Brighton Summary - October 2024

How to find the relevance gap between your site & its link profile

Key Takeaways

  1. Google's Treatment of Links:

    • Google is ignoring many links, especially those that are "mismatched" or irrelevant.
    • In rare cases, irrelevant links can harm a site's visibility.

  2. Importance of Link Relevance:

    • Irrelevant links can skew the topicality of your link profile.
    • Relevance is the best lever to pull for digital PR success in SEO.

  3. Definition of Relevance:

    • Being relevant means being closely connected.
    • A link is relevant when the topics of the linking page match one or more topics of the site's content.

  4. Measuring Link Relevance:

    • Objective measurement of link relevance is possible and crucial.
    • DIGITALOFT's solution analyzes topics of both site content and link profile.

  5. Relevance Gaps:

    • A relevance gap occurs when there's a mismatch between the topics your site is about and what your link profile suggests.
    • Addressing relevance gaps can involve earning more relevant links or removing irrelevant ones.

  6. E-E-A-T and Relevance:

    • E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) is closely related to relevance.
    • E-E-A-T can be thought of as your site's reputation, which influences trust.

  7. Importance of Context:

    • Relevance should be considered at the content, author, and brand levels, both on-page and off-page.

Action Items

  1. Analyze Your Link Profile:

    • Use tools or services to objectively measure the relevance of your link profile.
    • Identify topics where your site has a relevance gap.

  2. Address Relevance Gaps:

    • For topics with relevance gaps, focus on earning more relevant links.
    • Consider removing irrelevant links that may be skewing your link profile.

  3. Maintain Relevance in Strong Areas:

    • For topics where you have no relevance gap, continue your current strategies to defend your position.

  4. Redefine "Good Links":

    • Open discussions about what constitutes a "good link" for your site based on relevance, not just metrics like DA/DR.

  5. Prioritize Content vs. Links:

    • Use relevance insights to determine whether your priority focus should be on content creation or link building.

  6. Align Digital PR with Relevance:

    • Use data-driven insights to inform digital PR ideation.
    • Plan PR activities around closing identified relevance gaps.

  7. Enhance E-E-A-T:

    • Focus on improving your site's Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.
    • Consider E-E-A-T at the content, author, and brand levels.

  8. Monitor On-Page and Off-Page Factors:

    • Ensure relevance is maintained both in your on-site content and off-site signals (like backlinks).

  9. Continuous Measurement:

    • Regularly assess your site's relevance profile to identify and address new gaps or changes over time.

Remember: Link relevance is crucial for SEO success. By objectively measuring and addressing relevance gaps, you can improve your site's visibility and authority in the eyes of search engines.

For more information:

  • LinkedIn: /in/olivia-day-seo/
  • Twitter: @oliviaday
  • Presentation Deck: speakerdeck.com/livdayseo
  • Company: digitaloft.co.uk