There is a lot that goes into crafting and implementing a successful search engine optimization (SEO) strategy. To climb up the rankings, you need to make sure that you meet as many of the factors that Google and other search engines use to determine where websites land on their search results. One of the major factors is inbound links to a website. To be successful at SEO, you must have effective link building strategies.
What is Link Building?
Link building means that you are getting hyperlinks to your website from others. In other words, website browsers will end up on your site after reading content and clicking on that link. Search engines work by indexing and “crawling” the internet, and they use links to do this, whether it’s between entire websites or individual pages. There are several strategies to build links to your website and pages, but it may be the trickiest part of SEO. However, when done properly, it can boost your efforts and put you on the first page of search rankings.
Difference Between Good and Bad Links
What makes it tricky is that not all backlinks are created equal. Good backlinks will be treated positively by search engines, while bad ones will drag you down. The more good backlinks you have, the better. It can be hard to determine for yourself what constitutes a good and bad link. That’s why using link building services can be so important. They can weed out negative backlink possibilities and find backlinks that will help your SEO.
What is a good backlink? A good backlink will give your site the appearance of authority and relevance. For instance, these include websites with authority about your general industry, or sites with a lot of traffic. These types of links show that you are recognized by other well-regarded websites so that you are not counted as a spam site. Pages that rank highly also provide valuable backlinks, as do any links that seem to happen without any solicitation on your part. When there is a relevant anchor text to your website, those links are even stronger.
Bad backlinks are those that do not give your website a sense of authority, or seem like they were gained through underhanded means. This can include links from websites that do not seem relevant to yours, or from websites with explicit content. They have high traffic, but are most likely unrelated to your business. Broken links or links from link farms are also viewed negatively by search engines. It can also be detrimental if you have too many links that make it seem like you are spamming, so you must have a balance.
Link Building Strategies
There are several strategies you can use to obtain backlinks from valuable websites. They include:
Creating High-Quality Content: If you write and produce good content that’s engaging and informative, more websites will link to you. This will position you as an authority and an expert. Coincidentally, good content will also boost your SEO, so the more you produce, the higher you will rank, which means more people will see your content and link to it. It’s a circle of benefits, and it starts with quality content.
Reviews From Influencers: If you can get influencers to review your product or service, that will attract more links to your website from those who consume their content. Make sure that those influencers are relevant to your industry or sector.
Partners: If you have business partners or supporters, you can also ask them for links. However, again, they must be relevant to your industry to provide the most value.
As mentioned, to make this all easier, use a link building company to help. They will do all the research for you and find perfect websites to match with and provide valuable links.
Google Uses it For Ranking
Google and other search engines are probably the main reason why you should have link building strategies. You can appear higher on search ranking lists, and the search engines use backlinks as a main factor. By ignoring this aspect of SEO, you will put yourself at a big disadvantage when compared to your competitors. However, since it might be the most difficult part, if you do it well you can give yourself a big leg up on your competition. However, on top of the simple aspect of getting more website traffic, there are other benefits as well.
Credibility
Having good backlinks will help your business build credibility in your industry. The more websites that link to you, the more you will be seen as an authority. Potential partners and customers alike will end up at your website for information, to ask questions, and to also buy your product or service. With the circular nature of good SEO, having credibility within your industry will also in turn help with your SEO, since Google will notice that other authoritative websites consider you worth mentioning.
Brand Awareness
Brand awareness is another added benefit of a quality link building strategy. In the long run, the most successful businesses, whether on an international or local scale, have built their brands to be household names. When that point comes, your business can become a go-to place for consumers who want to shop with someone they can trust and respect. Getting enough backlinks from reputable sites will put your brand out there, and will position you as a brand that is convenient and reliable. You will start to get visits to your website through users that simply search your business name, rather than keywords related to it.
As with anything related to SEO, the benefits of investing in link building strategies build upon themselves. If you have an effective backlink strategy now, then the benefits will continue for as long as you want them to. Whether you are a local business or looking to break into the international market, having authoritative websites linked to you will boost you up the search rankings and give you credibility in the eyes of search engines and consumers. Don’t neglect this very important aspect of SEO, and you can find yourself on the path to big website traffic and big revenues very soon.
