In simple terms, link building is the process of getting other websites to link back to your website.
These links are also called backlinks. When your website accumulates high quality backlinks, they can drive referral traffic to your website and increase your website's authority. This gives your website an increased opportunity to rank for competitive keywords in the SERP. It is a very valuable SEO tactic that pays off in many ways.
Keep reading to find out the do's and don'ts of link building to help you build an effective link building strategy...
DO generate content that is worthy of a backlink
Content is still king. One of the best ways to generate insightful content is through a blog on your website. If you don't have one already, then this is your sign to get one! The most linkable assets include white papers, checklists, infographics and long-form blogs full of information that is relevant to your product, service or niche. Most importantly, it's best to write your content with the reader in mind.
An important tip is to not make your content sales-pitch-y. If your infographic or article seems one-sided towards your own services, then it is very unlikely that you'll receive a backlink for it. To minimise the risk of this happening, make sure that you curate in-depth, evergreen content that can provide value to others over time.
Remember, your content should be a two-way street. It should benefit both you and the reader.
DON'T build links for the sake of it
Bad backlinks can impact your website negatively, so it's important to know when it's worth it, and when it's not.
Backlinking is one of the hardest SEO tactics according to 2/3rds of SEOs, but also the most valuable. When you acquire a backlink, it should never be for the sake of it. If you receive a bad backlink, it will be pinged by search engines such as Google. This can then lower your visibility in the SERP due to the backlink being artificial, forced or irrelevant.
DO research for authoritative websites
As mentioned above: not all links are equal! It is best to acquire links from websites that align with your own business values and goals for relevancy and usefulness. Target these opportunities whenever and wherever you can within your niche! The quality and relevance of a backlink is always more important than the quantity of backlinks.
One of the best ways to judge whether a backlink is worth it is to consider this: if you wouldn't want your brand to be associated with theirs, it's not worth it!
DON'T partake in black-hat link building techniques
If you're thinking about tricking Google with your link-building techniques - don't! You will get found out eventually and punished accordingly, whether this be through a lack of website visibility or a sudden drop in your rankings.
Common black-hat link building techniques include:
Cloaking:
A trick used to display different content/URLs to a user and a search engine. It is the practice of transforming lengthy affiliate links into more aesthetically pleasing ones. Basically, it means you're intentionally turning your link into something it isn't!
Hiding:
This is done through manipulating the text or background colours to hide the link. Some people even hide links in punctuation marks! Sneaky, right?
Injecting:
An injected link occurs when hackers enter a website and insert links across the content.
Tactics such as the above are designed to manipulate Google's search results, and it is 100% not worth the risk. Whilst you may gain tons of invaluable backlinks before you get found out, there is no chance that any rewards will be reaped from black-hat SEO approaches.
Google is always searching for black-hat SEO tactics, and if you get found out, your site will get penalised to the point where it may not recover.
DO utilise your customer base and clients
If you provide a service or products to your customers or clients, then you have hundreds of backlink opportunities at your fingertips! As always, ensure that you choose from your customers or clients carefully. As long as there is a clear link between your business and their blog/website, you're all clear to start link building.
If any of your clients or customers have a blog that's aligned with your business in some way, go ahead and utilise the mutual relationship you have to acquire quality backlinks!
For example, here is a guest blog that we published on behalf of Ladders UK Direct. We acquired this backlink from this website as our specialist content would be valuable to their target audience of home-makers and parents.
DON'T just link to your homepage
If you only receive links to your homepage, then your link building profile can begin to look spammy and this could possibly be flagged by Google. Of course, a link to your homepage will be relevant in some cases. For example, linking to your homepage will help other pages rank higher for their own targeted keywords, but always try to keep your links natural. Sometimes, a homepage link isn't always the way to go!
So, what do we mean by natural? Natural linking is where you link to pages that are in line with the content itself. This will ultimately lead to a higher conversion rate, especially on pages such as product pages and cornerstone content pages. Spread the link love throughout your website and it won't just be your homepage that ranks near the top of the SERP!
What does Google say about link building?
Google's link spam guidelines say that all links must arise naturally. Purchasing links, engaging in 'excessive link exchanges' and using automated programs to generate links are methods that are forbidden by Google, so be warned that you may be penalised if the search engine notices that you've been engaging in these spammy practices. Focus on building genuine business relationships where links arise naturally - this approach will give you better results without invoking the wraith of the Google algorithm.
Read More: Google's Webmaster Guidelines
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