Experienced SEO experts have already come to this conclusion through trial and error.
Why brand mentions are a priority right now
Google has a special system that analyzes every page on the Internet and finds mentions of different objects, such as people, organizations, places, brands, etc. These objects are called “entities.”
The system analyzes the context and relationships between entity mentions, even when they are not explicitly named in the document, allowing it to establish connections between entities and content, similar to how links connect pages.
When Google finds a mention of a brand on a webpage, it understands that the mention is related to a specific entity (such as a specific brand or person) but does not link back to that entity.
The more times Google finds such mentions, the more important and authoritative the entity is deemed to be.
It's important to understand that not all mentions carry the same weight: a brand mention in an authoritative resource (which is important to Google in its own right) is worth more than a mention in a lower authority site, similar to how links from authoritative sites carry more weight than links from lesser known resources.
Additionally, Google analyzes not only the mentions themselves, but also the authors of the content they find mentioned. Authors are also identified as entities, and their authority influences the weighting of their content, including blogs and websites.
If an author who has previously written for well-known, reputable publications writes an article for your blog, the content they produce will be given more weight and will have a higher chance of ranking than content from a lesser known author, thus positively impacting the authority of your brand as an entity in Google's system.
The logic behind the algorithm that processes Google mentions and entities
- Google detects and extracts text from web pages and documents.
- The text is split into individual words and sentences.
- The algorithm searches for mentions of important entities such as people, places, organizations, and brands in text, and uses a variety of methods to find implicit mentions as well.
- For each mention found, the algorithm determines its exact location in the text.
- The algorithm then uses the unique identifier to try to link each mention to a specific entity in Google’s knowledge base.
- The algorithm also extracts additional information about the mentioned entities from the context, such as their properties and relationships with other entities.
- For each mention, the algorithm considers a variety of factors, including the authority of the source and context, to assess its credibility and relevance.
- All extracted information about mentioned entities and their connections is integrated into Google’s vast knowledge base.
- This knowledge base is used when indexing and ranking web pages in search results.
- As a result, the more organic, quality mentions an entity receives, the higher the ranking of the content published by these entities and their resources. Pages with relevant mentions of these entities will gain higher rankings.
- And all of this can happen without a link.
example
A mention of brand “X” in a financial news resource increases the authority of that brand in Google’s knowledge base, so when a potential customer searches for information about such financial technology, articles mentioning “X” will rank higher due to the accumulated brand authority.
Startup “Q” is frequently mentioned in popular tech media, strengthening the company’s authority in Google, which helps “Q” blog posts on tech topics rank higher in search results thanks to the brand authority gained through mentions in other resources.
Freelancer John Smith regularly publishes articles in major financial media outlets. Google recognizes John Smith as an authority in the field, and as a result, content written by John Smith, including articles on his personal website and his client's sites, ranks favorably in finance-related searches.
Mentions are cool, but have links lost their appeal?
Links are still important, but a little differently than previously thought. Simply put, your SEO strategy should focus on getting regular, high-quality links in all forms (dofollow, nofollow, UGC) from the news articles that are most relevant to your brand.
Some facts about links
SEO niches are defined by strong inertia, the link market remains overheated for a long time, giving rise to a plethora of black hat strategies and services for building link mass, which Google doesn't like, so link factors are gradually weighted less in favor of entity mentions, content quality and behavioral factors that are less susceptible to manipulation.
So, if you’re only focusing on links right now, you’re already losing the SEO race and you’ll lose out completely in the long run.
Google is constantly boosting UGC signals, which is why user-generated content sites like Reddit and Quora have seen a recent increase in traffic. This leak directly indicates that brand mentions in user-generated content and links with UGC attributes are ranking factors. Furthermore, the algorithm ensures that the higher the quality of the discussion, the more weight the brand receives. Websites with quality user discussions are significantly boosted in search results. Incidentally, HackerNoon is also a UGC resource.
A link with no traffic is less valuable. A link with traffic is more valuable.
Link attributes, whether nofollow or dofollow, become less important and the quality of the content on the linking page and behavioral factors become more important. A nofollow link from an authoritative brand with high-quality content carries more weight for the brand than a dofollow link from a low-quality entity with weak content.
Google ignores links from unrelated sources, which means that the site or page linking to yours must be similar to your content or discuss a related topic, and only then will Google take it into account.
This may come as a surprise to many SEO experts, but Google
Links from new pages seem to be more valuable than links from old pages. In other words, new publications that mention you are considered just as important as links from general authority organizations at this point.
Google actively values links from news sites and gives them more value. Therefore, using PR tactics to get news links can be extremely beneficial.
Actionable advice for brands
Focus on increasing the quantity and quality of your brand mentions on relevant, authoritative resources that matter to Google.
Don’t limit yourself to typical keyword-targeted SEO blogs. Instead, create niche news micro-media outlets focused on specific niches. Build small communities around them to discuss and reinforce your content.
Analyze the news content of major media outlets in your field to not only find out how they write about you, but also to identify data that journalists can use to improve their articles by adding more information and facts from you.
If you have analysts who regularly research markets or indicators in your field, make that data publicly available and share it with journalists so they can reference it and cite you as a source. Journalists love data and new information.
Assign one or more members of your team the role of expert, allowing them to regularly provide valuable commentary on news articles related to their area of expertise.
Contrary to what SEO and PR “gurus” will tell you, distributing press releases through syndication networks is good for SEO and can be done regularly. However, there are a few things to keep in mind: First, it's best to publish the press release on your own page (e.g. your blog) and then distribute it through your PR network with a link to your blog post as the source. Mention your brand and team members multiple times in such press releases. Also, send traffic to these press releases if possible, which will give your brand more weight. And yes, good journalists still use press releases as a news source, so you might get some native publication as a bonus.
Hire authors who have already written for a variety of other major media outlets and who have been quoted or mentioned on other content platforms.
Encourage current authors to publish guest posts on other platforms and participate in discussions.
Wherever possible, help your authors build their personal brand: the more authoritative their entity appears to Google, the higher their content will rank.
Your author profile should include plenty of links to your social media accounts and articles from other resources, making it easier for Google's algorithms to clearly identify you as an author.
If you have any comments about this article or would like us to elaborate on a particular point,