Off-page SEO and link building: general strategies and authority transfer in the digital news media

In recent years, a number of digital news media outlets have begun to include paid links in their content. This study seeks to identify and analyse this content whose sole purpose is to improve the website authority of the advertisers and their search engine rankings. To do so, it employs two basic...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Lopezosa, Carlos, Codina, Lluís, Gonzalo Penela, Carlos
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2019
País:España
Institución:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
Repositorio:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
OAI Identifier:oai:recercat.cat:10230/46814
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10230/46814
https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2019.ene.07
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Digital news media
Online journalism
Digital journalism
SEO
Off-page SEO
Web positioning
Link building
Native advertising
Journalism ethics
Descripción
Sumario:In recent years, a number of digital news media outlets have begun to include paid links in their content. This study seeks to identify and analyse this content whose sole purpose is to improve the website authority of the advertisers and their search engine rankings. To do so, it employs two basic methodologies: first, it undertakes a systematic review of off-page SEO practices, the digital press and native advertising; and, second, it reports a case study based on the identification and analysis of 150 news items that contain specially commissioned links resulting from a commercial transaction. The study provides evidence of a new revenue stream for the digital news media, one that is not clearly disclosed and which is based on the sale of links. The article includes a discussion of the case study findings, and presents future guidelines for the use of paid links based on the emerging concept of ‘native advertising’.