Not only are links important for SEO, but Google considers linkless brand mentions too.
This happens once their algorithm can identify an entity or “a thing or concept that is singular, unique, well-defined and distinguishable,” applying to both companies and people.
Why’s this important?
Forums on Reddit and social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have countless unlinked mentions. This lends insight toward an entity’s popularity beyond links. It also allows Google to better analyze sentiment, or the positive and negative views for a subject.
How can this information be used?
- Have consistent authors for your content, displayed through an author box.
- When published externally, emphasize both the company and the author.
- As Warren Buffett says, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”