Do the Work, Get Noticed.

This past weekend, my previous blog post was listed in a Ten Tips article on Small Business Trends. Inquiring as always, John Webster asked me if that’s something I actively pursue or am I selected based on popularity. I explained that I send my posts to BizSugar, every week, where they are syndicated among other small business blogs.  Then, other places such as Small Business Trends, select popular stories to add to their weekly column. I’ve been fortunate to have over 30 posts shared by Small Business Trends, using this formula.

Occasionally, I send blogs to Social Media Today, as well. I’ve been published over 40 times on the site. I say occasionally because my blogs are not always about social media, but they are relevant to nearly every small business (thus, why I send them to BizSugar weekly).

Content syndication is worth the investment of time and resources. It increases awareness and credibility, but it also drives website traffic and enhances PageRank. From the sources listed above, our company website has acquired the following traffic hits: Small Business Trends: 2,600; BizSugar: 800, Social Media Today: 540.

PageRank (PR) is a calculation that determines the quality of backlinks to a website. It’s part of Google’s algorithm to determine web authority.  Google no longer reveals PageRank, despite various PR checkers on the web, however we are positive that the links coming from these sites are quality and help to raise my score on search engines. I know because I received hundreds of inbound leads a year – from all over the world.

But it didn’t come easy. When I started out, I was struggling for attention. I was knocking on doors and attending networking meetings to acquire clients locally. Now, I receive leads from California because they find me online, which shifts my effort now to qualifying leads and closing sales rather than finding people to talk to.

It took years of consistent blogging – at least once of week – to achieve my goals. I post about what’s important to my audience: helping business owners achieve success online. Once I found a few posts that resonated with other people, I started syndicating them.  This formula has built my audience, dramatically increased my search rankings and generated top-of-mind awareness among my readers. I now rank at the top of Google searches for social media management, internationally. I built a big brand with a consistent investment of resources.

If a small business from Central Pennsylvania can do it, so can you. It requires a long-term growth mindset, compelling and useful topics, and a time/resource investment. Always be looking for ways to increase visibility on syndicated sites, as well. They are harder to find than when I started out, but they exist in many niche forms. Put in the time and the resources and – like I said in my last post – make it happen.