Many businesses don’t know the value of their digital property. Do you? Do you even track it? If you’ve ever wondered about what“digital property” is, this blog is for you.
Your digital property is comprised of more than just a website. There are literally hundreds of companies publishing your company details online, with or without your knowledge. There are even hundreds of websites linking to yours. Do they affect your digital property value? Let’s discover exactly what digital property value is and how the “neighborhood” you’re in affects it.
A Definition of “Digital Property”
What exactly is digital property? If we get technical, it includes all of the data, Internet accounts and other footprints you leave on the World Wide Web and other digital interfaces. It can include everything from electronically stored files to the accounts you frequent online.
When it comes to your business, you probably own a smattering of digital real estate. For example, you likely have:
- A company website
- Social media accounts (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, etc.)
- E-mail accounts
Attributing Value to Your Digital Space
You can attribute value to your digital property by several means, but two of the most popular and effective are paid searches and social media marketing. Here’s how they work:
- Social media marketing is what Social Media Today refers to as a “hot-button issue.” Many businesses believe the basic goal is to simply be a part of the conversation through engagement efforts including retweets, mentions and comments. As a result, they miss out on the full impact it can have on brand value. For social media to increase your brand value, you have to go beyond the mere number of conversions that result. For example, you can use analytic solutions to discover just how clients convert, whether via a clicked ad, a link in a post or other means.
- Paid searches are popular because they hand the advertiser the ability to attribute each and every cent to a visitor transfer and ultimately conversion. You can add even more value by using tools designed to attribute value to your digital channels. For example, many advertisers put a dynamic phone number on their paid search ads. The number enables detailed call tracking. The tracking allows you to attribute value directly to your paid search ads.
Your Neighborhood Affects Your Value
Remember how I said there are hundreds of companies publishing your company details online, with or without your knowledge, and even more linking to you? These actions create what we can call a “neighborhood.” The websites out there publishing your details and linking to your content are your neighbors, and just like a real neighborhood, eye soars are detrimental to the value of the houses within it.
Think of your social media accounts as additions to your home. They add value. In fact, the more engaging, active and relevant your social media channels, the more valuable your digital property becomes. As a result, your search engine ranking increases.
In today’s content market, backlinks have become a big deal. While they are a viable aspect of search engine optimization and can increase your value, they can also be harmful. Think of every backlink as a new neighbor. If you want to sustain and increase your digital property value, it’s only logical to be linked to other high value brands. You can use webmaster tools to monitor backlinking and even remove unwanted or low quality backlinks.
Bottom Line: Value Matters
You wouldn’t let your house bleed value by allowing it to become run down. The same should be true of your digital property. The more you strive to upkeep and increase its value, the better your SERPs will become and the greater success you will achieve.
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