Link building has always been a big part of SEO strategies. However, as search engines have been evolving and becoming smarter, link building techniques should also change to remain effective.
Many are asking if link building is still relevant, and the answer is YES. But some traditional strategies aren’t effective anymore. As Google’s focus is now predominantly on the quality and authority of a page, you should also focus more on the quality and authority of the backlinks.
So, in this article, we’re going to discuss the most effective backlink strategies that can actually improve your website’s ranking and authority as well as some strategies you need to avoid.
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Link building in simple words means using some techniques so that other websites link to your website, which are called inbound links or backlinks. As these backlinks are a ranking factor for Google and other search engines, link building has always been a part of SEO optimization.
Here are the most important benefits of acquiring good backlinks for your website.
When other websites (which are relevant and reputable) link to your content, it shows the search engines that your site is useful and trustworthy. So, these high-quality backlinks give your website the authority and credibility it needs to rank high for related and targeted keywords.
In other words, the more high-quality backlinks you have, the higher the search engines tend to rank you.
Imagine a very reputable and authoritative website relevant to your business links to your content, products, or services. For sure many users of that website come and visit yours as well. This means you’ve got yourself a new audience that can trust you more easily and are high-quality leads.
Nowadays people follow influencers in different fields. If an influencer, or even a publication, that has a good reputation in your niche, links to your website, it will help your brand to be considered reputable and authoritative as well.
Improvements in your brand visibility and credibility lead to more and better leads.
For Google, backlinks are one of the top ranking factors. So, having a good and diverse link profile is necessary for your website’s sustainable SEO success. High-quality backlinks positively affect user engagement, bounce rate, dwell time, and some other important factors.
Overall, Backlinks from high-authority sources are votes of confidence for search engines. Adopting advanced link-building strategies to make a robust link profile for your website means ranking higher, improved brand visibility and credibility, more traffic and leads, and staying ahead of the competition.
That’s why, it’s necessary to update your link building techniques to ensure you’re getting the quality backlinks you need.
Here are the most effective white hat link building strategies to use in 2024.
High-quality content is a prerequisite for a good backlink profile. If you consistently publish valuable and informative content that engages the users, other websites start linking back to it in related blogs.
For example, you have an online carpet store and have posted a useful and comprehensive guide about ‘how to repair snagged carpets at home’. Now, another website in your niche which is talking about ‘carpet damage’ links back to your DIY guide, because it provides new practical information that users are looking for.
So, creating link-worthy content (blogs, videos, images) is essential for successful link-building. Learn more about high-quality people-first articles and visual content.
Within any niche and industry, there are some high-authority and respected websites where you can guest post an article and link back to your website once or twice in the text.
Come up with a few good and trending topics and pitch them to these websites. Then, craft a great article and they will publish it on their websites. Guest posting isn’t a new tactic but it’s still very useful and common.
Find reputable experts and influencers in your niche and see if they’re ready for a collaboration. It can be anything, from guest posting, to interviews, or a podcast appearance. These influential figures have an audience, credibility, and authority that is very effective for earning good backlinks.
The effect of social media engagement on SEO and link-building is undeniable. Have active accounts for your brand on social media and publish your content there. This makes more people and even influencers get familiar with your brand, engage with your content, and even share it. This will raise the chance of getting backlinks.
Try to increase your chance of getting natural backlinks by finding reputable websites in your niche (use Semrush) that can be suitable for linking back to your website. Connect with them and see if they’re willing to link back to your content.
However, sharing links between websites in these kinds of networks shouldn’t be forced. Excessive reciprocal link exchanges will be penalized.
You should constantly check your backlink profile to find any low-quality or broken backlinks and address them immediately. Low-quality backlinks can be considered spammy or negatively affect your SEO.
Also, if there’s a broken link, you’ll lose the link equity and authority (link juice). So, reach out to the websites that have linked back to your broken link and ask them to update it (link reclamation).
To sum up, for more effective link-building, focus on the quality of your content, link building outreach to build relationships, leveraging social media, and managing your backlink profile.
Except for these tactics, there are a few other strategies, such as broken link building, directory submission, skyscraper technique, etc., that are rather traditional but can still help you acquire more backlinks.
Acquiring high-quality backlinks isn’t easy and quick. It’s a process that only happens if you truly produce useful and valuable content consistently. So, trying to take a shortcut by gaming the system and settling for low-quality backlinks is going to harm your website.
Look out for the following:
Black hat tactics will result in severe penalties from Google and other search engines. Some of them include:
In addition to these, duplicate content, cloaking, and other dishonest methods will cause Google to consider your page or site as spammy and limit you or remove you from search results. This is happening much more than before after Google’s March 2024 spam policies update.
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Here are our answers to your common questions when it comes to adopting the right link building techniques.
Dofollow backlinks are good and pass link equity and authority (link juice) to your website. These links can improve your SEO. On the contrary, nofollow backlinks don’t pass link juice and can’t improve your SEO.
A good backlink comes from a website with high authority in its own domain. Besides, the link should be placed in relevant content and in the right context. Also, the anchor text is natural, descriptive, and not over-optimized.
If you’re doing it right, you may see the results in your ranking after 2 to 6 months. However, being patient and consistent is part of the strategy. Generally, link building is a long-term strategy and doesn’t have instant effects on your SEO.
Different tools come in handy when it comes to link building. Here are a few of the most useful ones:
Link building is long-term and tricky but can’t be ignored if you wish to see your website rank well for related keywords. This is essential for a better online presence, building more authority, improving your brand credibility, and getting more customers.
So, don’t give up on creating useful, first-hand content related to your business. When you have a quality website, other reputable websites in your niche will be encouraged to link back to your website and accept your request for collaboration.
Besides, social media has made it easier for businesses to get in touch with people more than before. Don’t let this opportunity go to waste. Ask respected influencers in your industry for collaboration to expand your network and audience even more.
These are the best ways to earn natural and contextual links that bring about valuable clicks and views for your website.
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