SkyFall-ing Rankings – you need an SEO Agent, that's no secret.

The Enemy

When rankings plummet dramatically following a Google algorithm update, the culprit is often unnatural link building. The most common issue is unnatural link building, so if you or your SEO company have been trigger happy with your link building recently, this may be the cause.

Immediate action should include:

• Identifying and removing poor-quality backlinks
• Replacing them with higher-quality alternatives
• Checking Google Webmaster Tools for unnatural link warnings

The Killer Solution

Recovery requires patience and a combined search and social media approach. The answer is a combined search & social media campaign – obtaining back links naturally, organically and from high quality sites is the only way to go.

Strategic Campaign Framework

1. Approach

• Phase 1: Audience building (freemium model)
• Phase 2: Community building
• Phase 3: Organic growth optimisation and revenue development

2. Blog Utilisation

Objectives: drive targeted traffic and collect email signups.

• Research topics, keywords, and hot industry subjects
• Create a content marketing calendar
• Publish regular, quality content with standardised formatting
• Include high-quality images and videos
• Cross-promote on multiple social platforms
• Add social sharing plugins

3. Social Media Blog Outreach

• Research and segment influential blogs by relevance and authority
• Develop editorial calendars aligned with target keywords
• Build relationships with bloggers and online influencers
• Research submission criteria for guest posting opportunities

Short-term objectives: increase brand recognition and trust; boost engagement through comments and forums.

4. Social Media Networks

Facebook Fan Page:

• Share relevant links, engaging content, videos, and polls
• Promote upcoming events
• Engage with influencers

LinkedIn:

• Optimise account setup
• Post relevant content
• Join and participate in groups
• Interact with influencers
• Monitor Q&A sections
• Recruit advocates

Google+:

• Optimise for SEO
• Share engaging content across time zones
• Comment on posts
• Utilise Google Hangouts
• Create and promote events

Pinterest:

• Create boards featuring content and company culture
• Follow thought leaders, customers, and partners

5. Micro Blogging (Twitter)

Short-term objectives: promote company blog through corporate account; address support issues via social channels; build reputation; promote other networking activities.

Key metrics to track: friends/followers count, retweets and interactions, influencer relationships, second-order follower metrics, social capital and reach, pages ranking on key terms.

6. Peer-to-Peer Social Media

• Add social elements to expand reach
• Share videos, reviews, ratings, and polls
• Launch promotions and referral campaigns

Metrics include social reach, impressions, activity, conversions, and ROI.

7. Online Video

• Update videos on YouTube and Facebook
• Create video series for YouTube
• Track referrals and video views

8. Supporting Activities

• Press releases
• Paid advertising (Facebook, Twitter, Google)
• Email marketing
• Website partnerships
• Event marketing
• Interviews, webchats, podcasts
• Guest blogging
• Slide and Storify creation
• A/B split testing for conversion optimisation

9. Tactical Planning

Successful social media requires structured planning:

1. Analysis and benchmarking
2. Kick-off brainstorming meeting
3. Community mind mapping
4. Establish objectives and KPIs
5. Create content schedules
6. Execute engagement activities
7. Allocate resources
8. Monitor performance
9. Report results

Planning and executing a Social Media campaign is by no means a 5 minute task. Invest time into your social media – it's valuable time invested in your business, and it will pay off in the long run.