native who sought his fortune as a software engineer for a couple of financial firms in the UK and mainland Europe. He worked for companies like Visa Europe and Euroclear Bank Securities Trading House until the global financial crisis caught the world unawares in 2008.
However, losing his job and a promising career did not stop him. He returned to his native country and started building a gaming app. Thinking about how to get people to play his game, he researched and soon came upon SEO and backlinking. From then on, he took a sabbatical from work and backpacked across the globe to explore whilst keeping an online job. This, in turn, became a predecessor of his backlinking agency, which then became an SEO firm called Ardor Media Factory. And the rest, as most people always say, is history.
Now he lives in Cambodia and runs his digital marketing firm, Ardor SEO. With staff and offices from countries like Thailand, Cambodia, the Philippines, India, Australia, and the UK, he has become an insurmountable force in the SEO industry.
Search Engine Optimisation is Essential to a Growing Business…
Kris Reid emphasised that even if content is king, as most would say, if there is no one reading it, then it is just a waste of time and effort. As he further states, 20 percent should be allotted to creating the content and 80 percent should be allotted to getting the content out to its intended audience.
…Because backlinking establishes authority and reputation…
This brought backlinks into the discussion as Rachit asks how it is important.
Essentially, SEO started with backlinks in mind. When Google founder, Larry Page, created his algorithm for what is now the search engine leader, he thought of his thesis and how referencing it helped established the said thesis’ authority.
He, therefore, posits that if a particular content has a backlink to an authority, then this establishes veracity that attracts readership.
1. Niche Specific Authority
Although backlinks are no longer the only metric for ranking a website or page, these can still significantly raise a site up on the ranks for major search engines like Google. However, your links must be niche specific to establish authority in your niche.
Kris, later on, draws an example to make a point. He said that if you are a plumber, link your content to a hardware shop instead of a bakery. Relevance is the key to effective backlinking, he implied.
2. Relevance
On the other hand, he also established a point that speaks of geographical influence over backlinking. He stated that a company that is located in the UK may have no relevance when linked to a company in Australia. He further emphasised that people in both places may see different search results based on location and interests.
Likewise, he stated that you must use an anchor text specifically for your niche. His example for a wisely used anchor text is Adobe Acrobat Reader’s Click Here text. This may have manipulated Google search results but it does work.
Be warned though …
Kris, however, gave a warning that Google does not like being manipulated. With years of development, Google’s algorithm has become sophisticated enough to detect manipulation and black hat tricks that are heavily utilised by seedy individuals.
How do you evade the wrath of Google?
1. Avoid overusing anchor texts
Do not overdo anchor texts as this may appear as manipulation for the search engine bots. Otherwise called over-optimisation, this is a common mistake made by most content publishers all over the internet.
To influence your position on the search engine page result or SERPs, you have to diversify your anchor texts to avoid being penalised by Google. Create a natural link profile by keeping the use of specific targeted and non-targeted texts to a minimum.
Use branded keywords in niche specific outreach content instead. This will endorse your brand as an authority and expert in your chosen industry. Furthermore, this is an excellent way for you to get your name out there.
2. Ensure good user experience
Kris, furthermore, discussed how Google ranks pages in SERPs through quality user experience which is determined through numerous factors including server and upload speed, click rate, bounce rate, mobile responsiveness, and the content itself.
3. Consider audience readability levels
He also emphasised how the level of readability in the audience can also affect ranking. He stated that if people are looking for medical-related articles, readers would tend to search for high-standard or high-quality content instead. He then draws a conclusion that education and readability level of the targeted demographic should also be considered when creating content.
4. Deliver fresh content
Lastly, Kris conveyed how essential it is to keep bringing in fresh content for potential readers. Information should be updated and current to rank in Google.
… Consider content over design
The Ardor Media Factory CEO later pointed out how most businesses would prioritise and pay thousands of dollars for the design of their websites instead of creating quality content. Although creating a wonderful landing page may add visual appeal, content will get you across borders.
Kris suggests that products are made to solve a given problem. Hence, people will look for content that will help them solve issues. For example, individuals suffering from a headache will not look for a specific brand. They will search for a cure instead.
Since people do not know where to find you, Kris recommends that you should point to where they should be looking. And that is towards your brand and product.
On a final note…
The podcast ends with a special offer from Kris Reid. To find out more about this and to listen to the full interview, just go to this link.
For other episodes of the Rachit Singh’s podcast, subscribe to Writard’s official Soundcloud account. Also follow Rachit Singh through these social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
You can also check out his blog for his latest books, interviews, and projects.
