One writer, multiple brands - optimizing rel=author across several blogs
-
Our company has a few different brands, each with their own domain and site. These are not microsites intended to drive traffic to a main site; they all have independent e-commerce functions, full product lines, etc. Imagine we run Plumbing Widgets Inc, Kitchen Remodeling Company, and Springfield Countertops. It's not immediately obvious to surfers that one parent company operates all of these brands, and we're fine with that. Considering that it enables us to own a lot of SERP real estate for some money KWs, we're more than fine with it.
We'd like to create a blog for each of these sites/brands. Here's where it gets tricky. After doing some reading, I am persuaded that using rel=author will help us with SERP CTR and possibly rankings themselves. I am going to be writing all of the blog content, at least to start. I don't think I want to rel=author myself on all of these discrete blogs, do I? And surface the fact that one person is the head writer for the blogs of all these brands?
Creating blogging pseudonyms doesn't seem like a good idea, since part of the value of rel=author is genuine social engagement, and creating social personas that seem genuine is probably more trouble than it's worth. (Not to mention icky and dishonest.) Should I choose a customer service rep or manager for each brand and use their names and social identities (with their permission, obviously)? It seems like that would involve challenges of its own. I've ghostwritten for one business owner before, but this is on a larger, more complex scale. Any insights are appreciated!
-
I personally go with the "Ghostwriter" option, as having a real person is key - and creating a real "Face" for your Brand is even more important.
I know alot of people on here would suggest the "Create A persona" option and i think there is even a whle webinar on it - But I would completely disagree with this and think as you say it is icky and dishonest - but I know some niches a face is hard to come by
Shane
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
How to handle knock-off product leveraging your brand keywords?
Hello all, I fear this may be a bit of newcomer question but maybe you can help me out. My business is in a highly competitive market, and when you search for our branded name many of our competitors show up in search results well before us (who don't contain, or even reference, our brand name on their site). We're trying to take a proactive approach to content development and site enhancement, but I am wondering if there's anything on the defense-front that we can do to better own our brand ranking in SERPs. Thoughts? Suggestions? Should I be reading SEO 101? Thanks
Branding | | J-Me0 -
Advising clients on Blogs, twitter and social
I am looking to put a crib/cheat sheet together for clients about writing content, blogs and twitter and other social. I want this to be SHORT - SHARP and to the point. Any advise is appreciate. This is what I have so far.... Blogs - Tell the world what your company is doing, whats new, also link it to the news - BE INTERESTING - Educate don't just say "we offer this services its great" - make it relevant BUT do not be obvious - ask yourself would you read this blog find it interesting - read it again - what did you learn? Twitter - Treat like a micro blog with a personality - use it to great a company personality do not just link to your site when you do a blog post - comment on news events - BE INTERESTING - BE FUN - Make people want to engage with you - we recently tweeted this:- eg:- Something pointless for the weekend - See fun video link. Social - Again use it to create a company personality - be fun but do not just copy and paste the same content - judge your audience. Feel free to help.... watch?v=isZNJjPsaMI
Branding | | JohnW-UK0 -
Listing multiple business locations
Greetings, I had a quick question that i was unable to find an answer for so i wanted to see what you guys think. I am currently working on getting our business situated on sites like Yelp, Hotfrog, Bing business portal, etc., and on a lot of these sites i have to add each of our three store locations individually. I wonder when i put in the name, if it makes more sense to just put the business name as "Business Name" or wether i should identify each location separately in the name as "Business Name + City". I was just curious if there is a reason i should do one or the other, or since we plan to make sure it's listed the same way everywhere, does it not really matter?
Branding | | semaas0 -
How to leverage blog articles?
"Hello Moz Fans!" I've been writing blogs for our new site (bizinka.com an e-commerce,website design company) and posting links on our social media pages, however as we're in our infancy and so there's limited traffic that comes from social media so I want to know what the best practices and avenues to take in leveraging these blogs? I've heard a lot about article sites such as Ezine holding little weight and there's a lot of forums out there that don't seem to offer much at all in terms of traffic and credibility. Could anyone suggest some sites please?
Branding | | SimonDixon0 -
Should I create a Google + account for the brand for Rel=Author
Hi, What I meant is should I use the above mentioned account as rel=author for category pages etc? It seems to me improper to use my account (with my picture) in a category page and to show my face in the SERPS for searches like "Toshiba Laptops". On the other hand, if in the SERPS it will show our Logo it might increase CTR... Any thoughts? Thanks
Branding | | BeytzNet0 -
How to increase page authority and domain authority? [Ecommerce]
How can I increase my Ecommerces Domain and Homepage Authority? My competition have 60-70 page Authority and it's time I try to compete.
Branding | | InkCartridgesFast0 -
Capturing Brand Search
Hi, How do you capture as much brand results as possible in search results? I know Mike from Koozai recently did a video about brand reputation, but this is slightly different. The current issue i'm having that the client's brand name is also a specific geographic destination, hence the confusion in SERP's. This means non-related industries are eating up the client's potential market share and traffic. My objective would obviously be to capture as much traffic as possible for brand related keywords for the site, so that we can focus more on long tail product terms. Any help would be appreciated. Obviously re-branding is out of the question. Regards, Vahe
Branding | | Vahe.Arabian0 -
Separate social media accounts for 1 biz w/ multiple locations?
I'm managing a hospital that is acquiring several locations. Are there advantages to having a Facebook and Twitter account for each location? Or is it SEO smart to use one account for discussing all properties? Thank you,
Branding | | GravitateMCC0