Barnacle SEO refers to the practice of leveraging the authority of top-ranking websites to increase your brand’s ability to rank for the most competitive keywords. It differs from traditional SEO in that you do not optimize your website for these key terms but rather optimize the authoritative site for them. Here is why you would want to do this.
The Concept Behind Barnacle SEO
Barnacle SEO is a term to describe a relationship similar to one that occurs in the natural world. In nature, barnacles will attach themselves to a moving object, such as a whale, so that they may drift along with the whale through the current and catch whatever nutrients come by. In turn, the barnacles provide the whale with something akin to a suit of armor. This concept works the same regarding big and small websites.
Using Other Sites To Improving Ranking
On its own, a small website has little to no chance of ranking for the industry’s most competitive key terms. It would be a significant drain on one’s resources to try to. Fortunately, sites are available that easily rank for those keywords that one can attach their brand’s name to benefit from their authority. Two of the biggest “whales,” so to speak, are Google and Yelp. However, there are other useful sites to which a brand can attach their name to. Some of these sites can serve a practice better than Google or Yelp. For instance, health practitioners may also want to look into niche sites like Vitals and Healthgrades.
A Google Business Profile
A Google Business Profile is vital for SEO since it helps gain search engine visibility and gives businesses a better chance of appearing in local Google Search results and Google Maps. A Google My Business account allows one to claim ownership of their Business Profile and make changes to it. Making changes and updating information to ensure it is accurate creates an optimized profile that helps it rank for local and competitive keywords.
Yelp Matters
As the largest local review site next to Google+ Local, Yelp matters a lot. Yelp pages often show up at the top of Google for even generic terms like doctor, dentist, and chiropractor. Yelp results also feature ratings, which heavily influence conversions. The site also influences Google and Bing behind the scenes, meaning that a strong Yelp profile with many reviews can cause either of the search engines to show a profile before others.
Supporting Your Barnacle SEO Efforts
Google and Yelp can support your barnacle SEO efforts in unique ways. Google can boost your local SEO, while Yelp can influence search engines and consumers. Our SEO professionals at Doctor Genius can help you build up your profiles on both sites. Call us if you are interested in learning more about how we can serve your digital marketing needs.
Doctor Genius, located at 16800 Aston Street, Suite 270, Irvine, CA 92606, provides a range of services for practice success. We seek to meet our clients’ needs by providing a variety of marketing, SEO, practice optimization tools, and coaching to transform the healthcare experience. Though we work to provide the most accurate information, the content found on this website is solely intended for entertainment purposes. Therefore, we cannot guarantee that the information provided is entirely correct. You may not use the information on this site to cure, prevent, or diagnose a perceived medical issue. If you have healthcare-related needs, please speak directly to a healthcare professional. Never self-perform medical treatments discussed on this website. All images displayed are also for entertainment purposes only, and personal experiences may differ. Please note that the business tactics mentioned on this site might not be applicable to your industry or practice.
