#009 TikTok Bans, Workshops, and Studying the SEO Competition 🍊

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Pinky Up Thursday — TikTok Bans, Workshops, and Studying the SEO Competition

My stepdad is known as a martial arts instructor. You might know him as Master Ken. Growing up, I took classes at the dojo he (and our family) owned and I — along with my mom and sister — eventually started teaching as well. It was a family thing.

Anyway. My stepdad really knew how to throw a tournament. I’d gone to many over the years, but none were as exciting as the ones he threw. Especially when I was between the ages of 10-16, when most of my friends were in the tournaments with me. The energy was loud and exciting. Given the school’s size, there’d be people piling in and out, people waiting in line outside or in the streets.

In many ways, the martial arts is an individual sport. You’re usually focusing on making yourself better, not really worrying about everyone else. (And, really, I could argue it’s not a sport at all, but a spiritual practice.) (Fineeee, I guess I can be a bit woo, too.)

But on tournament day, you’re competing with everyone. And it really shows who’s been putting in the work… and who hasn’t. (There’s nothing quite so humbling as leaving a tournament with sore ribs and nothing to show for it.)

As a competitor, I was pretty decent. I’m pretty sure I have more first place trophies than any other place (is it okay to brag?). (But of course, not more first place trophies than my sister, who was and still is a B.A.)

In the website world, competition isn’t just your business competitors. It’s everyone competing for the same search terms as you. For example, a doctor competing with an online magazine for “teeth whitening tips.” Or a vet competing with pet supply retailers for cleaners, conditioners, and medicines. In search, getting ahead of the competition means putting in the work, laying the foundation, and knowing where you can compete as you level up your SEO journey.

Action Invitation: Scope out the competition.

There are only so many spots at the top. Which means, you have to know what’s up with your competitors. Where are they performing well? Where could they improve performance? Where are they lacking? You need to know how your competition appears for your target search results, so you can strategize how to beat them.

Here’s what you’ll do:

• Make a list of 5-10 “search terms” you want your website to show up for.
• Do an “incognito” search in your browser, and take note of what websites appear for each of those search terms.
• Also take note of the types of results you see: brands, videos, images, and blogs.
• Finally, make some observations about what you might need to do to stay competitive. For example, do you need to write a blog as well? Do you need to build out a more advanced strategy? What opportunities are you seeing as you browse online for your desired search results?

Who are your competitors? Let me know!

Workshop Announcement: Own Your Organic SEO

Join the Waitlist

In this free workshop (dates TBA), we’ll go over 5 Ways to Grow Your Website Presence. You’ll learn how you can show up for your target search terms and how to maximize your organic website footprint at each stage of your strategy.

The Marketing World Roundup

🎙️ PR Tip: “42% of one of my interior client’s linking press coverage has come from expert commentary on TikTok trends” by Georgia Gadsby March. This is a brilliant LinkedIn post about how to land great links by following TikTok trends for your niche and then providing expert commentary on LinkedIn. Links help search engines (like Google) understand your importance and give you a credibility boost, so having great press coverage and high quality links is important for performing well in SEO.

🎙️ What a potential U.S. TikTok ban means for your social media strategy by Jess Zefarris. TikTok is about to get ‘canceled.’ The social media platform has a good chance of being banned in the US (much more so than I originally thought). This article presents expert commentary on what that means for small businesses, culture, and what steps to take to prepare.

🎙️ Who sends traffic on the web and how much? by Rand Fishkin of Sparktoro. In partnership with Datos, Sparktoro presents updated data about where traffic comes from and how that traffic is dispersed throughout our day-to-day search journeys. He also follows up with a clarifying article about where to focus your attention based on where your target audiences spend their time.

On the Blog

What Does Creating Helpful Content Mean?

That’s all for now! What sports did you compete in growing up? What sports do you like to do or watch now? Reply to this email and tell me!

Hasta la pasta, Crystal Ortiz

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