Link building is an essential aspect of any successful SEO strategy, as it can help to drive more traffic and improve visibility for your website.
Link building involves creating links from other websites back to yours, as well as internally within the content on your own webpage.
Despite its importance however, not all link-building tactics are good for SEO —in fact, some can even harm a website’s ranking potential down the line due to penalties received from Google’s algorithm updates. These updates focus on quality control with regard to assessing off-page values for reference points.
It’s therefore important to know what types of companies offer bad techniques/strategies when it comes to performing this type of activity which unfortunately clutters.
Contents
What is link building?
Link building is a process of connecting relevant web pages together with the intention of gaining an advantage in search engine rankings. It involves exchanging links between websites or providing content that points back to your own site.
There are two types of links.
External link building focuses on directing users away from the linked site, while internal link building directs them within the same domain and strengthens other related webpages through authority sites or by linking product pages within different categories.
For example, if you have multiple department stores you can use external link-building by hyperlinking each store when talking about their items which will direct customers looking at specific products easily without having to explore different pages manually.
Internal link-building additionally optimizes individual page searches- allows efficient navigation resulting in better user experiences and improved organic search positions due to cumulative effects of additional citations generated.
Thereby enabling advanced incremental changes over time, leading to increased beneficial SERP (Search Engine Result Position) results across metasearch platforms favoring higher sales outcomes and simultaneously driving more revenue objectives.
Definition of link building and its role in SEO
Link building is an essential component of any successful SEO strategy. It involves creating links from other websites back to yours, as well as internally within the text on your own webpage.
A well-crafted link building strategy is crucial for improving website visibility and increasing web traffic. By obtaining high-quality backlinks through a reputable link building service, your website can climb the rankings on the SERP (Search Engine Results Page) for relevant queries. These high-quality links act as signals to search engines, indicating the credibility and authority of your site in its niche.
Moreover, addressing broken links and replacing them with high-quality links can further enhance your link building efforts. Broken links not only disrupt user experience but also hinder search engine crawlers from properly indexing your site.
By consistently maintaining a network of high-quality internal and external links, you can improve online presence and reputation among searchers, leading to a more robust and reliable digital footprint. Additionally, quality internal links help make it easier for users to navigate pages efficiently by providing clear directions across varying topics or products.
Explanation of the types of links and their significance
Not all links or link building services are created equal. There are different types of links that have varying levels of significance for SEO.
Natural links
These links are created when an external website or blog owner discovers a webpage that they find useful and naturally decides to link back to it. SEO link building services often focus on obtaining these natural links from relevant websites, as they generally have high SEO value. Natural links are seen by search engines as authoritative, relevant, and trustworthy sources, which can significantly boost the credibility and ranking of your website on the SERP.
Manual links
Manual links are created when a website owner or member of their team actively seeks out and creates external links from other websites back to theirs. These link building efforts can come in the form of guest posting, directory listings, forum postings, etc. It is important that these manual links are high quality in order for them to be beneficial for SEO purposes.
Editorial links
These are created when a third-party website editor chooses to add a backlink from their page to another. Using link building tools can assist in efficiently identifying and securing such editorial links from relevant sites. These editorial links are usually the most powerful type of links, as they involve trust and authority from the linking website. However, it’s essential to note that these links generally need careful curation and ethical practices in order for them to be of maximum benefit for SEO purposes. Attempting to manipulate search engine rankings through manipulative link building tactics can lead to penalties and long-term damage to your website’s reputation and visibility.
Nofollow links
These are added to webpages by developers in order to tell search engine crawlers not to follow the links. These types of links do not carry SEO value, although they can be helpful when it comes to driving traffic and bringing the attention of potential customers/visitors on popular websites or blogspots, leading achieving overall marketing job metrics.
Dofollow links
These are the standard HTML used when linking to a webpage. They allow search engine crawlers to follow them and can bring SEO value depending on the source, target page and quality of content surrounding it. When done correctly, they benefit long-term rankings, increase website authority and improve overall visibility in SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) .
The worst link building companies & techniques to avoid
There are some link-building techniques and companies that you should avoid in order to protect your website’s rankings. It is essential to research an agency thoroughly before hiring so that you can rest assured knowing they only employ ethical methods of link building.
Link building strategies that use the following techniques should be avoided like the plague:
Buying Links
Search engines instantly detect these types of backlinks and they will likely result in a penalty that could hurt the overall SEO rankings of your website. Instead, prioritize link building strategies such as guest posting or natural linking efforts to acquire quality links .
Using automated link building software
Automated link building software is a bad practice as it will often produce spammy and low-quality links, which can negatively affect your website’s search engine rankings over time. It’s best to stick with manual techniques such as guest posting or content marketing for the most effective link building strategies .
Engaging in Link farms and private blog networks
Link farming and private blog networks are poor link-building tactics that involve exploiting web-based content to generate artificial links. Doing so is highly frowned upon by search engines, as it will result in the rapid devaluation of your website’s SERP ranking if caught. Avoid these types of strategies at all costs!
Spamming forums and comment sections
Spamming forums and comment sections with low-quality backlinks has the potential to do more harm than good. These tactics are considered black hat SEO, so it’s crucial that you avoid these types of strategies as they can result in removal from search engine listings or other penalties by Google’s algorithm updates such as Penguin & Hummingbird updates – which focus on quality control towards assessing off page values etcetera .
Participating in link exchanges and schemes
These types of strategies involve having other sites reciprocally linking to yours, or paying for links. Both tactics can negatively impact your website’s credibility and lead to a penalty if detected by search engines- so they should be avoided no matter what.
Publishing low-quality guest posts
It is an outdated practice that won’t bring any SEO value but instead, could hurt your rankings. Guest post links, often associated with link building campaigns, were once commonly used to boost SEO. However, search engines have evolved to prioritize quality and relevance over quantity in link building. Creating content specifically for link building purposes, such as guest posts solely for acquiring backlinks, will likely be seen as spammy by search engines.
Guest posts should ideally provide value to the readers and be a natural part of your content strategy, rather than a means to manipulate search rankings. Most SEO agencies now focus on creating content that attracts organic traffic through genuine engagement and informative material. This approach not only helps in improving search engine rankings but also builds a loyal audience base that trusts your brand and keeps coming back for more valuable content.
Using exact match anchor text excessively
This is frowned upon by search engines as it comes across as unnatural and potentially manipulative. It’s important to vary your link building efforts in order to stay on top of Google’s algorithm updates, such as Penguin & Hummingbird updates that focus on quality control when assessing off page values.
How to build quality links
Building quality links is essential if you want to ensure your website isn’t penalized by search engines. There are several ways to do this, such as:
- Creating linkable content that provides value and earns organic backlinks
- Guest blogging on popular websites with a relevant audience
- Submitting the site to b2b and niche directories
- Utilizing social media accounts for natural link building opportunities (i.e. asking followers with related interests/businesses)
- Promoting content through email outreach campaigns or ads.
It’s best practice to check out competitor activity – also ! These tactics should always be done in an ethical manner that adheres established SEO guidelines- thereby avoiding any of Google’s algorithms just mentioned above which would all markdown sure sites accordingly.
How to Chose A Good Link Building Company
Choosing a good link-building company is essential if you want to ensure your website isn’t penalized by Google or any other search engine. Here are some tips to follow when seeking help with link building:
Do comprehensive research
Make sure they have a track record of success and that their techniques are ethical according to reports by verifying white-hat techniques described earlier in the article.
Ask for portfolio samples
You should always ask for portfolio samples that showcase previous campaigns run and understand exactly what types of links did these companies build (Nofollow/Dofollow anchor text etcetera) . Don’t hesitate to inquire regarding account management solutions both technical & operational committee can benefit from it.
Request case studies / seek feedback online
You should also request case studies proving ROI (return on investment) outcomes following completion date deadlines; otherwise, one cannot measure impact immediately lacking retrospect information also very important to look into verified reviews via established publications, either through forums, Q&A’s section, and discussion posts located at social media channels.
Set realistic expectations
Finally, it’s crucial to set respective budgets beforehand, aligning tactics proposed leading deeper understanding of situations since Not All investments lead to expected results.
Conclusion
In conclusion, link building plays a key role in any successful SEO strategy. Not all link building methods are equally effective – it’s important to know what techniques and companies should be avoided so that you don’t get caught by Google’s algorithm updates such as Penguin & Hummingbird updates – which focus on quality control when assessing off page values of links etcetera.
The best link building services typically come from natural, manual, or editorial backlinks generated through organic means while buying links or engaging with spammy link farms could lead to penalization or worse search engine rankings over time; hence understanding said process, will result to informed decisions not affecting overall business performance.
Some Link Building Companies to Consider Hiring
If you’re in the market to hire a link building agency, we would suggest reviewing the following businesses:
- Link.Build (aka SEO.co)
- Higher Visibility
- PageOnePower
- RhinoRank
- ThriveAgency
- SingleGrain
- LinkGraph
- FatJoe
- OutreachMonks
- LinkBuilder.io
- TheHoth
- Loganix
- uSERP
- Rankz
- LinkDoctor
- Vazoola
- StellarSEO
- Victorious SEO
- Outpace SEO
- LinksHero
- StanVentures
- ClickIntelligence
- SirLinksAlot
- WebFX
- BacklinkBoss
Tim has spent more than two decades in organic online marketing, working with some of the most well-recognized online brands in scaling their content marketing campaigns.
Connect with Tim on Linkedin & Twitter.
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