Why brands need to increase trust flow

Kristina: What is 'trust flow' and why is it important to online brands?

Chris Lucas, VP of Marketing, Formstack: Trust Flow is more focused on the quality of content and backlinks. As Google continues to update its algorithms, we see less emphasis put on the amount of backlinks, and more on the type of backlink. Google takes this information and determines rankings in two ways: one, whether the user is benefiting from the link overall and two, whether the link is from a reputable source. This is ultimately important to a brand because the focus must always be on the end-user. And if the content on any given page is providing the user with the information required, the brand will rank higher in search engine results.

Kristina: What implications does trust flow hold for PageRank?

Chris: In 2013, John Mueller stated that Google would no longer be updating PageRank. As expected, we have not seen any more updates to this once important SEO tool. PageRank is not a metric marketers should even evaluate moving forward.

Kristina: What are your top 3 tips for brands to include Trust Flow in their SEO strategy?

Chris: Tip 1: Always create content and provide resources that are valuable to the visitor and answer the key problem sets they were searching for.

Tip 2: For increased credibility, secure backlinks from other sites and brands in your niche. For example, if you are a small business thought leader and are launching a new e-book, build a relationship with a reputable marketing website that might be able to promote a link to your content. The backlink will give you authority as it pertains to Trust Flow. In addition, try to link to other websites in your content if the resource proves valuable for your readers. Trust Flow ranking is all about the value of the page to your site visitor, and if they are receiving resources that answer their questions, your page will be ranked higher.

Tip 3: If backlinking proves too difficult, consider interlinking on your own site. A user should be able to quickly and efficiently navigate pages and locate information. This can be done by linking to appropriate material within your website. Not only does this create value for the visitor, but it also boosts your website's "time on site" metrics and creates a lowered bounce/exit rate.

Image via Shutterstock

Tags: business loyalty, consumer trust, Formstack, loyalty marketing