The Impact Of Blockchain On SEO – All You Need To Know

In the current scenario, everything is changing faster than the speed of sound or, dare I say, faster than the speed of “light”! The “traditional” ways of doing things online, such as e-commerce transactions, ad rankings, and even ways of committing online fraud, are witnessing a cascading change. 

In 2017, blockchain stepped in as a disruptive technology revolutionizing the world of finance and even self-driving cars. It could ensure that polls were not rigged and that votes cast were indeed genuine.

In today’s blog, we will delve into the basics of blockchain, its ramifications for an SEO optimizer, and how a marketer will benefit from adopting and incorporating blockchain technology.

What Is Blockchain? ~  A Basic Introduction To The Concept Of Blockchain

If you are in the field of tech or finance, you are probably privy to the concept of blockchain and know the ins and outs of this disruptive technology. However, suppose you are a digital marketer looking to delve deeper into the future of SEO and its correlation with blockchain. In that case, the following discussion will help you understand the basics of the technology. 

Simply put, blockchain resembles a tamperproof, incorruptible, decentralized, distributed ledger, something akin to a Google Doc spreadsheet that is up for public perusal. So every time a transaction is made, the details are up for public viewing; therefore, there is absolutely no confusion regarding the details of the exchanges, their price, the parties involved, and the date of sale. 

It can be alluded to as a wall of “blocks” where each block comes with a unique cryptographic “hash” or digital signature created using a special algorithm that records details of the transactions or events instead of revealing personal and private details. 

Now that we are clear about the concept of blockchain technology, let’s proceed toward understanding its implications for search engine optimizers.

SEO As We Know It and Blockchain ~ Is there a link?

Though at first glance, there may seem a lack of any correlation between the two “incongruent” fields, there is always more to unearth than what meets the eye. 

With the incorporation of blockchain technology comes the promise of trust, veracity, and authenticity of each party involved in the transaction. Though extremely pertinent in the finance sector, it holds interesting repercussions for SEO personnel as well. Let’s see how that happens. 

In the world of digital marketing, search engines interlink advertisers and websites. So Google, Bing, and the likes of it play the role of a mediator, engendering trust between website owners and advertisers. Blockchain brings in that extra layer of credibility and trust thereby guaranteeing authenticity. Website owners only pay for genuine clicks and not those made by bots! 

With greater transparency without divulging PII (Personally Identifiable Information), the chances of online fraud nosedive. Many firms such as Microsoft, DMA, and the Interactive Advertising Bureau have switched to blockchain technology.

Top 8 Ways Blockchain Has Positively Impacted SEO and Link-Building Endeavors

Here’s a lowdown on how blockchain has changed the game for SEO marketers, advertisers, and even search engine giants. 

• Obliterated click frauds: The ROI on PPC is significant for many digital marketers. However, the insane PPCs can burn gaping holes in the pockets of those with not such lavish budgets to spare for advertising. A major share of the advertisers’ money gets eaten up by non-genuine traffic created by bots. This problem can be solved by blockchain technology which can ensure that the traffic and views are generated only through legitimate users and advertisers pay only for genuine click-throughs. This is a win-win situation for marketers, advertisers, and bloggers alike, as advertisers will boost their ad spending, thereby allowing bloggers and website owners to monetize their product pages. This will keep the cash flow well-lubricated for all the involved parties. 
• No more black-hat link-building practices: Blockchain can be used to potentially eliminate black-hat link-building practices such as adding links on PBN (Private Blog Networks) and building link farms which involves creating websites solely to maintain link juice. These will be replaced by cleaner, white hat techniques such as the incorporation of smart links. Here’s what differentiates smart links from traditional ones ~ a “smart contract” that can keep track of when and with whom the links have been shared. The ramifications of this could be many, one of them being more ethical online collaborations between brands and marketers. 
• Enhanced keyword research and analysis: Even though premia SEO tools exist for analyzing keyword rankings, the incorporation of blockchain can prove to be a game-changer. With its easy accessibility and tamper-proof reputation it can help realize faster, cleaner, and more dependable SEO analytics. 
• Enhanced trustworthiness: Blockchain certificates are set to become the symbol of trust and many Content Management Systems are considering incorporating them in their platforms. Search engines are set to push genuine creators, content, and authentic websites with blockchain ledgers vouching for their authenticity. 
• Reduced chances of e-commerce fraud: Financial fraud has the potential to strike disaster at every rung of online commerce. New age frauds such as Card Not Present (CNP) fraud are setting retailers back by millions of dollars per year. Blockchain can help put the brakes on such unethical practices. Smart contracts ensure that the person initiating the transaction is in reality the one they profess to be online. It can also be used as a kind of “digital escrow” where funds can be stored until a service is executed or a package is shipped. This will serve the double purpose of saving the buyer money in case of non-delivery, whilst also reducing chances of fraud wherein the seller doesn’t get paid. 
• Enhanced voice search optimization: Voice searches account for more than 50% of the daily search volumes. The conflation of blockchain technology with voice searches can help enhance the storage and recording, thereby giving more genuine and accurate search results. 
• A tectonic shift in affiliate networking: The current model of affiliate marketing works like this ~ individuals create product pages that link to a product on an e-commerce site such as Amazon, when someone makes a purchase through the affiliate link, the marketer gets a share of the sale. The incorporation of blockchain-powered, smart links will render the current affiliate strategies obsolete, as the decentralized process will give businesses and individuals involved a more transparent tool to track sales and compensate immediately in the event of sales. 
• The engendering of a trustworthy online marketplace with enhanced security: The incorporation of blockchain in SEO practices will ultimately lead to more trust-inspiring and profitable exchanges with fewer instances of fraud. A win-win situation and a holistically safe environment for trade will result. 

Summary

The integration of blockchain technology with white-hat SEO and link-building practices will end the game for fraudsters and engender an overall outlook of trust and transparency. This will definitely be the game-changer that every digital marketer has been waiting for! Stay tuned for more!