PBNs, DA & PA, Press Releases - What my Local SEO Tests have Shown Me
- SEO |
PBNs
Some argue that PBN links should not be built from the get go and should be build sparingly and after several months once the site is established.
I decided to put this theory to the test. I built out 2 new local lead generation sites on fresh domains. I let one site sit several months before dropping the PBN links while the other I built a link straight away:
Site 1:
This site was left to sit for several months. No link building was done prior. 10 PBN links were the built over a period of 20 days.
8 were sent to the home page, 5 were blank url's, 1 was exact keyword I was trying to rank for (about 200 searches a month), and 2 links were similar keywords.
The Results? About 2 to 3 weeks after the last link was dropped, the keyword went from around position 70 to 13.
The following weeks saw the keyword stabilize and settle at around 15.
Site 2
This was a brand new site. No links were created before. I sent 1 exact match anchor to the home page, The keyword I was trying to rank for had about 300 searches a month.
The Results? Keyword went from nowhere to position 30 ish.
The ranking is still stable.
Sometimes you need to do your own testing to see what works and what doesn't. Went it comes to links, it's about quality not quantity. There are risks involved with PBN's.
DA & PA:
Some people spend too much of their time looking at competitors DA & PA Metrics and then stress over whether they can compete or not. I don't take these metrics into account and I still outrank sites who have higher DA and PA. Why? Because these metrics are meaningless.
Press Releases:
Some say they aren't effective anymore or just a waste of time.
I tested it on 3 sites.
Site 1:
Links were built prior, but no keywords were ranking. Last links were built around 2 months before the PR. I sent a press release, with the brand name anchor to 4 city pages. I basically added the urls inside the press release and used brand anchor. Another 2 links were sent to the home page.
All the keywords I was aiming to rank for each of those pages jumped within the top 60 out of nowhere. Note I used brand name anchors here, no keywords, yet all the keywords jumped.
Site 2:
Keyword was ranking around 7. Links were built prior, but last link was about a month ago. Blank url in press release. Keyword jumped to position 3.
Site 3:
This was to rank a Google My business listing. Brand new site. This PR was released along with building citations. The citations would have also given a boost.
After the PR, the GMB listing got into the top 3 in the map pack. It only stayed there for a week or so before dropping out again.
So those are some of the tests I've run to see what works for my sites.
What have you guys found while doing your local seo? What works for you?
Some argue that PBN links should not be built from the get go and should be build sparingly and after several months once the site is established.
I decided to put this theory to the test. I built out 2 new local lead generation sites on fresh domains. I let one site sit several months before dropping the PBN links while the other I built a link straight away:
Site 1:
This site was left to sit for several months. No link building was done prior. 10 PBN links were the built over a period of 20 days.
8 were sent to the home page, 5 were blank url's, 1 was exact keyword I was trying to rank for (about 200 searches a month), and 2 links were similar keywords.
The Results? About 2 to 3 weeks after the last link was dropped, the keyword went from around position 70 to 13.
The following weeks saw the keyword stabilize and settle at around 15.
Site 2
This was a brand new site. No links were created before. I sent 1 exact match anchor to the home page, The keyword I was trying to rank for had about 300 searches a month.
The Results? Keyword went from nowhere to position 30 ish.
The ranking is still stable.
Sometimes you need to do your own testing to see what works and what doesn't. Went it comes to links, it's about quality not quantity. There are risks involved with PBN's.
DA & PA:
Some people spend too much of their time looking at competitors DA & PA Metrics and then stress over whether they can compete or not. I don't take these metrics into account and I still outrank sites who have higher DA and PA. Why? Because these metrics are meaningless.
Press Releases:
Some say they aren't effective anymore or just a waste of time.
I tested it on 3 sites.
Site 1:
Links were built prior, but no keywords were ranking. Last links were built around 2 months before the PR. I sent a press release, with the brand name anchor to 4 city pages. I basically added the urls inside the press release and used brand anchor. Another 2 links were sent to the home page.
All the keywords I was aiming to rank for each of those pages jumped within the top 60 out of nowhere. Note I used brand name anchors here, no keywords, yet all the keywords jumped.
Site 2:
Keyword was ranking around 7. Links were built prior, but last link was about a month ago. Blank url in press release. Keyword jumped to position 3.
Site 3:
This was to rank a Google My business listing. Brand new site. This PR was released along with building citations. The citations would have also given a boost.
After the PR, the GMB listing got into the top 3 in the map pack. It only stayed there for a week or so before dropping out again.
So those are some of the tests I've run to see what works for my sites.
What have you guys found while doing your local seo? What works for you?
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