Introduction
In a captivating presentation, James Norquay delved into a variety of strategies for digital growth, focusing on innovative content, link acquisition tactics, and digital PR strategies. This blog post refashions his presentation into an engaging and informative read, ideal for those looking to enhance their SEO and digital marketing strategies.
Growing Globally by Entering New Geographic Markets
Norquay emphasized the potential of scaling globally. He discussed how one client expanded into 20 markets using hreflang tags, achieving over 100 million clicks. The key? An in-house dev team dedicated to SEO and consistently applying best practices across different markets.
Using Paywall Sites for Growth
A unique approach Norquay highlighted was leveraging paywall sites for growth. By identifying low Keyword Difficulty (KD) opportunities on these sites, replicating similar content without a paywall, and targeting their keywords, significant traffic boosts can be achieved, as demonstrated by a test site gaining 130K clicks in a few months.
Updating Pages with YouTube Videos
Norquay recommended regularly updating pages with new YouTube videos to keep content fresh. This tactic not only enhances page rankings but also drives additional traffic to the YouTube videos.
Optimizing Existing Content First
A crucial strategy outlined by Norquay was to prioritize optimizing existing content with unique information, data, images, and expert commentary before creating new content.
Using Competitor Brands for Comparison SEO
Creating comparison pages that include competitor brand names can be an effective SEO tactic. Small sites that manage to rank for larger competitors’ terms can gain significant traction.
Getting Journalist Links
Norquay suggested using platforms like Muck Rack to find journalist contacts for acquiring links. Reaching out to journalists to feature your content in relevant articles can significantly boost your link profile.
Promoting Local Events for Links
Engaging with local event websites to promote their events in exchange for backlinks can be a successful link-building tactic, as evidenced by one site that secured links from over 100 domains.
Using Accessibility for Links
A novel approach mentioned was contacting sites, especially government or educational ones, to point out inaccessible links and offering your accessible links as alternatives.
Trying Expired Domain Redirects
Norquay touched on the effectiveness of using high-quality, relevant expired domains for redirects, cautioning against using low-quality ones.
Checking Bing for Link Data
Since many sites block SEO tools, Norquay recommended using Bing to obtain backlink data, particularly focusing on government and educational links on expired domains.
Finding Content Ideas from Affiliates
By inserting a tracking code in Ahrefs, you can see which sites are using it. Analyzing lower Domain Rating (DR) sites can reveal what content is ranking well for them, offering new content ideas.
Roundup Pages for Discounts
Creating roundup pages for military, healthcare worker discounts, as well as Black Friday and holiday deals, is a tactic used by big affiliate sites.
Getting Links via Digital PR
Norquay stressed the value of digital PR in acquiring high-quality links. Strategies include creating surveys, reactive assets, and forming partnerships, along with proactive outreach to journalists.
Preparing for Search Engine Guidance (SGE)
With the impending shift to SGE, Norquay advised optimizing pages now with improved titles, images, and schema, and staying informed through studies on SGE.
Networking with Other Affiliate Marketers
Attending conferences and networking events to connect with successful affiliate marketers was another key recommendation. Norquay suggested buying them a drink as a way to gain valuable insights.
My Take: What This Means for Solo Publishers
Most of Norquay’s tactics here are evergreen, but there’s an important 2026 update to flag: at the Sydney SEO Conference 2026, Norquay shifted his framing from “digital PR for links” to “digital PR as the key driver for LLM success at scale.” That’s not a subtle evolution. If you’re still thinking about link building purely in Google terms, you’re already behind.
For solo publishers running affiliate sites, here’s how I’d prioritize this list:
Start with content optimization, not new content. This one never stops being true. Before writing anything new, audit what you have. Pages sitting at position 8–15 with thin content are usually fixable with a solid update — add data, an expert quote, a comparison table. The systematic approach in Building a Systematic Content Reoptimization Framework gives you a repeatable process that scales without burning hours on net-new posts.
The paywall gap tactic is genuinely underused. Most affiliate site owners are laser-focused on direct niche competitors and miss the low-KD opportunities sitting behind paywalls. The barrier is exactly what makes them exploitable — nobody is replicating that content for organic search. If you find a paywall topic with decent search volume and weak organic alternatives, you can own it.
Don’t overthink the link building. Norquay’s accessibility link tactic and journalist outreach via Muck Rack both work, but they’re agency-scale plays that require dedicated time and relationships. For solo publishers, the more realistic moves are discount roundup pages (easy links from deal aggregators and brand partners) and original data assets. The passive link building via data studies model is far more scalable for a one-person operation than chasing individual journalist placements.
The SGE section is dated — but the direction is right. When Norquay said “optimize for SGE,” that’s now AI Overviews and GEO. The current playbook from his 2026 sessions: structure content in self-contained ~400-word chunks (that’s what LLMs retrieve), and use digital PR to build the brand signals that make AI systems trust and cite you. That reframes everything about adapting to AI search — it’s not just about ranking, it’s about being citation-worthy.
On global expansion: hreflang at 100 million clicks is an enterprise case study, not a solo publisher blueprint. The actionable version is targeting English-language markets you’re already ignoring — UK, Australia, Canada — before going multilingual. Lower complexity, real upside. The traffic diversification playbook covers practical approaches without the operational overhead of full localization.
Bottom line: Norquay’s framework holds up well. The biggest update in 2026 is treating digital PR less as a link tactic and more as your LLM discoverability strategy. For affiliate publishers, that means investing in linkable data assets — studies, surveys, original datasets — not just well-optimized content. If you want to build a long-term link building operation without agency resources, that’s the move.
Action Items for SEO Growth
To implement Norquay’s strategies, here are some actionable steps:
- Optimize Site Pages for SGE: Focus on improving titles, images, and schema.
- Explore New Markets: Research potential new niche markets and countries for expansion.
- Brainstorm Viral Content Ideas: Develop content ideas that news sites would want to cover.
- Engage with Journalists: Reach out to journalists for link-building opportunities.
- Collaborate with Local Events: Contact local event organizers for promotional backlink exchanges.
- Create Discount Roundup Pages: Plan and develop pages for various discounts.
- Survey Partners for Deals: Engage with partners about upcoming Cyber Monday or holiday deals.
- Network at Conferences: Attend SEO conferences, like CM SEO in Australia, to connect with affiliate marketers.
- Stay Informed on SGE: Sign up for SGE access and follow relevant publications.
Conclusion
James Norquay’s presentation provides a comprehensive guide on using innovative strategies and Ahrefs tools for maximizing website traffic and ranking. By adopting these tactics, SEO professionals and marketers can significantly enhance their digital presence and competitive edge in the ever-evolving world of online marketing.