Publisher Tips
The importance of fresh content for Google rankings
Google has placed preference on fresh content for several years now. This has expanded even more in the last year, with Google now showing content which has been updated the most recently higher up for a bigger range of terms.
Therefore it is advisable to try and find terms and phrases with fresh results and target them with some new content. This can allow you to get higher up in search results for competitive terms, even if it is just for a day or two.
You can also try updating old content, which has slipped down in rankings. Have a go at updating an old blog post, making it fresh again with new things that have come to light in the last months. You can then try 301 redirecting (permanently redirecting) this post to a new URL.
Don’t just re-publish the same content though. Make sure that it is modified sufficiently, and that it serves the visitor’s intent; otherwise you could risk getting penalised by Google.
You can use Google trends, Uber suggest, as well as news sites, Reddit and other social sites, to spot new trends to write fresh content around.
Advertiser Profile
Tell us something that publishers might not know about your programme?
Although I am responsible for the programme from the L.K.Bennett side of things, we have a lovely, hands-on Account Manager – Jeannine Martel – to help from Affiliate Window’s side. Together, we’re here to answer any questions/queries, manage partnerships, and basically help you make the most out of L.K.B. on Awin.
Which months are most important for your brand? When are your key sales periods?
Christmas and the Summer/Winter Sales (around May/June and December) are amongst our strongest times.
Which methods have you found most effectively to motivate your publishers?
We know that you love to hear what is going on with the brand – new product launches, trends, sales… – and love to share this newness with your site visitors, so we’ve been working hard to keep you up-to-date on all these things.
What’s the best piece of performance marketing advice you have been given?
Trial. Test. Adapt. Communicate.
If you could change one aspect of the industry, what would it be and why?
I’d like to see less dependence on voucher code/cashback sites and more importance given to beautiful, useful content sites – but as a Content Manager, I probably would say that. L.K.Bennett doesn’t work with vouchercode or cashback publishers and we really value our content marketing relationships.
Who is your hero?
From a work perspective, I really respect Jane Shepherdson who has been so influential in the industry and near single-handedly changed the fortunes of Whistles, turning it into the mega retailer it is today.
Can you recommend a film or two to the publisher community?
It’s not a film, but I just finished season one of The Bridge, which had me hooked. It’s a Scandinavian crime drama. Saga, the female lead, is utterly brilliant and has some great one-liners.
Which one website gets you through the day?
Google would be the totally obvious answer, as I’m a zealous Google-r… But Never Under Dressed is a go-to site for me, too. It’s the perfect mix of fashion, beauty, lifestyle and a bit of culture and I’ve been hooked since it launched last year. I love the beauty director Joanna’s ‘The Recreationist’ segment – wherein she does her own take on an iconic beauty look. Odd, as I’m totally lazy about wearing makeup myself…
Which one thing would we always find in your refrigerator?
Cheese. It’s my weakness.
Do you have any new/big plans for the next few months that publishers should know about?
We’re going to be changing our affiliate commission structure in the coming months. We’re also looking to launch some exciting tenancies to rejuvenate the programme for the New Year. Finally, a little later in the year we hope to be able to feed shoppable, rich content features direct from Ampliance – our content tool – for you to use on your sites.
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