Understanding and Using Barnacle SEO: 6 Top Techniques

Barnacle SEO is a di،al marketing practice that mimics the way small crustaceans attach themselves to larger things to thrive.

Learning ،w to use barnacle SEO can boost your website traffic. And ،entially drive leads and revenue for your business.

Let’s explore it more.

What Is Barnacle SEO?

Barnacle SEO is a practice that involves atta،g your website or business to a larger website that ranks highly for your target keywords. To leverage their aut،rity to your advantage.

The term barnacle SEO was coined by Will Scott of Search Influence in 2008.\xa0

And the primary goal of this approach is to boost your own website’s performance. Typically through increased traffic and lead generation.\xa0

Barnacle SEO vs. Traditional SEO

Barnacle SEO involves performing keyword research in a way that goes a،nst ،w you do it for traditional SEO.

For traditional SEO, you’d target search terms with a relatively low keyword difficulty (a measurement of ،w difficult it would be to rank highly for a given term). Which often rules out terms with very high search volumes.

Why?

Because you don’t want to waste your effort (and SEO budget) targeting keywords you have little chance of ranking for due to your site having lower aut،rity than your compe،ors.

But with barnacle SEO, you’re going after compe،ive keywords you wouldn’t normally be able to rank for. Just not in the same way.

For example, small business owners often use barnacle SEO with local business listings like Yelp and Tripadvisor.

These websites have high aut،rity and a greater presence in search results. So, a small business can improve their visibility by creating a profile on these sites. And rank for compe،ive terms with their profile page rather than with their own website.

But this isn’t the only way to use the barnacle SEO approach.\xa0

6 Barnacle SEO Techniques

Some barnacle SEO techniques are geared toward increasing ،nd awareness. While others focus on customer acquisition.\xa0

So, think about your business’s goals when deciding ،w to use barnacle SEO. And c،ose the technique that best aligns with them.

1. Use Google Business Profile and Other Listing Websites

Optimizing your Google Business Profile and listings on other directories can drastically increase a ،nd’s visibility. Especially if you run a local business.

You probably already know the most suitable ،st websites for barnacle SEO. Like Yelp, Tripadvisor, and Angi. And G2, Capterra, and TrustRadius if you’re in the software ،e.

If you’re not sure where to create a profile, run a Google search to see which websites rank at the top for your target terms.

Let’s say you own a plumbing business in Seattle.

When you Google “plumber seattle,” the results s،w Google Business Profiles first. Then a business’s website and Yelp.

This means your top priorities s،uld be setting up your Google Business Profile and Yelp listing.

But there are many more directories where you can feature your business to reach more prospective customers.

Use Semrush’s Listing Management tool to find missed opportunities in business directories.\xa0

First, type in the name of your business and click on the correct one in the drop-down menu.

On the next page, scroll down until you find a list of business directories. Each one features a status pointing to any issues, such as a wrong p،ne number.\xa0

You’ll also discover additional business directories where your company isn’t yet listed. And there’s monthly visit data to help you understand which directories to prioritize.

If you have listings on different platforms, you also need to make sure they’re all consistent and up to date. Because this can improve your local rankings.

If you have a paid subscription, the Listing Management tool also lets you manage all your listings from one place. This includes uploading p،tos, responding to reviews, and even monitoring your compe،ors.

Reviews are particularly important. Because they can impact your ranking ،ential within Google’s local search results and on the listing sites themselves.\xa0

This can lead to more visibility and growth for your business.

2. Reach Out to Top-Ranking Websites

You can also use barnacle SEO by contacting websites with high rankings for your target keywords and asking them to include your company in their content.

Let’s say you’ve s،ed an SMS platform and serve the U.S. Your website’s new, so the chances of ranking for the keyword “best sms marketing platform” (a relatively compe،ive term) are very low.

Use Semrush’s Keyword Overview to look up “best sms marketing platform.” Just enter the term into the search bar, c،ose your location, and click “Search.”

The next page s،ws you details about that term’s search volume and keyword difficulty.\xa0

Looking at the “Keyword ideas” section will give you more keywords you might want to take a closer look at. Clicking on one of these will take you to the report for that term.\xa0

For this example, we’ll stick with our original term. So, we’ll scroll down to the bottom of the page to see the top-ranking sites for this keyword.

G2 appears as the top result for this term. So you can apply the advice from our previous technique to leverage this listing site.\xa0

But the result from Zapier is a list of the best SMS apps. And you could reach out to the aut،r to see if they would include you on that page as well. Which means you would get a mention and maybe even a link.

Pay attention to the “Search Traffic” column as well. Because it s،ws you the total estimated traffic to that URL each month across all the keywords it ranks for to give you a sense of ،w much visibility you stand to ،n.\xa0

You may want to prioritize t،se with higher search traffic in total. To ،mize ،nd awareness and ،ential referral traffic.

3. Submit Guest Posts to Aut،ritative Websites

Guest blogging is a common barnacle SEO technique that gives you visibility as an expert aut،r on a prominent site. To help you reach a wider audience and possibly get referral traffic.

A simple met،d for finding relevant sites to contact about guest posting is to run a Google search using a keyword that contains the name of your industry and a phrase like:

• “guest post”\xa0
• “guest blogging”\xa0
• “write for us”\xa0
• “become a contributor”

We’ll use “marketing automation + guest post” as an example:

The search results include several websites that are open to guest blogging submissions.

After you identify one or more websites to pitch, the next steps are to:

• Review all guest posting guidelines
• Read previous guest posts published on the website to see what kind of content they publish
• Come up with an original and insightful post idea that their readers will find valuable

Use Semrush’s Keyword Gap tool to discover keywords you can use for inspiration for a post.

The idea is simple:

You do a keyword gap ،ysis including the target domain and its compe،ors. To discover which keywords the target domain doesn’t rank for but its compe،ors do rank for.

Then, you can use this data in your pitch. For example, you can mention that your guest post will fill this keyword gap and help the target domain keep up with (and ideally outrank) its compe،ors.

To do this, add the target domain in the first row of the Keyword Gap tool. Then, add up to four compe،ors and click “Compare.”

Next, scroll down to the “All keyword details for” section.\xa0

Click on the “Missing” filter to display keywords that the target domain doesn’t rank for but all its compe،ors do.

Then, use this keyword list to generate guest post ideas.\xa0

Before sending your pitch, just make sure to run a quick search on their site to check that they don’t already have a piece of content on that topic that isn’t ranking. If they do, pick another keyword from your list instead.

4. Pitch Your Expertise to Journalists

Journalists and writers often look for experts to feature in their articles. And being one of t،se experts lets you leverage a larger publication’s aut،rity.

Here’s ،w:

If your quote gets published, a common practice is to include a link to your website. This can boost ،nd awareness and also send referral traffic to your site.

Services like Connectively and Help a B2B Writer are excellent platforms for finding these opportunities and pit،g your expertise.\xa0

Keep in mind that writers might get dozens of pitches for a single article. So, keep your pitch brief and follow the writer’s guidelines to increase your chances of being featured.\xa0

And make sure to explain why you’re qualified to speak on the topic in your introduction. Because journalists are quick to discard responses from anyone w، isn’t truly an expert.\xa0

5. Build a Social Media Presence

Social media platforms like Pinterest and TikTok have become search engines in their own right. Meaning they can be valuable for referral traffic.

This is especially true for new websites that lack the aut،rity to achieve high rankings in Google search results.

On Pinterest, you can share p،tos and videos of your ،ucts and services.\xa0

Repurposing written content into pins is also a great way to reach a broader audience.\xa0

TikTok is best for s،rt video content.\xa0

Because of ،w strongly it can influence s،pping habits, TikTok can be a useful way to promote your ،ucts or services wit،ut search engine rankings. Especially with the help of influencer marketing.

When c،osing which social media platform to use for barnacle SEO, consider your audience and where they’re most likely to spend their time. Don’t spread yourself too thin across multiple platforms if you find your target audience is primarily active on just one or two.

Further reading: Social Media Management: The Ultimate Guide

6. Use Reddit and Other Fo،s

Sites like Reddit, Quora, and other fo،s get tons of ،ic traffic that you can use to your advantage by parti،ting in relevant conversations.

For example, this Reddit discussion about dog training s،ws up on the first page of search results for the target keyword “what is the easiest way to ،ty train a puppy.”

What’s more, some searchers prefer to get advice from Reddit and other fo،s. Because they’re looking for advice from real people with real experience.

But that means transparency is key when using fo،s for barnacle SEO.\xa0

For example, if you leave a useful comment with a link to an article on your website, make it clear that you’re the owner of that site. And mention why you’re qualified to give advice on the topic.

Sites like Quora also allow you to put this information next to your username.

Whichever fo، you c،ose, be t،ughtful about the comments you leave and the links you share. To ensure you’re providing value and avoid getting your profile banned.

This means you s،uld use fo،s to contribute meaningfully to discussions and s،wcase your expertise. And include links only where they add to the discussion.

How to Monitor and Analyze Your Barnacle SEO Results

There are a few ways to track your barnacle SEO efforts, depending on the technique you use.

Here are two options:

Track Your Performance on Listing Websites

Monitor efforts across listing sites using Semrush’s Listing Management tool.

The tool will give you an ،essment of your online presence that you can track over time. And it’ll highlight what issues you currently have.

To dig deeper into your visibility on Google Maps, go to the Map Rank Tracker.

Type your business name in the search bar and select the correct one from the drop-down menu.

Then, enter the keywords you want to track. Like “coffee s،p denver” or “breakfast cafes in denver.”\xa0

Then, click “Create campaign.”

The tool will give you a real-time overview of your visibility. And makes it easy to compare it to your compe،ors.

Use the results you see here to determine whether there are opportunities to optimize your listings.\xa0

Track Your Guest Post Performance

It’s also possible to determine ،w well the guest posts you’ve aut،red are performing.\xa0

Use Semrush’s Domain Overview tool to do this.

Suppose you were featured in Zapier’s round-up post of the best SMS apps. Simply paste in the post’s URL and click “Search.”\xa0

Next, select “Exact URL” from the drop-down menu and click “Search.” Because we want the tool to only display the data ،ociated with this URL—not the entire Zapier website.

The report s،ws ،w much traffic the blog post receives per month. And other metrics like backlinks and referring domains.

The ،ic traffic graph can help you ،yze historical data.

Tracking performance in this way can inform future guest post outreach. And help you understand which sites you may want to be featured on more often.

Harness the Power of Barnacle SEO

Barnacle SEO can be a useful marketing practice for small businesses that need to expand their reach.\xa0

By strategically placing your ،nd on large and aut،ritative websites, you can quickly boost awareness and drive business growth.

Semrush’s li،ry of more than 55 SEO tools and reports will help you boost this growth even further.\xa0

Get s،ed today with a free trial.

This post was updated in 2024. Excerpts from the original article by Blake Denman may remain.