Last year we were featured on Inc. Magazine’s first ever 50 Best Workplaces list (we recently found out that we made it onto this year's list too), and to celebrate the news, we put up a billboard near our office. Observe:
And while this is obviously a friendly jab at businesses that think a ping pong table equals an awesome work environment, it’s also become something of a mantra. The billboard was ultimately a statement that you can create an amazing culture and workplace without resorting to gimmicks.
Whenever the topic of workplace ping pong (and all it represents) comes up, I’m reminded of a personal experience. Prior to joining 97th Floor, I worked for a company that (you guessed it) had a ping pong table. You might be expecting me to say that the thing was little more than an expensive dust collector, but you’d be wrong — it was used constantly. My team had two set times each day during which we could use the ping pong table. As those times would approach, employees would stop what they were doing and rush over to play ping pong.
For me, the ping pong table came to represent flawed company culture. How so? Simple: Ping pong was the reward. It was the reason employees came in in the morning. It was what prevented them from sending out resumes to other employers. The drive for success and self improvement was replaced with ping pong tournaments and nerf wars, and an inspirational company purpose was as far from everyone’s mind as could be.
When I came to 97th Floor, I made a decision: I would never allow a ping pong table to find its way into our company workspace. Do I hate ping pong? Of course not; in my time with the aforementioned company, I was just as excited to play during work hours as anyone. But ping pong is not what 97th Floor culture is about.
Company perks are great. However, too often, they’re misused. Patty McCord, the former Chief Talent Officer at Netflix, suggests that perks should have a purpose. She says that many of the extravagant perks offered these days are a “race to the ridiculous.” Giving people more stuff won’t make them happier, but perks that support the company’s values, mission, and purpose will.
A 2014 survey by BlessingWhite demonstrated that engaged employees report that the top reason for staying at a job is that they like the work they do. The second most-reported reason for engaged employees to stay at a job is that they believe in the company’s mission and culture. You may notice that ping-pong (or whatever other fun attractions an employer might showcase) isn’t up there. So where is it? Quite a bit closer to the bottom, actually. Only 5% of engaged workers identified perks as a reason they stay at their job.
So few? What about the ping pong enthusiasts I mentioned from my own experience? Well, if you take a quick look at the wording of the survey, you’ll notice it’s talking about engaged employees. For disengaged employees, however, the numbers start to flip. Disengaged workers report perks as a much more important reason for staying at their job. The survey backs the saying that “the engaged stay for what they can give, the disengaged stay for what they can get."
Want to attract the wrong people? A ping pong table looks like the way to go. If, on the other hand, you want a workforce that can grow your business and make a positive impact on your industry and your community, then realign your focus to highlight your company values and mission. This is why at 97th Floor, we often shy away from discussing employee perks (of which we have many) with potential hires and interviewees — particularly when the purposes behind said perks aren’t obvious.
And what purpose should perks be filling? In my opinion, the best way to use perks is to reinforce the purpose, mission, and values of the company.
For example, we at 97th Floor value the thirst for knowledge. To promote that thirst, we instituted the 97th Floor Library program, in which the company will purchase any book an employee wants, with the caveat that the book ends up on the break-room bookshelf once they’re done with it. Books may not cost much, but they do cost something. We don’t want our employees hesitating when it comes to furthering their own knowledge, and with the book then available for any other employee to enjoy, we’re able to offer a fun perk that benefits everyone, while also reinforcing a key company value.
Now don’t get me wrong, not every perk we have at 97th Floor serves some higher purpose other than to provide a bit of entertainment. We have an Xbox One in the break room right next to the bookshelf, and when it’s time for company-wide rewards, we’ve been known to spring for the occasional massage or movie outing. I think this is perfectly fine, but I hesitate to call these examples ‘perks.’ These aren’t the things you should have on your job ads. These aren’t the things that everyone should talk about at the office. These aren’t the things that management should expect will retain the right employees. These are just diversions. The perks that promote your company’s mission and values are the ones that will have the greatest impact on employee success.
Too often I see companies attempting to use perks to fill a void that only satisfying work, a worthwhile mission, and an inspirational vision can satisfy. Want to see whom among your acquaintances works for a business that understand this? Here’s a simple test you can perform:
The next time you’re catching up with friends, ask around to see how everyone feels about their jobs. Of those who say that they like their jobs, ask them what it is about their jobs that they like most. If they start talking about the nap room, the free donuts every morning, and even the (dreaded) daily ping pong tournaments, then take note. There’s a good chance that these are the ones who’ll have a new job the next time you see them. On the other hand, identify those that tell you about the awesome work they are doing, the challenges they are overcoming, how their contributions move the company forward overall, and how their company is impacting the world, and you’ll have found employees of businesses that really understand the value of perks.
Perks come and go. In fact, perks are usually first to go during recessions or hard times for the business. So ask yourself, if you took away all of the perks in your company, would the employees stay? If not, you may have a serious problem on your hands. When all is said and done, team members should be willing to stay for the right reasons.
At 97th Floor, you’ll never see employees jockeying for a place in a ping pong tournament. You will see people that are doing fun, exciting, challenging, and purposeful work. You’ll see that work contribute to a company that is growing our client companies and helping those companies fulfill their missions. You’ll see people making an impact in the world through charity. You’ll see people controlling their lives and their work. You’ll see people mastering their crafts. You’ll see people growing in their careers. You’ll see people putting a ton of effort into helping others grow. You’ll see perks that are meant to help people with everything listed above. And while you may also see a few perks that are just for fun, you’ll notice that they mean almost nothing to the people when it really comes down to what truly matters in the workplace.
Now, all things considered, doesn’t that sound better than a round of ping pong?
Every interaction a user has with your company tells a story. And that story starts long before someone clicks a button or fills out a form. It begins with how easily they understand what you offer, how confident they feel moving through your experience, and how quickly they can get what they came for.
In other words, it starts the moment they begin to experience your brand.
A UX design strategy defines how user experience decisions are planned, prioritized, and connected to business outcomes. It ensures design choices are intentional, informed by research, and tied to real goals like growth, engagement, and revenue. Without strategy, design becomes reactive. With strategy, design becomes a tool for progress.
Psychology plays a central role here. Users bring expectations, habits, and emotions into every interaction. A strong UX design strategy accounts for how people think and how they decide to act as they move through an experience. When psychology and strategy work together, user experiences feel trustworthy and effective.
Here, I’m going to break down what UX design strategy is, why it matters, and how it impacts both users and businesses. I’ll cover the benefits of a strategic approach, the core components that make it work, and the psychological principles behind effective experiences (and how intentional UX design supports conversion, retention, and long-term growth). And, because this is a company blog and we’re proud of the work we do, I’ll also discuss how 97th Floor approaches UX strategy as a collaborative, research-driven process.
UX design strategy is the plan that guides how user experience decisions are made to support business goals and user needs. It connects research, design, and execution into a cohesive direction. While UX design focuses on individual interfaces and interactions, UX strategy defines the why, when, and priority behind those design choices.
At its core, a UX design strategy brings together research and usability principles, supported by psychological insight and organizational alignment. It creates a shared understanding of users and clarifies how the experience should support both them and the business.
A UX design strategy gives teams a clear framework for making decisions that serve both users and the business. Instead of relying on opinions or assumptions, strategy creates direction and consistency across the entire experience.
This matters because it:
A UX design strategy is made up of several connected parts that guide how experiences are planned, built, and improved. Each of these components plays a specific role in shaping how users move through an experience and how well that experience supports business goals.
Research sets the direction for every UX decision that follows. By studying user behavior and gathering stakeholder input, teams gain insight into needs, expectations, and obstacles. This groundwork helps reduce assumptions and ensures design decisions are based on real evidence rather than internal opinions.
Usability focuses on how easily users can navigate and complete tasks. Clear pathways and familiar patterns help users move through an experience without confusion. When usability is prioritized, frustration is reduced and progress feels natural.
Information architecture determines how content is structured and labeled. A thoughtful structure helps users understand where they are and where to go next. When information is organized in a way that feels intuitive, users can find what they need with less effort.
Interaction design defines how users engage with elements on a screen. Buttons, transitions, and feedback signals all influence how responsive an experience feels. Well-planned interactions guide attention and reinforce a sense of control.
Accessibility ensures experiences can be used by people with different abilities and needs. Designing with accessibility in mind improves usability for everyone and helps brands reach a wider audience. It also signals care and responsibility in how experiences are built.
UX copy supports users through clear and purposeful language. Labels, prompts, and instructions help users understand what actions are available and what will happen next. Good UX copy removes uncertainty and keeps experiences moving forward.
Testing and iteration allow teams to refine experiences over time. By observing how users interact with designs, teams can identify issues and make informed improvements. This ongoing process helps experiences stay effective as needs evolve.
Cross-functional alignment keeps UX efforts connected to broader business initiatives. When design, development, and marketing teams share the same goals, execution becomes more efficient. Alignment helps ensure the experience feels cohesive from start to finish.
We make daily decisions on what brands we choose to engage with, what brands have earned our trust, and what brands compel us to spend money. How do we make those decisions?
Psychology studies have shown that our feelings and instincts cause us to behave. It is said that emotions drive 80% of the choice we make. So the first visual impression a customer receives from your brand is crucial to a positive customer experience, or a customer experience at all.
Good design is more than just good looks, it’s the catalyst to trust and loyalty towards any brand or company.
Trust is often the first hurdle a brand needs to clear, and design is usually the deciding factor.
That’s because design is emotional. It evokes moods, attitudes, and personality. Together, these emotions create “gut feelings” and stir thoughts in our mind. And before even being exposed to actual content, visual queues have already shown us how to feel towards a brand.
So when we’re browsing the web and come across a ‘spammy’ looking website, the visual queues are telling us it’s untrustworthy. When junk emails pop up, poor design makes us question the legitimacy of the content. When we find a good deal on the web, but the checkout page to fill out credit card information looks sketchy, we back out. As a result, we don’t engage with the brand, we don’t subscribe to the service, and we don’t buy anything at all. And it all comes from gut feelings created by bad design.
And when trust breaks down at the visual level? Users rarely stick around long enough to reconsider.
Belief is what bridges the gap between curiosity and commitment.
There’s a reason for the old adage don’t judge a book by it’s cover. It’s because we do! As consumers, we expect the quality of products/services to match their appearance. We don’t have time to be convinced that a certain brand/product/service is good, we should already be able to see that it is (or isn’t). A brand with good design is more convincing than a brand with bad design because we assume appearance reflects quality.
Have you ever found yourself wanting to purchase the organic or brand name cereal rather than the generic brand? We expect good packaging design to be the shell of a good product. Have you ever spent more money on a product just because it looks better than the cheaper version? By sole appearances, we assume more credibility with one brand than another, and we take one brand more seriously than another.
When design communicates quality clearly, customers are more willing to give you the benefit of the doubt.
Brands with an up-to-date design make us feel like their product/service is likewise current and relevant..
Some brands stand out as cutting edge in their industry simply because they look the part. We’d be less likely to purchase a product from a website designed in the 90s, because we associate the outdated web design to the product/service. It’s as if we think, how can a product/service with a website from the 90s, serve the needs I have in 2026? There’s got to be another brand who is more current and fresh. With no progression in any aspect of design, it’s easy to assume there hasn’t been progression with the product/service either. A brand’s entire look and feel should show that it is leading the industry. Brands who look the part, convince their audience that they actually are.
Think of it like this: when design reflects forward momentum, audiences are more inclined to believe the brand can meet modern needs.
Design isn’t just how your brand looks; it’s how it feels. Feelings and instincts from good design cause positive behaviors. And the same goes for bad design causing negative behaviors.
Simply put, design dictates the user experience. So, take a second look at your brand. Does the design reflect the quality of your service/product? Is the design of your logo, website, flyer or whatever visual medium you’re using to communicate with your audience look like you’re a superior, dependable brand? Or do your visual mediums make viewers hesitate?
Visual design focuses on how an experience looks. UX design strategy focuses on how that experience works, why decisions are made, and how success is measured.
Psychology informs UX by explaining how people perceive information, form opinions, and make decisions. UX strategy uses that understanding to guide structure, flow, and priorities across the experience. Visual design then supports those decisions by expressing them clearly.
In terms of scope, UX design strategy is the broader of the two. It considers research, usability, business goals, and cross-functional needs. It is also measurable, with success defined through outcomes like engagement, conversion, and retention (rather than preference alone).
Building a UX design strategy requires intention, structure, and a willingness to learn from users. While every organization is different, most strategies follow a similar progression.
UX design strategy becomes clearer when viewed in context. Consider the following hypothetical scenarios:
These are, of course, only a few examples. The reality is when it comes to UX strategy, design must be adaptable to your product, your audience, and the specific situations where the two come into contact. A firm understanding of customer psychology, backed by reliable research, makes this possible.
UX design strategy matters because it shapes how users experience your brand and how confidently they move through it. When strategy is grounded in psychology and supported by research, design decisions become more justifiable and easier to scale. Teams gain clearer alignment, usability improves across touchpoints, and development effort is spent solving the right problems.
If you’re ready to build or refine your UX design strategy, 97th Floor partners with teams to create research-backed experiences that support both users and business goals.
UX design strategy is important because it helps businesses plan experiences that support growth, trust, and usability. It gives teams a framework for making informed decisions rather than reacting to issues after launch.
A UX design strategy improves user experience by reducing friction and clarifying pathways. When experiences are easier to navigate, users feel more confident and supported, which leads to a more satisfying brand interaction.
A strong UX strategy design includes research, usability planning, information structure, accessibility considerations, and ongoing testing. These components work together to guide consistent decision-making.
UX design strategy reduces development costs by identifying problems early. Research and testing help teams avoid building features that require rework.
UX strategy design increases conversions by making actions clear and reducing hesitation. It supports retention by creating experiences users can rely on over time.
UX design strategy creates alignment by defining shared goals and priorities. When teams understand the strategy, collaboration becomes smoother and decisions are easier to support.
User research provides the insight needed to make informed UX decisions. It helps teams understand behavior, expectations, and obstacles before design work begins.
Companies can get started by clarifying goals, conducting user research, and mapping key journeys. Partnering with experienced UX strategists can also help accelerate progress and reduce risk.
Every company wants to be more innovative, more efficient, and more resilient in the face of change. The organizations that achieve this don’t rely on quick fixes. Their secret sauce is embracing continuous improvement in the workplace as part of their culture.
Continuous improvement in the workplace is the practice of making steady, ongoing progress in how an organization operates. Instead of waiting for major overhauls, it’s about finding small, meaningful ways to improve processes, skills, and outcomes every day. Over time, those small changes add up to major growth.
At its core, continuous improvement means asking, “How can we do this better?”, and then acting on the answer. It applies to everything from streamlining workflows and reducing errors to improving customer experiences and building a stronger team culture. There are two common types of continuous improvement:
Incremental improvement focuses on small, gradual changes made consistently over time. These shifts may feel minor in the moment, but together they build momentum and create lasting impact.
Breakthrough improvement targets bigger, more dramatic changes. These initiatives deliver rapid results and can transform processes quickly, but they require planning, resources, and strong leadership support to succeed.
Adopting continuous improvement in the workplace delivers value on every level: people, processes, and performance. Here are some of the most impactful benefits:
When teams consistently look for better ways to work, wasted time and effort disappear. Streamlined processes mean projects move faster, resources are used more effectively, and employees can focus on higher-value activities instead of routine bottlenecks. Over time, even small efficiency gains can transform productivity.
People thrive in environments where their ideas matter. Continuous improvement encourages employees to contribute suggestions and take ownership of change, which builds motivation and loyalty. An engaged workforce is more resilient and less likely to experience turnover.
Continuous improvement reduces errors and creates more reliable outcomes. Whether it’s fewer defects in a product, more consistent client communication, or smoother internal workflows, higher quality becomes the norm. This consistency strengthens trust with both employees and customers.
Small improvements often spark bigger ideas. A culture that rewards experimentation creates space for employees to test solutions, learn quickly, and share insights. Over time, this mindset drives breakthroughs that help organizations stay ahead of competitors and adapt to new challenges.
Customers notice when organizations are committed to getting better. Faster response times, smoother interactions, and higher-quality results all lead to stronger relationships and increased loyalty. Satisfied customers are more likely to return, refer others, and become advocates for the brand.
Markets shift quickly, and businesses that embrace continuous improvement adapt faster. Instead of scrambling to react, they already have the culture, systems, and skills in place to pivot with confidence. This long-term resilience helps organizations weather disruption and seize new opportunities.
Continuous improvement starts with leadership. When managers and executives demonstrate their own commitment to learning, adapting, and improving, it sets the standard for the rest of the organization. Employees notice when leaders share lessons learned, own mistakes, and celebrate progress (not perfection). This kind of transparency builds trust and signals that improvement is it’s a company-wide expectation.
Nothing derails improvement faster than vague expectations. Employees need a direct line of sight to what success looks like, and that’s why we need clear KPIs. Specific, measurable goals help teams visualize a roadmap for progress and motivate them to focus energy where it matters most. Instead of checking boxes or chasing vanity metrics, people know exactly how their efforts contribute to real outcomes, whether that’s customer satisfaction, faster project delivery, or higher quality work.
Of course, that’s not to say that the bottom line isn’t important. It absolutely is, but more than that, it can be a valuable measure of how effectively a business is promoting self-improvement.
When going ROWE (results-only work environment), we shifted from an environment that judged employee effectiveness by how long they clocked in or how well they obeyed the ever-important office rules to one that focuses exclusively on results. This is single-handedly the best way to foster an environment of self-improvement, as the employees are clear as to what they should work on. However, if the ‘results’ or KPIs that you have laid out for them are not clear, then this can be a disaster that will slowly kill the drive to improve.
I bring this up often, but years ago, when we had fewer than 10 employees, I was running the whole company in terms of payroll, insurance, etc., but I also directly oversaw one division, while my good friend Wayne Sleight, a then up-and-coming employee, was running another. He and I talked regularly, and he had pretty clear KPIs — not handed to him from me, but from his own awareness of his position. His department was humming; mine, on the other hand, was quite the opposite. The work we were putting out was top-notch, but we often missed deadlines and had terrible client communication. This was 100% on me, and with the benefit of hindsight, I’m able to see the biggest problems we were facing:
I was way too busy to be running the division. I should have clearly tasked someone to do it and provided them the same freedom and accountability I had given Wayne. I had asked several different people during this time to ‘run’ the division, but I often micromanaged and stepped in, but only sporadically, because I was being pulled in so many directions as the CEO. This created an unstable, inconsistent environment where I would be very present one day, and then totally gone or checked out in another. It also made it so I wasn’t very clear on my expectations with those running point, because I would often swoop in and take care of tasks that really didn’t require my involvement. One day, the person running point had all the keys to the kingdom, and then the next, I would come in and take them all away.
This was all done out of a desire to help my people out, but intentions aside, it watered down the KPIs, and it created a slow death of not knowing how to improve. Things became so lopsided that we often had to pull money from the other side of the company just to cover salaries.
If you want those around you to improve, give them a clear roadmap, both in terms of results and a career path.
Constructive criticism is the engine of growth. In workplaces where it’s scarce, improvement stalls. In workplaces where it flows freely, teams get better every day. Constructive, timely feedback allows employees to correct course, sharpen skills, and recognize strengths before they fade into the background. Leaders can model this by asking for feedback themselves, proving it’s a two-way street. When feedback becomes part of the rhythm of work, continuous improvement takes root.
I am very much a cheerleader — it comes from being very passionate about what I do. Often after going to a meeting with employees, they remark about the energy in the room and how well a meeting went, and that gives me a good opening to talk to them about how important it is to let the prospect or the client see your passion, and is a good way to set a precedent for my workforce and let them know that I expect them to be passionate about what they do.
After these meetings, or after speaking engagements where employees are present, I will ask my people how I can improve. This is because my employees can be my best critics, given their familiarity with the context. Did I make them feel uncomfortable by something I said? Did I say “um” too much? When requesting feedback from your employees, ask for honesty, and be sure to accept any criticism you receive graciously and with an open mind. Sure, at first, you will get ‘yes men’ answers from people who just want to get on your good side, but as you improve your relationship with your employees, those kinds of responses will drop away. Start by suggesting something you felt you need to improve on, and then invite your people to add anything else, and let them know that ‘yes man’ answers aren’t going to cut it. In my experience, our female employees are a lot more forthcoming and not as afraid to give criticism.
We are very fortunate at 97th Floor to have a healthy environment of self-improvement. We are all collectively working together to better ourselves, not just in our professions, but also in our lives. This focus has helped us build a company culture that extends well beyond the office walls and is gaining prominence throughout the business world.
As I said before, an environment of self-improvement should be every CEO’s dream, but dreams only take you so far. Turning that dream into reality, on the other hand, now that’s a goal worth striving for.
The best improvements often come from the people closest to the problems. A culture of continuous improvement depends on involving every employee, not just leadership or management. Encourage team members to share ideas, experiment with solutions, and celebrate small wins. Empowering employees creates ownership, and ownership creates momentum. When everyone feels responsible for progress, continuous improvement stops being an initiative and starts being the norm.
How to Implement Continuous Improvement in the Workplace
Continuous improvement in the workplace starts with leadership. Leaders must set the vision, explain why it matters, and model growth. When employees see leaders committed to improvement, they’re more likely to follow.
Next, set clear goals. Define what success looks like. It might be faster delivery, fewer errors, or happier customers; keep it specific to your team’s top priorities. Specific, measurable targets keep teams focused and moving in the same direction.
Employees also need a voice. The best ideas often come from those closest to the work, so invite input through surveys, workshops, or team discussions. Quick wins from frontline suggestions build momentum and prove the value of the process.
Finally, measure and celebrate! Track results with metrics like productivity, engagement, or cost savings. Share successes, expand what works, and keep the culture of improvement alive. When your team meets a goal, make sure they feel great about what they’ve accomplished.
Continuous improvement shows up in daily actions that drive lasting results. Here are some practical ways companies bring it to life:
Even small changes can save a large amount of time. When teams map their workflows, they spot redundancies and bottlenecks that slow things down. Cutting a few unnecessary approval steps can shave days off delivery timelines and free employees to focus on meaningful work.
Every time employees build new skills, the organization gains strength. Regular training, whether it’s new software, leadership development, or cross-training, keeps teams sharp, adaptable, and ready for whatever comes next.
Improvement doesn’t stop at internal processes. Businesses that listen to customers and act on feedback stand out in crowded markets. Shorter response times, personalized communication, and proactive service are simple shifts that build loyalty.
Continuous improvement also means taking care of the people behind the work. Encouraging employees to focus on health, wellness, and balance leads to higher energy, stronger engagement, and better long-term performance.
The best ideas often come from those closest to the work. When employees have clear channels to share insights, like suggestion systems, innovation days, or open feedback forums, organizations unlock creative solutions that leadership might miss.
The best organizations never stop improving. Whether it’s refining processes, empowering teams, or elevating customer experiences, continuous improvement keeps businesses moving forward. The same principle applies to marketing. Campaigns that evolve, adapt, and improve over time consistently outperform those that stand still.
At 97th Floor, we help brands embrace this mindset in their advertising and content strategies. From data-driven campaigns to creative storytelling, we partner with companies to build marketing that grows stronger with every iteration.
Ready to take the next step in improving your marketing performance? Let’s talk.
Continuous improvement is the practice of making ongoing, incremental changes that enhance processes, products, and performance. It focuses on steady progress rather than one-time fixes.
Continuous improvement in the workplace means building a culture where employees, leaders, and teams consistently look for ways to work smarter, deliver better results, and adapt quickly to change. It applies to everything from workflows and training to customer service.
Examples include streamlining workflows, offering employee training, automating repetitive tasks, and improving customer response times. Even small improvements like refining communication between departments can create a lasting impact.
You promote continuous improvement by securing leadership support, setting clear goals, inviting employee input, and measuring results. Recognizing progress and scaling successful initiatives helps build momentum.
Continuous improvement is important because it drives efficiency, boosts employee engagement, and strengthens customer satisfaction. It also helps organizations adapt to new challenges and remain competitive over time.
The key principles include leadership support, clear goals, constructive feedback, and active employee involvement. Together, these principles create an environment where improvement is sustainable.
Backlinks have always played a central role in SEO. But as search evolves, the types of backlinks that truly move the needle have changed. Authority alone isn’t enough. Relevance alone isn’t enough. And shortcuts that once seemed harmless now come with real risks.
The best SEO backlinks today are the ones that demonstrate trust, expertise, and real value to users. They come from sites that operate with high editorial standards, have real audiences, and treat links as references instead of transactions.
In this guide, we’ll walk through the full landscape of what the best backlinks look like in today’s environment, how Google and AI systems evaluate link quality, and the practical steps teams can take to earn backlinks consistently. We’ll also break down strategies, examples, and pitfalls to help you build a backlink plan that’s safe, effective, and scalable.
The best SEO backlinks are links from reputable and contextually relevant websites that point to your content because they interpret it to serve a clear purpose. That purpose might be educating readers, providing a unique data point, offering a fresh perspective, or supporting a larger narrative. Regardless of the specific reason, high-value backlinks function as editorial endorsements. They signal that your content is useful to viewers.
Backlinks remain one of the strongest indicators search engines use to evaluate the overall quality and reliability of a page. Google wants to surface information that people can trust, and backlinks help demonstrate that trust at scale. When authoritative sites consistently link to your resources, it strengthens the case that your content:
Here are the specific areas high-value backlinks help shape:
A backlink from a credible site acts as a vote of confidence. The more reliable the linking site, the stronger the trust signal you earn.
Links from relevant domains help establish what your site is about. This strengthens your presence within a topic cluster and reinforces your authority in that specific area.
When respected publications or brands reference your work, it positions your organization as an authoritative voice in your field.
Links often appear when your content is genuinely helpful. Search engines notice this pattern. When real people rely on your content, algorithms tend to do the same.
These signals have a heavy influence on rankings. Backlinks strengthen your entity profile, help AI systems understand what your brand represents, and improve how your content appears across emerging search surfaces. A single high-value backlink from a relevant, authoritative source can outperform dozens of lower-quality links, which is why quality-driven link building is more important now than ever.
Search engines and users both rely on certain characteristics to determine whether a backlink is trustworthy. The more of these qualities a link possesses, the more value it’s likely to provide. Here are a few of the most important qualities to pay attention to when adding backlinks.
Relevance is the foundation of link quality. A backlink from a site that operates within your niche carries far more weight than a link from a topically unrelated domain. Relevance confirms that your content belongs in the conversation and reinforces your association with the subject matter.
Authoritative backlinks come from well-established organizations that demonstrate expertise, editorial oversight, and clear quality standards. This includes major publications, universities, nonprofits, reputable companies, and industry-leading blogs.
The best backlinks can drive real visitors. If a link sits on a page that attracts meaningful traffic, the value is compounded. Search engines can detect when humans interact with your content, and referral traffic is a powerful indicator that the link is genuinely helpful.
Where a link appears matters. Links integrated directly inside informative content carry significantly more weight than links placed in author bios, footers, or lists with no contextual relevance. Search engines understand this difference, and readers do too.
If the page linking to you isn’t indexed by Google, it cannot pass authority. This is an often-overlooked element of link evaluation, but it’s essential. Even the highest-quality link is ineffective if search engines can’t crawl the source page.
Search engines consider the broader “neighborhood” a link lives in. If the linking site is surrounded by low-quality outbound links, link-selling schemes, or spam-heavy patterns, its credibility declines. The company your link keeps matters.
Google’s link evaluation has evolved significantly. Now, it focuses heavily on signals that indicate whether a link genuinely benefits users. Backlinks created solely to manipulate PageRank or boost rankings artificially are considered violations of Google’s guidelines, and patterns of these links can trigger penalties, algorithmic or manual.
Google evaluates link quality based on several factors:
A link from a topical neighbor carries more weight than a link from an unrelated source. Topical mismatch often signals artificial behavior.
Links that appear on sites with strong editorial standards are treated as more trustworthy. Google looks for signs that content is reviewed, moderated, and held to quality expectations.
Contextual positioning within the main body of an article is preferred. Links buried in sidebars, footers, or author bios are treated as lower-value.
A healthy backlink profile includes a variety of unique domains. Hundreds of links from the same site rarely indicate popularity or usefulness — more often, they suggest manipulation.
If Google can’t index the linking page, it can’t evaluate or pass any authority from it.
Patterns like excessive guest posting, scaled link schemes, article farms, or bought placements are easy for Google to detect. These tactics erode trust and invite risk.
The takeaway: strategies built on shortcuts or rapid link accumulation tend to lose ground quickly. Quality-first link-building remains the most sustainable approach.
Understanding what makes the best seo backlinks high-value is one thing. Actually earning those links, at scale, is another challenge entirely. There are dozens of ways to build links, but only a handful consistently deliver relevant, trustworthy, and sustainable results.
Guest posting is one of them.
Guest posting isn’t perfect, and like all link acquisition methods, it has its risks. In May, Google released a statement regarding poor-quality links found in contributor posts. Google warns that when the main intent is to build links in a large-scale way back to the author’s site, these practices are in violation of Google’s Guidelines. However, Google does not officially discourage guest posting, stating, “Google does not discourage these types of articles in cases when they inform users, educate another site’s audience, or bring awareness to your cause or company.”
So what’s the best way to gain backlinks through guest posting? Here are a few tips that stay within Google’s guidelines, benefit site owners, and most of all, provide results for your SEO efforts.
It is crucial to find sites within your niche or industry. Nothing screams spam like getting backlinks from a completely irrelevant site. For example, if you sell barn doors, then you want to get backlinks from sites about home improvement, interior designers, DIY blogs, etc. You wouldn’t want backlinks from sites about video games or fitness. The more relevant the site linking back to your site is, the more natural it will appear to Google.
So, how do you find sites to post to? There are numerous paid tools you can use to find sites. However, simply using Google Search can produce excellent results. Use search parameters in Google to narrow your search. These are a couple of search parameters that you can use:
By replacing keyword with your keyword, you’ll start to find sites that accept contributors. Again, ensure that these sites are relevant to your niche or industry. There are a lot of spam sites that will accept anything. You want to avoid these sites.
It’s important to evaluate your outreach strategy and adapt as necessary. Vary your search parameters depending on what results you’re finding and the niche or industry that you’re outreaching for. Simply switching between “insite” to “inurl” will display different results. If you’re still not finding sites, then just try a good old-fashioned Google Search without any search parameters. This usually produces a broader range of sites, but that might be just right for your industry.
The first thing to look for on a site that accepts guest posts is the posting guidelines. This usually gives a good idea about what the site expects from you and what you can expect from them. In addition, most guidelines will say something about including backlinks in your post. Some sites will not accept any articles with links, while other sites will remove links if they appear to be spammy. Never reach out to sites that ask for money in exchange for backlinks. This is specifically against Google’s guidelines, and if done enough, the site could be penalized.
Next, check the domain authority (DA) of the site. As a rule of thumb, never reach out to sites with a DA below 20. You want to be looking for high-quality sites. Sites that have a DA below 20 typically will not be the quality that you're looking for, and will pass less authority to your site.
Check to make sure the links are followed and the blog posts are indexed. You can do this manually by checking the source code for nofollow or noindex tags. If the site has a decent DA but has nofollow links, you can still reach out and contribute to this site. Diversifying your backlink profile with follow and nofollow links will appear more natural to Google, and ultimately help your ranking strategy. However, there is essentially no value in a noindex blog post. Avoid these sites, as they will not help your strategy.
After you’ve thoroughly qualified the site, reach out to the website via email. This can usually be done through a contact form on the site. However, you’ll be more successful if you can find a contact email on the site. This can take some digging, but if you can contact an actual person, you’ll have a greater chance of getting a response back.
Try to be as personable and specific as possible when reaching out to new sites. There are a few things that you should include in each email. Let the contact know that you aim to provide free high-quality content to their site. Follow this up by adding some ideas for future articles. Also, provide the contact links to your previously published work so that they have a sample of your writing. If you don’t have any published work yet, you can post for free on Medium or Kinja and send them links to those pieces. Most importantly, display thorough knowledge and enthusiasm about their site. Webmasters like to know that their site is enjoyable to users.
This is perhaps the most important step. Poor quality content is the number one reason that content partnerships end. Ensuring that your content, as Google states, “informs users, educates another site’s audience or brings awareness to your cause or company,” will keep your partnership happy and be an ongoing resource for you to gain backlinks.
There are ways to acquire backlinks that might seem easier than guest posting. However, what you sacrifice for ease of use is typically quality of content and quality of backlinks, which isn’t worth the risk of getting penalized. Guest posting can be time-consuming, but when following these steps, it will provide the best and safest ROI.
Not every backlink is worth the effort. Some can actively harm your visibility and credibility, even when they look harmless on the surface. Most teams already know to avoid the obvious pitfalls (spam sites, link farms, paid placements, etc.), but risky link tactics often show up in more subtle ways. These patterns can gradually weaken your backlink profile and create signals that search engines interpret as manipulative.
One of the most common issues is buying backlinks from lists or marketplaces. If a site openly sells links, it’s already on Google’s radar. Even a single placement on a known link-selling domain can dilute the strength of your overall profile. Scaled guest posting can be equally harmful when it lacks editorial oversight. Google doesn’t penalize guest posting itself, but it does penalize repetitive, low-quality content spread across unrelated sites with identical anchor text patterns.
Anchor text misuse is another red flag. When links consistently use the same exact-match phrasing, it signals manipulation rather than natural citation. Low-quality directories fall into a similar category. A few reputable listings can help support local visibility, but hundreds of generic or irrelevant directories don’t provide meaningful value; they only clutter your profile.
Finally, reciprocal link schemes continue to cause issues for teams trying to grow quickly. “I’ll link to you if you link to me” might feel efficient in the moment, but it remains a clear violation of Google’s guidelines and is easy for algorithms to detect.
Sustainable backlink strategies are built on relevance, usefulness, and genuine connections between brands and audiences. When your link-building efforts prioritize value over volume, you gain stronger rankings, more defensible authority, and long-term momentum that lasts.
Strong backlink programs require expertise and a clear understanding of what actually works in today’s search environment. If your team is ready to earn backlinks that strengthen your authority, improve your visibility, and support long-term organic growth, we can help.
We’ve built backlink strategies for some of the world’s most ambitious brands, and we know what it takes to earn links that last. Let’s build something great together.
The best seo backlinks come from relevant, trusted sites with strong editorial standards. They’re placed naturally within helpful content and point to a page that provides clear value to readers.
Yes, but selectively. Free backlinks from reputable sources (HARO, professional profiles, industry communities) can offer strong value. Free backlinks from low-quality directories or comment sections rarely help.
There’s no universal number. What matters is the relevance, authority, and distribution of your backlink profile compared to your competitors in the SERP.
Nofollow links don’t pass traditional authority signals, but they can drive traffic, strengthen brand awareness, diversify your profile, and support natural link acquisition patterns.
Local citations, local news coverage, partnerships with community organizations, and links from geographically relevant sites can meaningfully improve local visibility.
Nofollow links don’t pass traditional authority signals, but they can drive traffic, strengthen brand awareness, diversify your profile, and support natural link acquisition patterns.
AI models look for signals of trust, expertise, and authority. Backlinks from reputable sources help these systems understand what your brand is known for and increase your chances of being cited in AI-generated summaries.
Key Takeaways
If you’re familiar with 97th Floor, you know that we practice an HR management strategy called ROWE, which stands for Results Only Work Environment. In fact, we’ve become a ROWE Certified Organization. While ROWE isn’t all that our culture is, it definitely is the first aspect of our culture that people think of.
That recognition is earned. Autonomy is one of our strongest differentiators, and it often sparks curiosity: What does results oriented, or results only, actually mean? Results oriented, put simply, is a professional environment where employees have complete control over how they accomplish their work, so long as the outcome meets expectations. Productivity replaces presence. Quality replaces hours. In exchange for freedom, employees give full accountability. A fitting results oriented synonym might be performance-driven, outcome-focused, or impact-first.
The autonomy a results oriented culture gives our employees is one of the things that really sets 97th Floor apart. That said, it feels like there might be some misconception about what the reality of ROWE really entails. I’ve heard non-97th Floor employees describe our results oriented culture as being all about working remotely from sun-soaked vacation spots, sipping icy drinks and brushing sand off of your keyboard while you tackle your tasks — or throwing decorum to the wind, and working from your couch while wrapped in an old blanket.
But while it’s true that all of us at 97th Floor have the freedom to do both of those (I know I have a few times with the former… and, yes, maybe a couple of times with the latter), that doesn’t mean that the perceived opposite (working 9–5 in the office) isn’t also ROWE. In fact, sometimes a standard 9–5 employee is more ROWE focused than the guy who’s working from the beach (or the living room).
You see, what ROWE is all about is allowing the individual employee to decide what works best for them. Productivity, efficiency, effectiveness — these are the considerations that drive a results oriented employee. Hours spent in the office, or hours not spent in the office, don’t even come into play. In essence, the workforce gets 100% autonomy, and in return gives 100% accountability. We can do whatever we want, whenever we want, wherever we want, as long as we get the work done.
Of course, it’s not hard to see how this perceived division between ROWE and standard 9–5 work environments came to be. In fact, just a couple of week ago a local business magazine picked 97th Floor as one of the best companies to work for in Utah County. Unfortunately, in the resultant article I was quoted as saying something that in retrospect I feel may have added to the misconception that ROWE (and therefore 97th Floor) is against the 9–5 schedule.
“Too often,” I posited, “mediocre employees hide behind a 9–5 environment. ROWE lets the work — not the punch clock — do the talking.” And while I stand by my assessment, the point I was trying to make may not have been as clear as I would have hoped. What I meant by this is that just putting in 40 hours (or even 50 or 60) per week doesn’t necessarily mean effective results.
The truth is that lackluster employees will likely be just as unengaged at 40 hours as they are at 20 hours, but it’s those same employees who are so quick to point out that because they’re putting in the hours, they must be ‘working.’ A results oriented company is one that recognizes that employees are paid to do more than just warm a seat in the office. Underperforming employees shouldn’t be able to hide behind perfect attendance, because attendance doesn’t generate profit. Where someone does their work or how many hours they are working simply doesn’t matter, as long as they’re getting the results.
And yes, it’s true that even in most traditional 9–5 workplaces, employees are still judged on results as well. But oftentimes the amount of hours put in can help keep an underperforming employee around for a bit longer. If your 9–5 based company doesn’t allow hours worked to be a factor in employee evaluations, then that’s great, but if that’s the case, then what’s the point enforcing a schedule in the first place?
For the record, 97th Floor doesn’t have a problem at all with people working Monday through Friday, 9am–5pm. In fact, based on my estimate (and obviously I can’t pull in actual numbers since we don’t track time), about 20% of our employees still work every day during the week at our office, showing up at 8 or 9am and staying for about 8 hours. These people are absolutely taking full advantage of ROWE. They are deciding that being at the office for 8 hours each day from Monday to Friday is the best for them.
I’d venture a guess that these people are more effective by choosing for themselves to work a traditional schedule than if they were forced to by their employer. I’d also estimate that another 20% of our employees work almost exclusively from home or elsewhere (only coming into the office for meetings) and the remaining 60% work a hybrid between the office, home, and elsewhere. Each of these work schedules are just as much a part of ROWE as the next.
One benefit that people often point at of having everyone in the office each day from 9–5 is that people need to collaborate and communicate with each other. With Slack, GoToMeeting, and other collaboration tools, that’s really not an argument anymore. For the times when an employee needs to meet in-person, they just schedule a meeting at the office, giving everyone involved enough notice. Again, this isn’t to say that working in an office everyday from 9–5 is bad. The bad part is not having a choice in the matter. People should choose for themselves where and when they work.
Building a results oriented workplace takes intention. Through our transition, we found that it comes down to changing four things.
First, get clear on what “done” actually means.
If the goal is fuzzy, effort becomes the measurement by default. We’ve all seen projects that took many hours or even days, yet no one can really say if progress was made. Setting clear, measurable targets gives people something concrete to run toward instead of just filling time.
Second, make accountability visible.
Accountability isn’t a threat; it’s a promise. When people know what they’re responsible for, and when results are reviewed openly, ownership becomes natural. Not because someone is watching, but because they care about delivering.
Third, give people room to figure out how they work best.
Autonomy is the magic ingredient of a results oriented model. Some of us think best at a desk. Some do our best work in a coffee shop, or at home with a dog on our lap. Let adults be adults. Give them space, trust, and the expectation that the work gets done.
Last, communicate like a team that’s rowing in the same direction.
Slack threads, quick meetings, shared timelines; none of that goes away. In fact, it matters even more. Freedom works because communication does. It keeps projects moving and prevents anyone from feeling like they’re building in a vacuum.
Put those four things together and you can get your team to stop watching the clock and start chasing outcomes. When you make the shift, it’s hard to imagine working any other way.
When measuring success, obviously, we’re really only talking about time and location here, and not everything that ROWE encompasses. Still, in regard to time and where we work, science is backing up the principles of ROWE. Recently, Nicholas Bloom, a professor at Stanford, gave a talk at TEDx about working from home. His study with one large company found that giving employees the choice to work from home resulted in a 50% drop in employee attrition, employee performance went up by 24%, and the company made an additional $2,000 in profit per employee. There was also a study by author and National Geographic Fellow, Dan Buettner, that showed cutting an hour-long commute each way from a person’s daily schedule gives that person the happiness equivalent of an extra $40,000 per year. At 97th Floor, we focused on tracking four metrics when we switched over to a results oriented culture: client retention rate, employee turnover rate, revenue per employee, and goal completion percentages of contracts. Over the lastC two years, all four have improved. Our clients and employees are staying longer, we are delivering better results, and we’re more efficient.
Our society is getting better and better at allowing people to be individuals. People are increasingly encouraged to do and be what makes them happy. Yet with work, the majority of companies still expect everyone to be the same. We need to change this mindset and let individuals manage themselves, while the company manages the work results. When that happens, success will come — whether that means working 8 hours a day in the office, or doing it all from the comfort of a well-worn couch.
As a company we commit to Pledge 1% - of revenue, resources and time to movements and missions that matter. The AF Canyon Run Against Cancer is close to COO Wayne Sleight's heart. See a bit of his story in the video.
We invite you to join us for this year's race, details here: http://afcanyonrun.com/
Run. Volunteer. Donate.
Here are 5 things to create a killer Facebook ad with expert and PPC Specialist Cinthia Packard.
Article and tips here.
Lead-generation is a core component of a B2B marketing strategy. However, many businesses struggle to improve lead quality and quantity. Specifically, a survey from ActOn found 37% of SMBs struggle to convert web visitors into leads. While a low conversion rate can be caused by driving the wrong traffic to the site or by pursuing the wrong marketing strategy or having a poorly optimized page, many businesses will benefit most by building a more robust lead-gen strategy first.
Small businesses frequently start their lead generation by creating a core offer to garner interest in their product. These end-of-funnel offers-- free trial, free quote, free consultation, contact us-- are essential components to a lead-gen strategy. However, for businesses with longer marketing and sales cycles, having only these types of offers is a missed opportunity to capture and nurture leads.
In fact, if you have a robust top-of-funnel content marketing strategy in place with a low conversion rate, adding an offer of relevant mid-funnel content can significantly increase your conversion rate. For example, one 97th Floor client had a robust content marketing and SEO strategy driving qualified traffic to the site. Its “Free Trial” offer brought in a good number of leads, but overall, the conversion rate of the site was extremely low.
We decided to test creating an ebook and placing the offer in hyper-relevant locations on the website. Within the first two months the conversion rate for organic traffic increased 3x, and months later the site retained that conversion rate. After the success of the first ebook, we created another gated offer that was relevant to other high traffic content pieces. Organic conversions increased by 43% and were maintained long-term.
While having mid-funnel content was a key component to the campaign’s success, having effective content was the most critical component for driving quality leads. Many marketers would agree that content marketing is an extremely effective lead-gen tactic. However, it can also be the most difficult to execute well. After all, good content should be unique and insightful while nurturing potential customers all at the same time.
So what process can you follow to create effective lead-gen content?
In the case study cited above, we found there were 3 core questions a buyer needed to answer before making a purchase decision. The majority of that information was difficult to find, requiring visiting multiple websites and fitting pieces of information together while navigating a plethora of buzzwords. The ebook we created offered a comprehensive buyer’s guide that provided a framework for answering those questions and compiled all of the necessary information into a single location.
Content mapping is not a new concept, but many businesses fail to understand how crucial it is. Content should be mapped not just to the stage in the buyer’s journey, but also based on the information the visitor is consuming at the time.
For example, if a visitor comes to your website via a blog post titled “What is content marketing and why does it matter?” an ebook about “How to Optimize Title Tags” is not nearly as relevant as an ebook on “How to Develop Your First Content Marketing Strategy.”
In the case study above, the main CTA to the buyer’s guide was placed on a page with a competitor comparison matrix. Visitors who arrived on that page were already looking for information to help them make a purchase decision, so a comprehensive buyer’s guide was a compelling offer for those visitors. So compelling, in fact, that the click-to-submission rate ranged from 50-65%
Many traditional marketing activities- webinars, trade shows, purchased lists- are one-and-done activities. Once the event is over, it doesn’t continue to generate leads. If the business needs more leads, it has to attend another trade show or produce and promote a new webinar. Gated content, however, can produce a long-term conversion funnel if you create the content with that intention.
Content typically dies because it:
The secret, then, to creating a long-term conversion funnel is to create content that will still be useful to a buyer two years from now and is tied to organic traffic coming to your website. In the buyer’s guide case study, the conversion rate was maintained because SEO was the primary content promotion strategy with only a small percentage of leads coming from social or paid channels.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution in marketing, but by following the principles above you’ll be able to create effective lead-gen content and test whether mid-funnel conversions can have a significant impact on marketing ROI.
When I was just a young pup trying to make his way in the vast and often unforgiving wilderness of content marketing (yes, I’m talking about back in 2013), I often found myself assigned to write about topics that were, shall we say, not within my field of expertise. This was neither uncommon nor unexpected; after all, when your field of expertise consists of an encyclopedic knowledge of 90s-era animated superhero television shows and almost nothing else, then you should expect to work outside your comfort zone.
So, I learned the art of the 20-minute masters course. If I needed to write about tips to getting the most out of the Paleo diet, my first step would be to type “what is paleo diet” into my Google search bar, and my second and last step would be to create an 800 word article about how throwing out 10,000 years of agricultural science might actually be a healthy decision. If I was asked to highlight the benefits of solar energy, I’d learn the science while writing it and come away an hour later convinced that traditional utilities were the tools of the devil.
I learned a lot during those 20-minute, panic-fueled research sessions—taking in, metabolizing, and excreting knowledge back into the internet, like some virtual circle of life, except with trivia and statistics instead of whatever The Lion King was about. By the way, when Simba became leader of the pride, did he kill all of the other male cubs? Because I’ve heard that lions do that.
In any case, the end results were, if I may say so, decently informed content presented in a way that was at least mildly interesting. For example, take an article I wrote about food storage and different types of fictional apocalypses. I mean, when faced with a sea of emergency preparedness articles, it was nice to be able to create something unique, in that it was was both helpful and unflinchingly honest about your family’s chances of surviving a robot uprising. Of course, that’s not to say that I didn’t encounter the occasional snag. Research, particularly the kind that is motivated by imminent deadlines, isn’t always an exact science.
If you’re finding yourself in a similar situation—needing to produce factually-based content quickly—then I think I can help. The internet is a big place, and if you know where to look, whom to ask, and what ‘sponsored content’ is (hint: it’s not news), then there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to locate the information you need, and with enough time left over to turn it into something useful.
This may come as a shock to some readers, but just because it’s on the internet doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s trustworthy. Believe me when I say that it doesn’t take much in the way of credibility to get your words up on a website. Do you think that Buzzfeed is asking for credentials and references from the person who just wrote “15 Reasons why Cocoa Butter Is the Best Thing Ever”? Of course not. Why would they? Most internet users aren’t looking for peer-reviewed studies; they’re after some quick entertainment, and the thought of tracing sources or following up on bibliographies is about as far from “quick” or “entertaining” as you can get.
That doesn’t excuse your responsibility as a content creator. To put it bluntly, the internet is already well stocked with sensationalism and biased opinions masquerading as fact; don’t add to it. If you’re going to be presenting information, do everything in your power to ensure that it’s reliable information. Which, of course, means knowing where to find it.
Government and educational sites are generally held to a higher standard than others, although that’s not to say that they are always 100% accurate (or unbiased). Still, those that include data from relevant studies are usually trustworthy, and will not only provide you with relatively reliable information from which to craft your content, but may also give you interesting stats and data to link to to support any arguments you might be making.
News sites are also authoritative resources, but bear in mind that not every news site is created equal, nor is every site that identifies itself as a news site recognized as one. Some are just ideological outlets for particular interest groups (I’m not naming any names, Fox News and Huffington Post). There’s actually a lot of data that goes into which news sites are the most reliable and objective, and I’m not going to bother reproducing it here, but feel free to check it for yourself. Stick to the ones at the top of the list, and you should be OK.
On the bottom of the barrel, we’ve got blogs. Now, I’m not suggesting that blogs are incapable of unbiased reporting or producing accurate data, but I am going to point out that when a post is being written by a single author, for that author’s site, with no editorial or supervision failsafes in place, then there’s really nothing stopping them from making whatever claims they’d like. If, on the other hand, a blog includes links to its resource material, then feel free to track the truth down yourself, and if it looks promising, then link to the original source in your own article.
Finally, I’d like to set a few things straight with regard to Wikipedia. First, no, you should never link to Wikipedia. This is because Wikipedia is a collaborative encyclopedia, and you really don’t have any way of knowing whether the author was relaying reliable information. Perhaps even more importantly Wikipedia has a reputation for being a non-reliable source. A link to Wikipedia can end up doing more harm to the perceived authority of your article than whatever information you’re attempting to cite could hope to offset. Interestingly enough, I was once writing for an Australia-based client who wanted links from Government sites, and I discovered that the Australian .gov pages were not above linking directly to Wikipedia articles. I think I found where I’d like to retire.
This is because, in my personal experience, I’ve found Wikipedia to be one of the most accurate and complete internet resources available. When it comes to general information, I’m more likely to trust Wikipedia than any government or news site, because if there’s one thing that the kind of people who write and edit for wikipedia love, it’s correcting each other. No fallacy or inaccuracy is going to last long when you have thousands (or more) of potential editors looking over everyone’s shoulders, just aching for a chance to show off what they’ve got. It’s like misusing the word “whom” in a room full of English teachers—you’re going to be corrected, and it’s going to be swift.
So, should you use Wikipedia? Of course you should! It’s probably the most complete repository of human knowledge available. Just don’t link to it. Instead, use Wikipedia as a general research tool, and then if you need something to link to, check out the references section. You can evaluate the authoritativeness of specific resources, and if they look good, then you can link to them yourself. You should already be in the habit of tracing information back to its source, so in that respect, Wikipedia really isn’t any different.
Finally, as a general rule, if a site is actively trying to sell you something, then it may not be the best resource. On the other hand, if they support their claims by linking to relevant studies or including a bibliography section, then there’s no reason why you can’t take advantage of their hard work. Don’t worry, if you do a good enough job, you’ll be able to pay to forward to the next internet writer who comes to your site looking for usable information.
Pretty straightforward so far, right? Well, there’s one other thing to consider when researching your article: time. No, I’m not talking about the deadline; I know you haven’t forgotten that part. I’m talking about the date stamped on your source material. You see, usable information is three things—reliable, relevant, and recent. If you find the perfect stats to support your argument, but they’re from a report conducted three decades before the word ‘internet’ even existed, then they’re not the perfect stats. That said, the shelf life on some resources is longer than others.
As an example, let’s take a look at the two links I’ve included in this post. The first one is found all the way back up the page in paragraph #3 (the weird part about how much I dislike Lion King). Clicking that link will take you to a news report on the site Livescience.com. The article is everything you might want in a linkable resource—it’s authoritative, well researched, blah, blah, blah. But take a look at the year it was published. 2013. That means that the data is going on half a decade old. A discerning reader will make note of that, and might wonder why you haven’t been able to find anything newer to back up your arguments.
The second link is the one about which news sites are most widely trusted (about eight paragraphs up from this one). The page I’ve linked to was published less than two months ago, and that means the data is as fresh as a crispy head of lettuce.
But, like I said, the shelf life all depends on what you’re linking. The piece about the lions was published three to four years ago, sure, but how much could lions have changed in that time? On the other hand, the data about the reliability of news sites would likely be outdated much sooner. Can you think of any events, say, maybe far-reaching political events, that might have changed how readers view news-site reputability? In this case, even data that is only a year old might be too antiquated to use. It’s all about what information you’re citing.
Want an easy solution? Well, I’ve got one for you. When you do a Google search for reliable information, just click on the “settings” button underneath the search bar, and scroll down to “advanced search.” This will take you to a new page, where you can more clearly define what kinds of sites you’re looking for. About halfway down the page, you’ll see the “last update” option. Select it, and then select “past year,” before finalizing your search. This will return only pages that have been updated within the last twelve months, so you’ll have fewer outdated results to sift through. Trust me; this one’s a time saver.
It would certainly be nice to be able to contain all of our writing within our own areas of expertise, but it’s just not realistic. In fact, in the four years I’ve been writing at 97th Floor, I think I’ve only had one article published that made any sort of reference to Batman: The Animated Series, and it was subtle enough that the editors at Business.com didn’t notice. The reality is that in order to succeed as an internet content creator, you’ll probably have to take a few steps out of your comfort zone, and that’s actually a good thing.
You can be the expert that readers need, even if that expertise is built on nothing more than 20-minutes of Google search results. After all, content marketing is all about providing readers with content that is educational and informative, and if you can give it to them, then no one will care that you’d be more comfortable writing about cartoons.
Oh, and with that, it looks like I’ve now referenced Batman in two of my articles. I guess my expertise is worth something after all.
Back in 2012, we did things very differently at 97th Floor. One aspect of our company was that we used to have the team come in at 8:00am on the dot and make them leave at 5:00pm. They had some flexibility of course…they could take a 30 minute lunch or a one hour lunch! I vividly remember lecturing one particular team member that he had to take at least a 30 minute lunch.
My intentions were good; I was just doing what I was accustomed to and I thought it would be good for his health and productivity to take a break. However, at the same time we were really pushing hard to build our brand as a results-based marketing agency. We wanted clients to hire and pay us for our strategy and results, more than our hours and deliverables. Sure, we had (and still have) projects that were billed hourly, but the majority of our clients were hiring us for our skills as an agency. What they were after were results, not hours.
It was really hard back then—and still is sometimes—to get companies to view us in this light. That’s when we started asking ourselves, “Why should clients judge us based on results and the true value we bring to them if we judge our own team on how many hours they sit in their chairs where we can watch them?” Oh and don’t get me wrong, we were much worse than just tracking their every minute. We tracked basically everything you can imagine that really doesn’t matter. We couldn’t expect our clients and prospective clients to be different than us.
We ultimately learned that the culture we breed at 97th Floor directly impacts our brand. We quickly (but not abruptly) started changing our policies and environment to help facilitate the culture that we now wanted. Today, team members are judged on their results and the value they bring to 97th Floor only. They have 100% autonomy, and in turn they give the company 100% accountability. This example, along with many other major improvements to our culture, has allowed our brand to be about results-based marketing.
Most companies haven’t figured this out yet. They are doing things the old way: coming up with what they want their brand to be, and then spending money to force it down their customers’ throats. And sure, that works to an extent, but it won’t last in the long term. Today, your culture is the main influence on your brand.
People are increasingly doing more and more research about companies before they buy. They ask their friends. They scroll through social networks. They read reviews. People don’t buy from Zappos because the particular shoes are better quality than everywhere else. It’s not even for the free, fast shipping. The shoes are the same on the other site and many other sites offer free, fast shipping now as well. They buy from Zappos because their brand is all about superior customer service. That was Zappos intent and they built that by creating a culture based on excellent customer service. Just ask Tony Hsieh.
There are many famous examples of companies with strong brands, and they were created through the company’s culture. Sure, the marketing and ad dollars helped, but the main driver was the culture.
All companies love to tout that their people are their number-one asset, and it’s for good reason; the people are what drive a company to success or failure. However, you constantly see companies that treat their employees terribly and let their culture go to garbage. Just browse around on Glassdoor and see for yourself. In the past companies could say one thing and hide everything that went on in their office from the public. Not anymore. Not in the increasingly transparent world we live in.
Today’s workers are knowledgeable and empowered. Top talent isn’t joining those companies with terrible cultures, and any top talent that is at those companies are quickly leaving. Now, if you don’t have a solid company culture, everything will start going south quickly. Your employees will be disengaged and do shoddy work, which will lead to your disgruntled customers shaping your brand for you. Your employees aren’t going to be brand ambassadors outside of the office, so customers and potential employees will stay away from you. Your employees and customers will create your company’s brand no matter how hard you fight back. The only way to fix it, or prevent it, is to focus on cultivating a healthy company culture.
The positive side of this is that the opposite is true. If your culture is thriving, your employees will do great work, they’ll be brand ambassadors even outside of the office, and your customers will spread your positive branding as well. Basically, however you treat your employees, they’re going to pay it forward to your clients.
These days I don’t worry so much about our branding. Instead, I spend my focus and energy on our culture. We make sure our policies and our environment are conducive to the team, and strengthen and add to the culture. I know based on our own experience and the experience of many other companies that as long as the culture is right, almost everything else, including the brand, will take care of itself. Our company culture is the best test of the strength of our brand.
So start asking yourself questions. Do you want your brand to be known as up to date and cutting edge in your space? Is your culture one that encourages people to constantly be learning, testing, and growing? Because if your culture isn’t pushing your brand in the direction you want it to go, start making changes now.
97th Floor has come a long way since 2012, when lunch schedules seemed like an issue worth addressing. Now, our major concern is providing the best service to our clients. As long as we're accomplishing that task, the hours don't actually matter. After all, culture is what will carry your company into the future, but only if you step back and let it.
Give your employees a culture that supports and strengthens them, and they'll give your brand a future worth working for.
At 97th Floor, we’re committed to building a culture of caring. From volunteering at local community centers to the #20helps campaign, part of our award-winning organizational culture is focused on supporting local communities.
Started in 2015, a new charity initiative began at 97th Floor with the goal of donating 1% of our gross revenue to charity. Each December, employees have the opportunity to select a charity of their choice and 97th Floor will donate a portion of the 1% to that specific charity.
“I'm very fond of our charity program as it involves all of our employees,” CEO Chris Bennett explains. “I think a lot of people don't give or do as much as they'd like because they don't know where to donate or sadly, if they can trust the charity. Our program solves that for our employees.”
Since its inception, 97th Floor has donated over $100,000. Ranging from local charities to national nonprofit organizations, here’s where we’ve donated to over the course of two years:
Furthermore, these charities are near and dear to 97th Floor employees, who also had the opportunity to explain why they selected a specific charity to donate to. Here are some of their responses:
“I’m extremely passionate about Arctic Rescue and what they do to save the lives of these amazing dogs. Maren, the founder has dedicated the last 20 years to saving these neglected, abused and abandoned dogs and finding them loving forever homes.”
“I was impressed by the stories I read from the people that were on the receiving end of charity: water. To the charity, it’s not just about making sure that people have water, but about building the future of individuals and communities all over the world.”
“I have worked with JDRF several times in the past, and everything I have seen has spoken very well of them. They use their funds on research to search for, not only a cure, but also treatments and products to improve quality-of-life for those with Type 1 Diabetes.”
“I have been fortunate enough to have the best opportunities and have a family that could provide me with all the basic needs and more growing up. There are many people in the world that are not fortunate enough. So I chose World Vision because it helps underprivileged people from different countries that can’t even get basic medical needs.”
Through this charity program, 97th Floor has inspire its employees to look for ways to give back to the community as well as share with each other why this charity is important to them. As Bennett reflects, “It's one of the best days of my year to login to our Google Spreadsheet and see all the charities being added by our employees and reading their stories as to why they chose that charity.”
Keyword research is at the heart of all the work we do at 97th Floor. In this webinar Director of Marketing Operations Paxton Gray shares advanced keyword research techniques that provide the ground work for solid strategies that garner results, whether for high volume brand awareness or specific product conversions. Whether novice or a pro, you're sure to glean some remarkable and actionable insights.
Get the free downloadable Advanced Keyword Research Template below!
What You'll Find in this Webinar:
[1:28] Who we are
[1:33] Who we work with
[1:41] What we do
[2:10] What is a keyword? 15% of Google search has never been searched, everyday.
[2:45] The Search Demand Curve: Fat Head, Chunky Middle and Long Tail Keywords
[4:15] Google's #1 objective
[4:35] Google Micro-Moments: The consumer journey and you
[5:08] Advanced Keyword Research: What it is, What it's not
[6:07] Think strategy, not specifics.
[6:45] All about expert Paxton Gray
[8:40] Benefits of keyword research
[10:01] Keyword Research: Step 1 "Find Keywords"
[11:20] Keyword Research: Step 2 "Gather Data" and Pillars of Keyword Research Data
[13:23] Tools for pulling data (free and paid)
[15:21] Keyword Research: Step 3 "Analyze Data"
[16:01] Keyword Research: Step 4 "Group by Intent"
[17:00] DEMO and template overview
[36:00] Q&A
[47:00] Next Webinar "How to Get the Most Out of Google Analytics"
[48:24] Questions, comments, concerns? Hit us up at up@97thfloor.com.
