Reasons to give away unique web content
My previous writing attracted a few caustic replies. Anytime this happens, I am motivated to reevaluate my efforts. Here is a follow up; another thought filed under the opinion category.
The criticism drawn by my previous post, Dealer review sites waste your time, focused on the reality that third party websites are already ranking for business names. Commentators believe my thoughts are nonsensical because these third party websites are creating some leads for the business names for which they rank. I feel not considering a more effective alternative is nonsensical.
I am not ignorant to third party sales funnels. I just prefer to avoid advertising the competition. I am not ignorant to the advantage of piggy back rides on authority domains. I just think third party review sites are not worthy of such a tactic because they typically empower anyone to publish in a free for all environment. Promoting a website to rank well in a search engine by giving it unique web content when that website offers the ability to be detrimental to sales is not productive or cost effective.
Comments suggested that without engaging in actions to shape the off-site experience, businesses risk missing out on the opportunity to properly leverage the customer base.
I agree, but I act to shape the impact of third party websites in such a way that they do not have control over my top 10 reputation. I maintain that helping a third party rank for the same terms as your business home page is a waste of time and money.
Review sites happened without your help. Consumers write about consuming all over the web. Names are named, and experience is shared.
Everyone, including my detractors, agrees that first page search engine rankings for your business name are important, and search engines are doing a great job of properly ranking official home pages very high if not at position one.
My previous point was based upon the idea that some are satisfied with this status quo of modern search. The official site ranks well; mission accomplished.
Others have a different mindset. If the primary goal is to rank number one and that goal has been accomplished, developing a strategy to promote another website to position number two or three should be equally or less challenging. The house has already been built.
If the primary goal is to rank well on page one, where is the logic in helping someone else’s website work towards that same goal?
By promoting a third party, the logic goal seems to shift from dominating search engine results to claiming one of them and hoping the rest are favorable. Businesses should not act to give control of their online reputation to third party websites.
I present the summation of my brainstorming:
Reasons to Give Away Unique Web Content
- Inability to publish it yourself
- Increase search engine competition for the content
- Leverage a domain with more authority than yours to rank for the content
To build a strong profile on a third party review site can help capitalize on traffic on competitors who do not “review” well. That is the only marketing advantage of these sites.
Using reviews in your sales funnel can backfire but can be a valid use. Allowing them, the review sites, to take traffic away from people already looking for you is poor way to market your business.
With that being said at the end of the day you need to be 100% in control of the SERPS for your name and other money keywords.
Well said, Paul.
This is interesting.
Can one really “control” a search engine?
The engines are evasive. Like a river, you must flow with them. To pursue a controlling behavior would lead to disruption and sharp turns. There is no need for that with SEO.
I for one have been burned by more than one after making sensitive information available. It is a shame and those people know who they are, but it forces me to be continually more selective in how I share what I share.
We take a slow roasting approach and build equity into our dealers’ brands. We ask a lot of our dealers, but we deliver a hefty sack. There is more information available to them than they know what to do with, but to us it is not enough.
Point is, you just have to be careful and selective the information you share. This is a copy cat industry and sometimes you learn the hard way.
Paul you have a lot of talent and promise to offer, but I think that attempting to control your position in search is a narrow and futile cause. You are best off striving for levels of saturation that permeate into a variety of markets that result in quality traffic across numerous areas on your sites.
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