The value of achieving syndicated links has been hotly debated across the PR and SEO industry. With many sites continuing to give out syndicated links, in this presentation I've conducted an experiment to showcase how to count syndicated links and report on its SEO value towards link building strategies.

1. The True Value of
Syndicated Links
Sarah Fleming
Kaizen
@sarahhflemingpr

2. @sarahhflemingpr
We all know that running a digital
PR campaign is tough

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‘Only follow links have REAL impact
on SEO’

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Last year I ran an experiment prove
the SEO value of nofollow links

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I created 2 websites with similar
domain names & products
(Nofollow site) (Follow site)

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I built nofollow links to one, and
follow links to the other site
(Nofollow site) (Follow site)

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TLDR; the nofollow site outranked the
follow site’s visibility score consistently

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The experiment proved that there
are massive benefits to attaining
nofollow links, which got me
thinking…

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How valuable are syndicated
links?

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“Content syndication is a method of
republishing existing content on
other websites in order to reach a
broader audience.”
- Maddy Osman @ Pathfinder SEO

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Some of these syndicated links
come from top tier publications

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It’s often been debated whether
there is any link equity benefit from
syndicated links

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Based on analysing
25,000 pieces of
coverage, only 8%
include syndicated
links

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Three-quarters of us agree syndicated
links are worth reporting on

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So, how important
are syndicated
links in relation to
keyword rankings?

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Today...
The methodology of
the analysis
The results of the
analysis
How to gain value
from syndicated
links

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The methodology of the
syndicated links experiment

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I collected 27 campaigns across our
client portfolio - which in total
added up to more than 1,000+ links

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10 campaigns had a high number of
syndicated links and the remainder
(17) had none

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I then compared how authoritative
each campaign page was by
analysing…

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1. Each campaign’s organic
keywords & rankings

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2. The total search volume for
these keywords

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3. Each campaign’s UR rating from
Ahrefs

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*Drumroll*, here are the results...

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Overall, campaigns with syndicated links
had more ranking keywords

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And a better average keyword position

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Case study 1:
Luxury retirement client

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Campaigns with high syndication had
more ranking organic keywords

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Despite campaign 3 having a higher
number of follow & no follow links
4 follow &
nofollow links
133 syndicated
links
12 follow &
nofollow links
133 syndicated
links
36 follow &
nofollow links
0 syndicated
links

30. @sarahhflemingpr
Some of these example keywords
include…
‘best cities for
young people’
‘best cities to
live uk’
‘michelin
recipes’
‘michelin star
meals’
‘how to keep
your brain
healthy’

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Case study 2: Car insurance client

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Again, campaigns with high syndication
had more ranking organic keywords

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Despite having a similar UR across both
campaigns
Campaign
UR = 17
Campaign
UR = 18

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Case study 3: Finance client

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Ranking keywords from syndicated
campaigns performed better too

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Even though the campaigns with MORE
follow & nofollows did not rank better
2 follow &
nofollow links
79 syndicated
links
Average of 25 follow & nofollow links
0 syndicated links

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The syndicated campaign also had a
better average keyword position

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The results show that campaigns
with a high number of syndicated
links performed better in SERPs

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In fact, syndicated links may
actually support a stronger showing
of organic keyword rankings

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The lack of correlation between
Campaign Page UR and the number
of words a campaign page ranks for
is interesting…

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Because it shows that traditional
reliance on page rankings may not
be as important as we’ve
considered it to be

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Google is constantly moving
towards a more holistic approach to
SERPS and syndication is only likely
to become more important over
time, not less

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So how can you prove the value of
syndicated links?

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It’s clear that a natural backlink
profile includes all types of links

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1. Make sure you’re reporting on the
readership and online reach of
each syndicated publication

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2. Hone in on the the diversity of
links you’re building, rather than
focusing on specific kinds of links

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3. Make sure you’re reporting on the
number of keywords your
campaign page is ranking for

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4. Report SMARTLY when it comes to
syndicated links!

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Thank you!
Tweet me @sarahhflemingpr
Find the slides at
slideshare.net/SarahFleming24