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SEM Rush Webinar with Chase Reiner: The New Backlink?

SEM Rush hosted a webinar on July 1st which featured a special guest, Chase Reiner. You may have heard of him before, as he is one of the top SEO thought-leaders, albeit with controversial theories when it comes to SEO.

I tuned into this webinar and jotted down some notes of his presentation. He covered a few strategies and went through some of the free templates that are available on his website. The biggest takeaway that I had from the presentation was his theory: engagement and community are the new backlink.

This theory might feel controversial to some (I’ve found that people are skeptical of Chase’s theories at times). He explains that this doesn’t mean that backlink audits and strategies are totally dead, but they’re less important than we once thought them to be. Instead, he says, building engagement and community within your user base is more important. Build up a base of loyal users across your platforms, including but not limited to Facebook, YouTube, your blog, or whatever other platforms you utilize.

Reiner explains that your content should be built around an opt-in with content that is engaging to your audience. Further, this content doesn’t have to focus on the sale, but on the audience. Yet, content without a purpose is not a good idea, and usually, it is obvious to the readers. Content should have a focus on engaging your audience because once they’re engaged, they will share your content and advocate for you and your brand. 

When people search Google, they’re looking for a solution; this doesn’t mean they’re immediately looking to buy. Create content that captures your audience and builds a relationship. Relationships with your audience are more important than ever. Your audience might not immediately be a customer, but they can advocate for your brand to others who do require your paid services.

By engaging and building relationships, you are creating opportunities to further increase your site traffic, shares, and engagement with your content. This, in turn, signals to Google that your site is a valuable resource to people searching. Engagement creates engagement, which can help increase your rank within SERPs.

Ultimately, the takeaway is that engagement and community across your platforms are extremely important. It is more imperative than ever to create content with a purpose. If you need help with your content and SEO strategy, contact us today at Smarter Searches.