Barnacle SEO enables a company or website to join forces with a sizable webpage that ranks highly for its target keywords. The goal is to increase traffic and leads and to ensure a potential rise in rankings.
A primary focus for any small business owner might be improving their ranks on organic search results. Depending on the sector or area the business is in, it may take a substantial investment in SEO and significant time to rank well in search results. With the fiercer competition that rises every day, it’s critical to use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in the best possible way to establish your brand, boost traffic and sales.
Barnacle SEO enables a company or website to join forces with a sizable webpage that ranks highly for its target keywords. The goal is to increase traffic and leads and to ensure a potential rise in rankings.
Will Scott, coined the term “Barnacle SEO” for the first time in 2008, which mimics the interaction between barnacles and whales in the natural world. Actually the barnacles are tiny arthropods with a diameter of less than an inch that attach themselves to moving animals, such as whales, in order to collect nutrients.
So, in the business world, a small company can profit from associating its name with a search engine whale, similar to the above mentioned relationship. The company may follow the search engine whale wherever, including the top of the Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs). If we look back in nature again, we see that a commensal relationship exists between whales and barnacles, which means the barnacle neither helps nor hurts the whale. However, barnacle companies must behave more like a partner to major websites and less like a parasite to get the most out of the barnacle SEO method.
How to Use Barnacle SEO Strategies?
Barnacle SEO is primarily employed by small company owners on third-party local listing websites. Yelp is a frequent example in numerous industries. Using barnacle SEO might be a fantastic technique or strategy, but one should only use it as part of the action plan. Diversifying your efforts is intelligent, just like any strategy aimed at accumulating reviews. Barnacle SEO is a technique that uses the authority of websites that score high for extremely competitive keywords to promote a brand, content, or goods.
It consists of content assets like:
- Brand Mentions: Online referrals to a business, service, or brand are known as Brand Mentions. Brand mentions frequently appear in news articles, blog posts, reviews of goods or services, and content associated with educational materials. They also have a direct impact on the online presence and reputation of a brand or a product.
- Sponsored Content: A sort of native advertising known as sponsored content allows one to pay an online publishing platform to showcase an article on their website along with branding for their business. Even though this is a paid service, one can catch a barnacle this way.
- Press Releases: This involves publishing an article about a company on a news website or in another business newspaper and distributing a news release that is written about something current and essential. To make this happen, the content must be solid and sturdy.
- Participation in roundup posts: A roundup blog post or professional roundup, according to Hubspot, is a compilation of quotes from or interviews with significant figures in your niche. A more comprehensive array of readers can be reached by producing a roundup article and connecting with people in the business world.
Directories and social media are recommended channels to develop and execute a barnacle SEO strategy. The directories and the most popular websites used by businesses are as follows:
- Yellow Pages
- Bing
- Yelp
- Google My Business
- TripAdvisor
- Four Square
- Angie’s List
- Yahoo Local
When running a specialized or niche business, you must look for websites and directories that mainly target your line of business. For instance, if you are a restaurant or bistro you should be listed on Zomato in addition to Yelp and have a functioning Facebook page.
One approach is to visit these websites and enter your company’s information. On the other hand, you can employ local listing services to list you in several virtual directories simultaneously. Either your SEO will be set up, or it will only be a short period before the company’s ranking can be observed. To leverage barnacle SEO strategies optimally, you must learn and understand the below concepts.
Guest Blogging:
One of the most common and sought-after barnacle SEO strategies is guest posting. This involves an outsider providing blog posts for a company they are not part of to reach and engage with a wider audience, which benefits both the company and the outsider. In terms of barnacle SEO, this specific tactic involves contacting websites and proposing a guest blog post.
For small-sized and relatively new enterprises, reaching out to significant sites and blogs can seem intimidating. However, more established blogs might be open to collaborating with smaller ones, mainly if doing so involves posting another piece that will be indexed on their website.
Looking into popular themes in a given area is helpful before contacting a website. It is also beneficial to consider subjects that have received little attention but may be helpful to readers. Choose the best blog topics, then create a compelling case for a guest blog post. A guest blog may get a lot of traffic and shares on a large website.
Types of Sites to Target:
Asking to be a guest blogger on an established site or blog is only sometimes a mandatory requirement for using barnacle SEO, nor is it the only option. Targeting frequently visited websites is another option as these serve as publication platforms and online directories. Websites like Facebook, Google My Business, TripAdvisor, and Angie’s List, are frequently used for barnacle SEO. Finding websites dedicated to your specific niche is also helpful, making it easier to redirect traffic to your page as it is an already-created source with a clear idea of what the niche is about. You can start employing barnacle SEO after identifying the target websites and creating a profile to list your company.
Writing for A Publishing Platform:
A common barnacle SEO tactic is listing a company in internet directories, but there are alternative approaches that might produce effective outcomes. Reach can be increased by writing for any of the many publishing outlets. Medium is one of the most well-liked and successful publishing platforms. For competitive key phrases, Medium consistently ranks on the top page across various industries, from business to health. The fact that featured snippets are frequently included in the results on Medium is another perk.
The process of publishing on Medium is quite simple. When using barnacle SEO, it is permissible to focus on a sector’s most competitive key phrases. An outline of the procedure is given below:
- Start with comprehensive keyword research. (If you don’t know how, reach out to us)
- Select the intent for the search.
- The content must be optimized in such a way that it aligns with the keyword that has been targeted.
- Add keywords wherever possible. However, it is essential to stay moderate with keywords as this amounts to keyword stuffing and ultimately becomes counter-productive. A keyword density of 2-3% is optimal or just use them naturally with the flow.
- Use subheadings and incorporate keywords into these.
- Creatives like infographics, images, GIFs, videos, etc., can be embedded into the content if necessary.
It is essential to ensure that the writing is of the highest quality possible. Writing with authority is a mandate because Medium has a high domain authority. The information should be factual and informative while still being simple to read and understand. Please see our blog on creating high-quality content for more advice.
Leverage Review Sites
Leveraging review sites has many advantages. It can aid with SEO, which is a notable benefit. Review websites with high search engine authority include TripAdvisor, Google My Business, Yelp, Angie’s List, and Foursquare. Make sure to maintain all the information on each review site up to current. Additionally, filling out a profile with all the details prospective clients will require, such as the company’s address, operating hours, and services, is crucial.
To rank higher for local searches, having a solid profile with favourable client reviews can be helpful. It is a terrific technique to increase direct and organic traffic and improve internet reputation. Considering the kinds of terms that usually score well for review sites while constructing a profile is essential. Examples include:
- Product or Service Review
- Product or Service Alternatives
- Tools like product or service
Leverage Barnacle SEO with ContentGo
Nowadays, it is essential to leverage the power of words posted on websites, blogs, social media, etc., to guarantee consistent success and revenue. Content marketing and its diverse forms have become the norm in digital marketing today. At ContentGo, we strongly believe in the power and impact of written content. We boast a team of accomplished content writers, linguists and professionals in multiple languages, and the capability to leverage the innovative technologies of today’s digital marketing world.
Get connected with ContentGo today, and grow your business with the power of content!