Ever feel like SEO is a foreign language? You’re not alone and you’re not stuck. In this episode, Maria-Katerina Yohanneson joins us to highlight the power of link building that makes search engine visibility feel human and doable, especially for acupuncturists.
We talk about what link building actually is, how it boosts your Google ranking, and how you can approach it in a way that feels aligned with your values and voice. Plus, we dig deep into authentic branding, visibility for introverts, and how to let your quirks and passions make your marketing better, not harder.
What you’ll learn:
- Link building is all about relationships, not techy jargon.
- You don’t need to change who you are to stand out online.
- Introverts can shine in marketing by creating structure, boundaries, and asking for help.
Find it quickly:
- 00:33 – Meet Maria-Katerina
- 01:08 – Understanding Link Building and SEO
- 03:53 – The Power of Authentic Branding
- 07:24 – Building Connections Through Personal Touch
- 10:47 – Overcoming Marketing Challenges
- 19:15 – Humanizing Your Marketing Approach
- 23:44 – Starting with Kindness and Incremental Steps
- 24:09 – Asking for Help and Delegating Tasks
- 25:35 – Overcoming Overwhelm with Social Media
- 28:33 – Effective Link Building Strategies
- 31:47 – Building Authentic Relationships for Backlinks
- 33:44 – Local Link Building Tactics
- 38:29 – Defining Success
Mentioned in this episode:
🎙️ Listen to Episode #114: Link Building and SEO Tips for Acupuncturists with Maria-Katerina Yohanneson
💙 This episode is sponsored by the Get Found on Google Bundle: two live, step-by-step workshops designed for acupuncturists and wellness pros who want to show up higher in local searches and attract the right patients consistently. Join us on November 12 and 19th, plus snag the replays!
Subscribe to the Acupuncture Marketing School podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
💖 Love the podcast? Help other acupuncturists find the podcast by leaving a review here.
Transcript:
Michelle: Welcome to the Acupuncture Marketing School podcast. I’m your host, Michelle Grassic, and I’m here to help you get visible in your community. Take marketing action with confidence, and get more patients in your practice and more money in your pocket every week. We both know you’re a talented, passionate acupuncturist and that acupuncture has the power to change lives.
So let’s dive right into this episode and talk about how you can reach more patients.
Today I’m chatting with Maria Katerina Johannesson, also known online as Links. And Maria. Maria helps business owners grow their visibility through Link building and digital pr. And if you’re not familiar with Link building, it’s a specific SEO strategy that can really help boost your Google rank when done well.
Maria has such a creative and grounded approach to SEO and has built a fun, very human brand that reflects her personality. She’s an enthusiastic plant lady, and her TikTok and Instagram are full of plant inspired SEO analogies that make link building approachable and fun. In this episode, we talk about what link building is, how it helps your website’s, SEO, and how to approach it in a way that feels authentic and not overwhelming.
We also get into larger topics like building a brand that reflects who you are, how to show up more authentically online, and how to connect with people, whether you’re an extrovert or an introvert, without burning out or pretending to be someone you’re not. I really hope you enjoy this conversation and Maria’s creative approach to marketing.
Let’s dive in. Today’s episode is sponsored by my brand new Get Found on Google Workshop Series happening this November. I’ll be teaching two live very practical classes to help you show up higher in Google searches and attract more of the patients you love to treat no tech skills required. First up is SEO Made Easy on Wednesday, November 12th.
A 90 minute workshop where I’ll walk you through how to optimize your website so it ranks higher and brings in new patients consistently. And then on Wednesday, November 19th, join me for Optimize your Google Business Profile, a 60 minute training to turn your free Google listing into a patient attracting powerhouse.
And of course, if you can’t attend live replays will be available for both classes and you can sign up for either class individually or grab the get found on Google bundle to save $39. And get access to both workshops. You can reserve your seat now@michellegrassic.com slash Google, and of course, the link is in the show notes to make it easy for you.
All right, let’s get into this episode with Maria. Hi, Maria Caterina, how are you?
Maria-Katerina: I am very well. How are you?
Michelle: I am doing well. Thank you so much for being here. Uh, before we get started, would you introduce yourself to the audience?
Maria-Katerina: Absolutely. So my name is fairly long. Um, as you probably would’ve noticed, it’s Maria Katina Johansen.
Perfectly fine to say Maria, or Links and Maria. And, uh, what I do is that, is that I build, I like to say that I build brands. And plants. Nice. So I grow them both. So, you know, if we were gonna go a little bit more in depth, um, uh, I am more into like link building and digital pr, but I know it, it’s can so easily get very overwhelming.
So I’m trying to just move away from the technical jargon. That’s why I try to incorporate plants because, uh. We need to be more relaxed, in my opinion.
Michelle: Yes. Yeah. So you help people with their search engine optimization by building links on their website. So, well, first I wanna say I love your plant analogy, and you have some really fun videos on TikTok, where you like, oh, lots of plant analogies.
What is your TikTok and Instagram too, right?
Maria-Katerina: Yeah. So it’s link to Maria and yeah, it’s just, uh. It’s just something that I think we’ll probably get into this a little bit later, but I think that people in general overcomplicate thing, their things that they, they, and I get it. You want to stand out, you want to.
Cut through the noise and especially nowadays, you know, AI making everything so easy and anybody can do anything. But that’s also come with, that comes also a challenge. And I think, you know, for me, plants is really, I mean, I dunno if you can see that, but I have like my wall, I have paintings with, with plants, so there.
It’s such a true, true element of who I am, so it’s like I have to incorporate it, if that makes sense.
Michelle: Yeah. Yes. It’s a very, it’s a very authentic way of approaching things, right? Like plants are your passion and so naturally they are part of your brand. And it also helps teach people about marketing, I think, as well.
Yeah. So Links and Maria on both TikTok and Instagram if people wanna follow you. Awesome. So could we start out by talking about. Why, like what is link building? What does that mean? Mm-hmm. And why does that matter for search engine optimization?
Maria-Katerina: Sure. So, um, uh, again, I’m trying not to get into the technical jargon, so, um, you can, you can view link building.
Or a backlink as, as, um, another website basically giving you a digital high five saying like, you are cool, you’re amazing. I like you. Of course there’s more technical aspects, but just to like very, to make it like super, super simple. And you of course, as in, um. Real life. You want to, you want to find, you know, people you click with.
You wanna find people who you know, uh, have the same interests as you, or that you, you know, that you get along with. And it’s the same with web websites that you want to be associated with you. If you run, um, you know, I know you were into acupuncture and, you know, in that field, so let’s say that you are an accu acupuncturist.
Do you say that? Was that the right? Mm-hmm. Yeah, perfect. Yeah, it was a bit. Okay, so let’s say that you are an acupuncturist and may then it would probably not really make sense if you got a back link from, let’s say a mechanic, but it would probably make sense. Let’s say that you were, I don’t know, like some a backlink within the health industry.
Because there’s some logical crossover. So yeah, that, and of course there’s like all these metrics and blah, blah, blah, but I, I don’t, like, I just don’t find it necessary to talk about it because it can, so it’s, can so easily get overwhelming and. It. Who wants to be overwhelmed? I mean,
Michelle: yes. Who needs, who needs more overwhelm?
Maria-Katerina: Yes.
Michelle: It’s right now.
Maria-Katerina: Yes. So we have that way, way too much already.
Michelle: Yes. Gotcha. So people, like if we were talking about back links, it’s like you said, it’s just getting links from other websites to our websites and I love that you called it a virtual high five. I’ve called it. I, I’ve heard it called like link juice.
It’s almost like a website that is really strong and has good SEO
Maria-Katerina: Yeah.
Michelle: Lets you borrow some of that strength and SEO right? Yeah. Kind of like gives strength to your website.
Maria-Katerina: Yeah.
Michelle: So that. It’s, I always think of it as almost like you’re creating like a little web, like a little net of all these different links from different websites.
It helps Google better understand your website and who your ideal people are and when it should recommend you and, and, and all of that. Yeah, so I think over time building links is something really important that kind of gets overlooked in search engine optimization. I don’t know, it’s not. Uh, flashy enough maybe, but still so effective.
Maria-Katerina: Yeah. And also with the, uh, we were, we were talking about this just a few moments ago with the, you know, how to cut through the noise and stand out and so forth. It’s, it’s now, it’s more important than. Ever to have a strong brand and to really, so people know like, oh, this, uh, this acupuncturist is about this.
And you know, again, like, what is that? That people can just hear your business name and think like, oh, that’s this person, or that’s that and, you know, so it. Resonates with people, not just like you take this logo and put it on that and like this logo and put it on that brand. Because let’s face it, like the market is fairly over saturated, so you just have to.
You have to look for things that makes you stand out. And I’ve said I’ve, I’ve, I’ve been in part of different, like, and I’m a part of a network and stuff like this and stuff like that, and we used to, we. I actually tell you a funny story. It’s, so I have this mentor and he now in Sweden, we’re coming off a planting season, but last year when planting seed season was just approaching, you know, I, I, I like, I always do each, each season I planted my seeds and I was zucchini and it was kale and, and.
And I came into the meeting, it was on Zoom, and I was like, hi, oh, this is, uh, actually this is the status of my zucchini plant. And then I just realized what I did and I was like, oh, sorry. I should probably just be a little bit more professional, I guess. Mm-hmm. But he was, but he, my mentor told me, he was like, but Maria, sure.
I mean, again, you will not. Not everybody’s gonna respond well to this message. Of course, some people are gonna prefer a more for formal tone and so forth, but the right type of people, it’s it your message and who you are. It. It’s gonna resonate so people do business with whom they like. And I think that’s really important to point out here.
Michelle: Yes. Do you have any advice for how people can be authentic and, and I think it’s like a buzzword that happens a lot, right? Like building authentic brand, but then people get a little overwhelmed with like, how do I incorporate myself into this professional thing? Yeah. But I think you’ve done it really well.
Maria-Katerina: Thank you. So I thought about that a lot actually, and I, I cannot remember where I heard this quote, but it goes like, what would you do if you weren’t afraid? Mm-hmm. And for me, if I would ask myself that question, it would, the answer would definitely be to talk about plants and digital marketing in the same sentence.
But what I’m trying to encourage here, it’s more that. You know, if you, if you remove all the fluffs, if you remove all the strategies and like, oh, how can we make a market plan? Like what’s left? If you peel, peel the onion. But for me, I like to peel the kale ’cause I look for, uh, worms. Worms in the leaves.
What’s left. The thing is, it may not, it may even be things that. You find like, oh, but can I really share this? Or, or This is too quirky or whatever. But again, try to try to be kind and invite kindness and really look into what you get when you answer that question.
Michelle: Hmm. Yeah. I really like that because when I think of that question in a kind of like a.
Marketing, branding context, like what would you do if you weren’t afraid? I think there are a lot of acupuncturists out there who are really, really passionate about something specific. Um, fertility always comes to mind because there’s a lot of kind of like gaps in the information that maybe Western or biomedicine provides when someone is trying to get pregnant or they are pregnant, et cetera.
And there’s this huge body of knowledge that fertility specialists have that can really improve someone’s quality of life. But it’s things that are not talked about a lot in biomedicine or just in general. And it’s also, I can sort of feel like a sensitive topic, but I know so many acupuncturists who I wanna say like.
How can I say it? They get really fired up about these specific topics and I feel like they want to share, but it’s hard for them to imagine like, is it okay for me to show how fired up I am on Instagram? Like, is it like professionally acceptable for me to share X, Y, Z if I feel like. Um, some people are gonna disagree with me, or maybe the topic is like a little edgy or inflammatory, but I find that the people, and I’m thinking of Instagram in particular, the people who are the most honest and willing to, you know, share a little vulnerability and also share how worked up they are about something that they disagree with.
Those are the ones who. Build a really strong following on social media and those, the people who are following are the ones who are a good fit for the things that they’re sharing, who also resonate, and it kind of helps potential patients, almost like. Clicks a like rings a bell in their brain where they’re like, oh, this person’s talking about the reasons why maybe birth control is not the best choice for me.
And my, I never had a conversation about my doctor with this. ’cause we know they’re so busy, right? And so it helps draw in the right people who are a great fit. But it is a, it is a little scary, I think. I love, I just love that. Quote, what would you do if you weren’t afraid? Like, what would you, what would you be brave enough to say and share repeatedly?
Yeah.
Maria-Katerina: No, I think, and I think, uh, ’cause I, I’ve listened to a few episodes of the, of your podcast and in one of your, uh, latest solo episode you talked about, uh, which I also thought is really smart. And another way of how you can maybe start if you are like. If you feel a little bit uncomfortable going lean in, like with me, with my plans, and, and that’s a go.
But you talked about that you can document, you know, what you’re doing, uh, during a day and you’re like, you can show people because then it’s, it’s more like you’re documenting your work and they see you in action. They can build report in that way. So I thought that was really, I agree with that.
Michelle: Thank you.
Yeah, I, I love recording treating patients with cosmetic acupuncture because people are so unfamiliar with it, at least in the area where I live. And so sharing those videos really helps people like imagine themselves in the space. And it is, you’re right, it’s such a nice way to. Um, kind of like teach people about a topic without it necessarily being me doing like a talking head video, which I think is more pressure, it’s just me doing my work and they can learn a lot from watching the process.
Yeah, that’s a really good point. It’s always nice, I think, to brainstorm ways that people can build a connection, especially on video without having to. Like, uh, memorize a script
Maria-Katerina: or feel like
Michelle: they, they need to like, put together a speech. And those, that behind the scenes angle can be really helpful.
Maria-Katerina: And I think with, with these discu, uh, sorry, with these, um, videos that you talked about in the episode, you, I mean.
Again, the goal is, of course, at the end of the day to get, you know, a lead or a sale. But that’s, that’s further down the line. There’s steps before that and that’s, you know, as you say in the, uh, in the episode, you know, get them on a discovery call to, to talk about being this like genuine, like friendly person so they don’t feel you don’t.
You want to show that human as like human side of you. And before I, um, started in digital market, I used to work in sales. And I remember when I was younger, I was so nearly almost obsessed of getting my pitch right. You know, I would call, call people. I became so obsessed with getting my pitch right that I, it was just about me.
I could not even take in, I could not take in the other person. Because I was like, okay, am I saying my script right or should I say this, da da? But when I realized that with, of course, help from coaches and, and time and um, maturing and so forth, I realized like I cannot take in another human being and listen and actively showing curiosity if it’s, if I act in this way.
Michelle: Hmm, I have heard that before. That. My gosh, I think it was a marketer named Ben Angel always says, if you don’t like marketing, you’re thinking too much about yourself. Right? You’re worried about that. That internal process of, am I doing it right? How is it being received? How am I showing up? And you’re so right that when you’re in that head space, it’s hard to be curious.
It’s hard to actually listen to what people are telling you. It’s hard to be a collaborative problem solver and say like, oh, well this is how. What I do might make a difference for you. ’cause instead we’re very much worried about like, am I coming across as pushy or salesy?
Maria-Katerina: Yeah.
Michelle: Yeah. Want your website and Google listing to bring you more patience without tech skills or feeling overwhelmed.
Join me this November for my new Get Found on Google Workshop Series on November 12th. We’ll simplify SEO so your website ranks higher and reaches more of the patients you love to treat. And then on November 19th, I’ll show you how to optimize your Google Business profile To boost your visibility fast, you can take one class or grab the bundle and save $39.
Of course a replay will be available for everyone who registers. Head to michelle grassic.com/google to save your spot and I’ll put the link in the show notes to make it easy for you. All right. Back to this episode with Maria. I, it’s funny ’cause I was just gonna ask you like what are ways that we can come across as like more human and less robotic
Maria-Katerina: Yeah.
Michelle: In our marketing and I think that is probably one, one big way.
Maria-Katerina: Yeah. There’s so many ways of course. But again, I wanna come back to that people do business with, uh, whom they like. And in order to like a person you have to. You have to be more than a logo than just like pretty words and like, uh, these are our value words.
It’s just like, yeah, but what does that even mean? So again, to like ex, ’cause I, I like to think in pictures and memories, if that’s okay with you. I would like to share another memory. Sure. So, thank you. So in this sales position, I, it was a very technical field. I seem to be drawn to these technical things, but, but hear me out.
Hear me out. So it was about welding and, you know, pipe fitting. It was very technical. Mm. And I used to feel, so sometimes, you know, we all, we all have good days and bad days, right? So on one specific occasion I felt very like, defeated, um, because there were so mainly men who had so much more technical knowledge or they could answer.
You know, they, they just had way much more knowledge than me, or than I had. But then again, I started to think, you know, what can I, how can I differentiate myself? And I came back to. This human aspect. So when they would call prospects and clients and interact with them and they would ask and show off all these technical skills and they were very talented.
I, two things I talked about, non-technical things I would say I would talk about, you know, oh, how is that renovation going on your summer house? Hmm. And then not only that, I would remember that they had that project on their summer house, and I would ask them again, maybe a couple down a month down the line so I remember what people actually say.
I think it’s a, it’s often overlooked. Yeah.
Michelle: Yeah. Yeah. And I, I really think that is part of the being. Present enough to ask those questions and people. I mean, you mentioned earlier we buy things from people that we like, right? That know, like trust factor. Yeah. I think that’s really underestimated.
Maria-Katerina: Yeah.
Michelle: Uh, and I sometimes feel like my marketing clients or my marketing students are sort of like, yeah, yeah, I’ve heard that before.
And like, but why would they like me more than they like somebody else? I’m like, because you made a connection with them and they feel like they can relate to you because you. Spend time. Right. And even in creating social media, it’s not that one-on-one, right? Not yet. If we have, if we don’t have them in a consult or on a phone call.
But you can still sort of spend time with people by sharing your authentic self. Right. And sharing something that’s maybe a a little bit personal. And I always. Tell my students if they’re freaked out by sharing personal info on the internet that they are, first of all, they’re allowed to have boundaries, right?
Of course, it’s of course if they don’t wanna share their kids, they don’t have to share their kids. Of course, that sort of thing comes up a lot. But you can pick like three topics that you’re comfortable sharing. Maybe like I’m a cat lady and I’m not very good at cooking, but I like cooking and I love being outside, right?
So. Pick three things and be willing to create some content about those things, and it builds that connection over time. It’s like you’re spending time with someone, you’re making that effort with them.
Maria-Katerina: Yeah.
Michelle: Do you, I, I feel like you have good advice for introverts and how they can make those connections in a comfortable way.
Do you have other thoughts on how they can do that? Not necessarily social media, but that’s one that comes up a lot.
Maria-Katerina: Yeah. So, uh. I think like this, if you, ’cause obviously I’m, um, I’m quite extroverted and I, I have o other challenges, not necessarily this challenge, but other challenges. I think one thing is.
Do things gradually don’t. Mm-hmm. Don’t just start and be like, ah, look into the camera and be like, Hey, hello. And just like you have to, again, I think being kind to yourself is really, really important and showing kindness and take things in an increments. Mm-hmm. You do not have to believe that you have to become an extrovert.
That’s okay. And it’s also okay to ask for help. I think especially if you are, you know, self-employed or you don’t have that many staff, it’s, it’s so easy to get caught up in the feeling that, oh, I have to do everything, uh, on my own, you know, from accounting to social media to doing the actual, you know, health, your practice and so forth.
But you know. If you feel super, super uncomfortable and you can ask, you can literally hire people to do videos for you. Yeah. And you just tell them like, uh, you know, this is who, who I am. You know, these are my, like you said, like my three topics that you know I’m all about. And then you can talk about, you can ask this individual to, uh.
You know, make that, make videos, make videos about these topics so you can build fam familiarity and connection that way. So it’s not about, you know, again, you don’t wanna be overwhelmed because if you are overwhelmed, you are just gonna stop. You’re just gonna be like, I’m out and
Michelle: mm-hmm.
Maria-Katerina: So, so you have to, you have to, I guess on some levels, challenge yourself, but it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon.
Right.
Michelle: Yeah. Yes. Such a good perspective. Like we don’t have to dive in and do everything all at once.
Maria-Katerina: Mm-hmm.
Michelle: Um, one thing I did at my practice recently was I put on Instagram. I’m like, is there anybody who wants to come to my office and record my associate doing a treatment? Like take a whole bunch of like five to ten second videos like B-roll that I can use on Instagram and also take some videos and photos of us together because I realize that I.
Was feeling super overwhelmed trying to keep up with Instagram.
Maria-Katerina: Yeah,
Michelle: and I had some good ideas for reels I wanted to create, but felt like I just didn’t have the video at my fingertips, and I just. Was not doing it right. It was exactly what you talk about. Like once you get to a certain point of overwhelm, you’re like, I’m doing nothing.
Nothing’s happening at all. Yeah, I can’t make these decisions, et cetera. So that was probably one of the most popular stories on my clinic Instagram account. So many people responded. ’cause I said I would do a trade for acupuncture and for this hour of video. And so many people were like, pick me, I’ll come record video at your office.
But it also. Kind of goes to that angle that you mentioned about like, if you need help, ask for help. Because eventually I thought to myself like, why? Like I love doing the marketing for my practice. I’m so passionate about it, but there’s almo only so much time in a day, right? I’m like, why? Why am I not asking for help?
It’s so much easier for me to incorporate like, oh, one extra person, like a treatment on a Monday to quote, pay this person for the trade. Then. To, to actually do the video and the videos came out great. She did such a good job. Now I feel like. But I have enough video for like three months.
Maria-Katerina: That’s amazing.
Michelle: Yeah. But I think, I think we forget that we can ask for help as small business owners. Yeah. And, and yeah, as introverts, we don’t have to do the scary thing because if you’re, again, it goes back to like having someone else take videos of you doing a treatment. You’re just, you get to just do your job and you don’t.
Have to do like the talking head into the video or come up with scripts, um, it takes a ton of pressure off. So that’s, yeah. I love, that’s really good advice for introverts and yes, you are clearly an extrovert and I love that.
Maria-Katerina: Yeah. But it’s just one thing that you said about these, these posts is, um, I, I think it’s.
Really fascinating and that’s amazing that you have so much material now for, I think you said three, three months. It feels
Michelle: like it.
Maria-Katerina: Okay. Well it should not, maybe it’s one month, but it’s still a lot. Okay. But what’s so good about that, and it’s so valuable is that you get, you get really like market feedback.
Michelle: Yeah. Mm-hmm.
Maria-Katerina: So that’s also something too, you know. That’s also very valuable, except the fact that you have, you know, materials for one or three months.
Michelle: Yeah, absolutely. I did wanna ask you if we could go back to the link building, how would people go about, like if they wanted to try some link building on their own, how would they go about getting links from like other small businesses like locally or health and wellness websites?
How do they, how do they get started? How do they even ask for that?
Maria-Katerina: Hmm. So I would say, uh, I, uh, again now Maria Katerina, the quote person comes in apparently. So, so I like to say like, you get the best back links when you don’t think about links.
Michelle: Hmm. Tell me
Maria-Katerina: more. So, yes. So what do I mean by that? I mean that if we can get out from the like, uh, uh, technical jargon and domain authority.
Should I go for this link? And, uh, the domain thing is blah, blah, blah. Like remove that. Just put that, I don’t know, in the freezer for now. And what do you do? What can you do instead? Well, think about this, think about the, uh, the businesses, uh, you do, or like, uh, if you, we look at the working week, what kind of contacts on a daily or weekly basis do you have with other companies?
It can be manufacturers. I don’t know. It can be clients, it can be cust, well not necessarily customers, but clients. It can be manufacturers. It can be something to that effect. That’s link opportunities.
Michelle: Hmm. Okay. And like referring providers?
Maria-Katerina: Yeah. Abso absolutely. And uh, if you want a little bit more hands-on, so it’s not like just.
Sounds good, but what, what, what the heck is she talking about? You know, uh, it could be like, uh, you can offer to like sponsor an event or you can ask, and in return you can get a backlink or you can, if it’s a manufacture that you have collaborated with for let’s say many years, or you have a good relationship, you know, you can say, Hey.
Again, think about this. How can you achieve this virtual high five? Yeah. Well, one, one way is that you can say, Hey, I think you’re really cool. Uh, I think we are collab, we are, we are great at, uh, in our collaboration. And you can, um, offer them a quote on their website because that benefits them, you know, see for others to see, see that they are again, trust for, uh, worthy, reliable, and so forth.
And in return for giving them a quote, you’ll get a back link. So it’s a win win.
Michelle: Do you ever recommend, and I haven’t thought about this in a long time, so I don’t know if it’s an outdated approach. Yeah. Having a page on our websites where we talk about like our favorite referring providers and then we can link to them.
So like I have a couple chiropractors that I always refer to and couple massage therapists and then, but sort of have a. Conversation with them where you’re asking for the back link. Like, oh, maybe they could also have a page on their website where they list their favorite referring providers and include your clinic name in your link.
Is that done anymore or that’s old school?
Maria-Katerina: It’s a little bit old school, but I think, so what we’re seeing now. That we, we’ve start, we have seen it for a couple of years, but, uh, it, it, for me, link building should be more about the relationship aspect. Uh, it should go beyond the link. That’s why I mentioned these manufacturers and clients and so forth, because maybe that’s my sales perspective talking.
I don’t know, but I’m very much. I wouldn’t say necessarily against, but you know, sure you can write a, a guest post, but again, everybody can write a guest post basically. Right? So you have to be like a little bit more creative and really like, that’s why I say, you know, from the start, when it comes to authentic outreach, you know, you start differentiating yourself there.
And you do this by incorporating some of the aspects we talked about, uh, showing people, showing people respect, respecting people’s time. You show them value upfront. You show them that you have done your homework, um, because. And I say this on my website, I mean, I, I, I, I still, to this day, I think I get like 10 dms or emails with literally emails starting with Dear Madam,
Michelle: I get them.
They just say, dear Acupuncture, I’m like, you, you didn’t even look for my actual name. They must be automated. No, dear Madams, always a bummer too. Like I am not a madam.
Maria-Katerina: Yeah. I’m just like. Just get outta my life, please.
Michelle: Yeah. So leading with that authenticity. I, I agree. Yeah, definitely. Really important. Yeah. Do you have other, um, any other examples for link building for like health and wellness people, especially like the local. Local brick and mortar
Maria-Katerina: businesses.
Michelle: Yeah.
Maria-Katerina: Yeah. So when we’re talking local, there are a little bit different because again, then you want to target your, maybe you wanna find people in your municipality or like in your city, so then we can be, uh, I say that we can be a little bit more, how to say open minded.
It doesn’t, I, I would still. Probably not recommend if you’re an acupuncturist not to go for the, uh, mechanic relationship. But you can, you can do it a little bit like, because the key thing here now is to go to owner, uh, the. Uh, the geographical aspect of it. So again, I would, I would just, I would start with the basics.
Who do you do, who do you do business with on a daily basis? I’ve seen people do these, like, which I find is quite funny, you know, small, small scholarships. They send out free, uh, gifts. You can even do things like, you know, if you can show that you are helping your community in a, in a caring, genuine way, maybe you can, you know, talk about the elderly.
That’s something that people really care about and that’s something we should all care about, right? And. Is there something that you could do for your community, for the elderly, uh, or seniors that, uh, that would draw attention to, um, to local newspapers to, so you get, so people start to talk about you. So people, uh, so newspapers start to, uh, write about you.
So, yeah.
Michelle: Gotcha. Yeah, and that’s, I mean, that’s a much more. Authentic way of building interests and building links back to your website than just saying like, Hey, I refer to this chiropractor a lot. Maybe they’ll also refer to me. Yeah. And we can include links back and forth on our website.
Maria-Katerina: Yeah.
Michelle: Gotcha.
Okay. So local, I always forget that, I mean, all of the local newspapers are digital now, right? Yeah. So I always forget that they’re usually gonna include a link to your site if they write anything about you.
Maria-Katerina: Yeah. Awesome. And one thing also, I just wanted to remind us, uh, something here that you can also do some like surveys.
Like you can maybe in your practice, if you have like, I don’t know, you can say we, we talk to 20 patients and they all like some sort of like data that news that’s, that’s newsworthy, if you know what I mean. That that takes a little bit more time. And that means that you would have the. The written piece on your, on your own website and you would do outreach for, in order to get the right type of people to get interested in that.
So it could be like, you know, you know how many people have visited a chiropractor in the last year? I mean, I just made something up. That was pretty shit, to be honest. Sorry for swearing. But, but uh, you know, that was not the best example, but something. Something like that. You do, you know what, what I mean like
Michelle: Yeah.
So then the other, other websites and other companies and organizations would be interested in linking back to that data.
Maria-Katerina: Exactly.
Michelle: Exactly. I, you know, I actually, I had an email from someone the other day and I thought it was spam at first, but it turned out to be kind of interesting and, and genuine that this nonprofit that works with veterans.
Had done a big survey on like what are the alternative methods that they’re finding most useful for their mental health? And acupuncture was on the list among things like, you know, like animal companion therapy and a bunch of other like. Different sorts of natural remedies, like things besides prescription medication.
And they made an infographic and they included their data about acupuncture on there. And they were basically asking me like, would you be willing to share this on your social media? If you’re feeling really enthusiastic, could you put it on your website with a back link? And. Actually, I don’t think I’ve shared it yet, but my intent was definitely to share it on social media because it really is sort of a value add for me on my social media to say, here’s this company that’s a nonprofit that did this research, and they have.
Acupuncture on their list for veterans. Right. Kind of supporting things that I already talk about. But yeah, so I think it’s about finding the people who are genuinely a good fit for that information and it’s a value add for them. And then they can, I mean, if they’re feeling really enthusiastic, certainly put it on their website with a back link.
Maria-Katerina: Yep. Absolutely
Michelle: Clever. So many clever ideas.
Maria-Katerina: Well, likewise.
Michelle: Yeah. So, um, I have one more question for you. Mm-hmm. And this I ask all of my guests.
Maria-Katerina: Yeah.
Michelle: What is your definition of success?
Maria-Katerina: So, my definition of success is being curious and staying curious, and of course continuing to grow in plants. I have to say that.
Michelle: Well, thank you so much for being here. Would you share a little bit about the work that you do for your clients? ’cause I know that building back links can sound intimidating, especially if people are like, Hmm, I’m nervous about touching the backend of my website. But that is actually like a big part of your job is you have clients and you just get the backlinks for them.
Correct.
Maria-Katerina: Yeah. Yeah. Awesome. So what I do is that first we, again, we get on a discovery call, which we learn a little bit about your business, you know, what your goals are, uh, what an ideal client look like. You know, basically some really thorough marketed research. Because if we don’t have a baseline, we just, we just do things, you know, randomly, right?
We have to have a right, we have to have a clear direction because otherwise we’re just doing things. Out of the blue. Um, and this of course, uh, involves, uh, discussing what’s your most profitable services, your pro most profitable products. Because in the end of the day, you know, we all run, uh, a business and we want to have more money in the bank, right?
So, uh, again, that’s sales perspective should. Something that I personally have with me all the time, because a backlink in itself, you know, it has, we have to look at the bigger picture and based on those results, and of course, you know, who, how you, uh, you know, tone of voice and how you wanna be presented and stuff like that.
We go in into detail. Uh, details with that as well. Uh, we make a plan and, uh, this, uh, and then we come up with different methods. It can be more digital PR oriented. It can be, uh, more traditional backlinks. And then we make a plan and we keep you in the loop. And there is, uh, uh, no, uh, you know, link building Have.
That’s pretty bad reputation. So for me it’s very important to have to be, uh, transparent and you will have access to a live document, so you will see exactly what’s going on. You may hear a little bit about my plants or May that I ask you about plants.
Michelle: They should expect to hear about your plants.
Maria-Katerina: Yeah.
So sorry in advance for that. Yeah. So, uh. Again, the goal is for you to be seen as a trustworthy expert in your field. That is my personal goal.
Michelle: Awesome. And building links through that. Authority and trust. Very nice. Well, thank you again for being here. Where can everyone connect with you? Where can they find you online if they wanna work with you?
Maria-Katerina: Yeah, so just Google links and Maria in one word. Uh, that’s the easiest way to find me. Uh, if you’re on TikTok, uh, well, any, basically any video, every video I start with is. Goes like, hi, it’s Maria. So then you will hear that a lot and you know, you can DM me if you wanna email me, uh, I’m sure you will write this in the notes.
My email is maria@linksandmaria.org if you have any advice of, because I last year actually succeeded with zucchini. This year. I don’t know why I did everything the same, but I didn’t succeed. So if anybody out there is like having some really good advice, I am. I’d really like to hear that. Uh,
Michelle: I love it.
You’ll probably get those emails, they’ll be like about your zucchini comment. Your episode was great, but I have thoughts about the zucchini.
Maria-Katerina: Yeah.
Michelle: Awesome. Well thank you so much for being here. I really appreciate it.
Maria-Katerina: Thank you so much, Michelle. Thank you.
Michelle: Before you go, a quick reminder. This episode is sponsored by my get found on Google Workshop series happening this November.
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And that is really what I built these classes around, making them straightforward and easy for everyone. So join me for SEO Made Easy on November 12th and optimize your Google business profile on November 19th. Or grab the bundle and save $39. And of course, replay access is included for both classes. If you can’t attend live, sign up now@michellegrassic.com slash Google.
I’ll put the link in the show notes to make it easy for you. As always, thank you for being here. Can’t wait to talk to you next time.