Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017
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Transcript of Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017
![Page 1: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Links & RankingsThe Story in the Data
![Page 2: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
1998
@THCapper
![Page 3: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
You navigate the web using links
@THCapper
![Page 4: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
So links are a usefulproxy for popularity & trust
@THCapper
![Page 5: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
2017
@THCapper
![Page 6: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
There are now other waysto browse the web
@THCapper
![Page 7: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
& Google doesn’t need toapproximate popularity
@THCapper
![Page 8: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
Google is a browser
@THCapper
![Page 9: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
Google is an ISP
@THCapper
![Page 10: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
Google is, of course,a dominant search engine
@THCapper
![Page 11: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
So they have the real dataon user behaviour.
No need for a proxy.
@THCapper
![Page 12: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
& links have become a dirty signal
@THCapper
![Page 13: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
So what, for Google, is the point in links?
Are they obsolete?
@THCapper
![Page 14: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
First: House rules
@THCapper
![Page 15: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
Don’t tweet this:
@THCapper
![Page 16: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/16.jpg)
Do tweet this:
@THCapper
![Page 17: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/17.jpg)
Has it already happened?
What could replace links?
What should you do next?
![Page 18: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/18.jpg)
1. What could replace links?
![Page 19: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/19.jpg)
The obvious answer:
Machine learning + user signals
![Page 21: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/21.jpg)
The less obvious answer:
Brand
![Page 22: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/22.jpg)
What if you could find a way to measure brand?
We all struggle with this.
@THCapper
![Page 23: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/23.jpg)
This is elementary for Google.
@THCapper
![Page 24: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/24.jpg)
Has it already happened?
What could replace links?
What should you do next?
![Page 25: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/25.jpg)
Has it already happened?
![Page 26: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/26.jpg)
What does Google say?
![Page 28: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/28.jpg)
@THCapper
“And I can tell you what they are.It is content. And it’s links pointing to your site.”
Andrey Lipattsev, Search Quality Senior Strategist, Googlehttps://youtu.be/l8VnZCcl9J4
![Page 29: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/29.jpg)
@THCapper
Question: Are links already redundant?● Google: No
![Page 30: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/30.jpg)
Counterclaim:Google is routinely wrong technically
correct about how Google works
@THCapper
![Page 31: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/31.jpg)
Classic examples:● HTTPS migrations pre-2016● 302s are as good as 301s● Subdomains are as good as sub-folders● CCTLDs are as good as .com
@THCapper
![Page 32: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/32.jpg)
@THCapper
Question: Are links already redundant?● Google: No
![Page 33: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/33.jpg)
Correlations
![Page 34: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/34.jpg)
Lots of people have found correlations
@THCapper
![Page 37: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/37.jpg)
We all know that correlationdoes not imply causation
@THCapper
![Page 38: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/38.jpg)
But causation & coincidenceare not the only possibilities
@THCapper
![Page 39: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/39.jpg)
We’ve all enjoyed this
@THCapper
http://dis.tl/TylerVigen
![Page 41: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/41.jpg)
But how do these happen?
@THCapper
![Page 42: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/42.jpg)
Potential Mechanisms
1. Complete coincidence - Nicholas Cage and drownings are in fact unrelated (!)
@THCapper
![Page 43: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/43.jpg)
Potential Mechanisms
1. Complete coincidence - Nicholas Cage and drownings are in fact unrelated (!)
2. Linearity - both cheese consumption and bedsheet-related deaths are trending linearly, and thus loosely correlated
@THCapper
![Page 44: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/44.jpg)
Potential Mechanisms
1. Complete coincidence - Nicholas Cage and drownings are in fact unrelated (!)
2. Linearity - both cheese consumption and bedsheet-related deaths are trending linearly , and thus loosely correlated
@THCapper
![Page 45: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/45.jpg)
Potential Mechanisms
1. Complete coincidence - Nicholas Cage and drownings are in fact unrelated (!)
2. Linearity - both cheese consumption and bedsheet-related deaths are
trending linearly, and thus loosely correlated
3. Reverse causation - it is in fact drownings that cause Nicholas Cage films, not
vice versa
@THCapper
![Page 46: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/46.jpg)
Potential Mechanisms
1. Complete coincidence - Nicholas Cage and drownings are in fact unrelated (!)
2. Linearity - both cheese consumption and bedsheet-related deaths are
trending linearly, and thus loosely correlated
3. Reverse causation - it is in fact drownings that cause Nicholas Cage films, not
vice versa
Or in our case...
@THCapper
![Page 47: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/47.jpg)
Potential Mechanisms
1. Complete coincidence - Nicholas Cage and drownings are in fact unrelated (!)
2. Linearity - both cheese consumption and bedsheet-related deaths are
trending linearly, and thus loosely correlated
3. Reverse causation - it is in fact drownings that cause Nicholas Cage films, not
vice versa
4. Joint causation - both cheese consumption and deaths in bedsheets are
related to increasing affluence (& effluence)
@THCapper
![Page 48: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/48.jpg)
Affluence causes:● Cheese consumption● Bedsheet deaths
@THCapper
![Page 49: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/49.jpg)
@THCapper
Brand awareness causes:● Links● Rankings?
![Page 50: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/50.jpg)
Brand awareness causes:● Links● Rankings?
This would explain those studies.
@THCapper
![Page 51: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/51.jpg)
@THCapper
Question: Are links already redundant?● Google: No● Correlation Studies: Inconclusive
![Page 52: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/52.jpg)
So how does brand awareness compare?
@THCapper
![Page 55: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/55.jpg)
@THCapper
![Page 56: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/56.jpg)
Therefore:
If you care about DA, you should care about Branded Search Volume
@THCapper
![Page 57: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/57.jpg)
@THCapper
![Page 58: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/58.jpg)
@THCapper
Question: Are links already redundant?● Google: No● Correlation Studies: Inconclusive● My Data: Yes
![Page 59: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/59.jpg)
But
@THCapper
![Page 60: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/60.jpg)
Statistical Significance: 99.9999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
9999999999999999999999999%
R Squared: ~1%
Pearson’s Correlation: ~0.1
Which means that there’s something I’m missing.
@THCapper
![Page 61: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/61.jpg)
@THCapper
![Page 62: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/62.jpg)
Qualitatively, what doesranking flux look like?
![Page 63: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/63.jpg)
Real World Example 1: Flowers
![Page 64: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/64.jpg)
@THCapper
Keyword: FlowersMarket: GB-enPeriod: May-Dec 2016Device: Smartphone
(This is all public data)
![Page 65: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/65.jpg)
@THCapper
![Page 66: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/66.jpg)
@THCapper
What do we notice?1. Highly erratic
![Page 67: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/67.jpg)
@THCapper
![Page 68: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/68.jpg)
@THCapper
What do we notice?1. Highly erratic2. Dominant site collapsed
![Page 69: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/69.jpg)
@THCapper
![Page 70: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/70.jpg)
@THCapper
What do we notice?1. Highly erratic2. Dominant site collapsed3. DA 33 site overtakes DA 53 site(s)
![Page 71: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/71.jpg)
@THCapper
Old-school ranking factors:1. On-site2. Algorithm updates3. Links
![Page 72: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/72.jpg)
@THCapper
Old-school ranking factors:1. On-site2. Algorithm updates3. Links
![Page 74: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/74.jpg)
@THCapper
Old-school ranking factors:1. On-site2. Algorithm updates3. Links
![Page 75: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/75.jpg)
@THCapper
Site A (DA 53)
Site B (DA 33)
![Page 76: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/76.jpg)
Site A (DA 53)
Site B (DA 33)
@THCapper
40 domains
40 domains
![Page 77: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/77.jpg)
@THCapper
Old-school ranking factors:1. On-site2. Algorithm updates3. Links
![Page 78: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/78.jpg)
@THCapper
![Page 79: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/79.jpg)
This is not unusual.
@THCapper
![Page 80: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/80.jpg)
Takeaway 1:Google is continuously iterating
@THCapper
![Page 81: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/81.jpg)
Takeaway 2:(Users like) Aesthetics & Price
@THCapper
![Page 82: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/82.jpg)
Real World Example 2: Fleximize.com
![Page 83: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/83.jpg)
@THCapper
![Page 84: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/84.jpg)
@THCapper
![Page 85: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/85.jpg)
@THCapper
![Page 86: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/86.jpg)
@THCapper
![Page 87: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/87.jpg)
@THCapper
Content piece gains 168 referring domains
![Page 88: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/88.jpg)
@THCapper
Content piece gains 22 referring domains
![Page 89: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/89.jpg)
@THCapper
Content piece gains 191 referring domains
![Page 90: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/90.jpg)
Takeaway:Links move the needle ...sometimes?
@THCapper
![Page 91: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/91.jpg)
Question: Are links already redundant?● Google: No● Correlation Studies: Inconclusive● My Data: Yes● Anecdotal: Mixed
@THCapper
![Page 92: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/92.jpg)
Bringing all this together
![Page 93: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/93.jpg)
An explanation that is consistentwith all of this
@THCapper
![Page 94: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/94.jpg)
Perhaps there are now two tiers.
@THCapper
![Page 95: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/95.jpg)
1. At the competitive, data-rich top end, links mean increasingly little
@THCapper
![Page 96: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/96.jpg)
@THCapper
1. At the competitive, data-rich top end, links mean increasingly little
2. But, for now, links might be a big part of what gets you into that shortlist.
![Page 97: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/97.jpg)
Has it already happened?
What could replace links?
What should you do next?
![Page 98: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/98.jpg)
What should you do next?
![Page 99: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/99.jpg)
Win at user testing
![Page 100: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/100.jpg)
User testing for SEO: Places to start
1. Panda surveys
2. Click-through rate experiments
3. Plain old CRO - especially focusing on initial bounce
4. All of the above: Mobile first
None of this is new!
@THCapper
![Page 101: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/101.jpg)
Win at brand awareness & perception
![Page 102: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/102.jpg)
@THCapper
![Page 103: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/103.jpg)
If you want to build links, think:
![Page 104: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/104.jpg)
Would Google value this tacticin a world without links?
@THCapper
![Page 105: Links & rankings, the story in the data - BrightonSEO April 2017](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062523/58f0b6961a28abdd3f8b45df/html5/thumbnails/105.jpg)
Thank You
@THCapper