A large number of SEO professionals and Webmastars have almost collapsed at their consoles in the wake of Google’s Penguin and Panda updates. SEO professionals believed that – “link building is dead…” and that was a major concern – to put it seriously. However, as time has passed and webmasters and SEO professionals alike have adapted to this shift, the fear regarding link building for search engine optimization (SEO) has faded. In fact, the initial reaction was a bit of an exaggeration.
Link building continues and must/should continue, as it is an essential aspect of search engine optimization. All search engines are driven by links.
With that, we’ll go ahead with more information about link building, which you may find exceptionally useful and informative.
Misconceptions about link building that should be ignored immediately
Don’t create links and make sure your content is amazing. This is far from the truth… In fact, even Google’s Matt Cutts said “Links are still the best way we’ve found out how relevant or important someone is…”
This statement came from the head of the web spam team at Google. The man who launched Penguin and Panda updates to begin with. So, maybe now we can all just relax and try to breathe again? Can…
As you can see, although backlinks remain a vital aspect of SEO and they are also one of the best ways search engines use to rank and index content – the old linking method is now in the past. Those days are gone!
Google is now targeting certain types of link building methods/strategies. These specific strategies are the ones to be avoided by webmasters and SEO professionals or risk algorithm and manual penalties, which Google has the power to support at any time.
Things to avoid when backlinking
Google’s goals and hopes for Penguin and Panda implementation were to get rid of spam and suspicious link building scams. That was it. In short, stay away and don’t use “quick fix” link building tricks. For a very long time, website owners and maintainers have invested a lot of time and money in exchanging links with other websites to boost page rank.
However, these link building methods did not offer anything of value to the users. Their mere existence was to develop as many human links as possible and trick search engine algorithms to improve website page ranking. These are the kinds of link building methods that are not encouraged by Google, and now with Penguin, if unethical link building strategies are used by anyone, you will get a big penalty for such practices.
Do not use the following link building tactics:
1. Cross links or exchange links with other web pages for the sole purpose of creating a link tree to increase page rank… This is the kind of tactic that should be put under a lethal injection. Do not do this!
2. It is not recommended to put links to a website on low-value directories, as the majority of these directories on the Internet are not good. You will be able to tell the difference between low value online directories and really good ones. Ensure that they are applicable and relevant to your business, industry and/or specialty.
3. Guest blogging or guest posting with the sole purpose of entering keywords, links stuffed inside the body of the content are also, no, no! As mentioned above, you will know high value blogs based on domain authority or social shares.
Below you can find some invaluable tips on link building…
4 Tips for Safe and Effective Link Building Strategies
Now that we’ve established unethical methods of link building and that Google is already targeted – we’re ready to move forward on what we should all focus on – these are four core building principles, which will make your link building invaluable efforts and your SEO campaigns an absolute success!
Excellent, quality content. It’s been said many times, but once again a little bit wouldn’t hurt… Creating quality content is vital! High-quality content provides value to users online. So, you will naturally/organically get high quality, friendly and Google approved links. Moreover, this will also lead to the development of “Link Earning”. If you follow high quality and engaging content – eventually, your website will be recognized and your link building will go into autopilot mode.
Keep links applicable/relevant. Google depends on your inbound and outbound links to stay relevant. For example, links should be linked to other web pages that have an organic and direct connection to your business, industry and/or niche in your business. Example: If you have a website that offers professional cleaning services and links to a website with professional cleaning equipment – this would make perfect sense to Google rather than linking back to a medical equipment company that flies at night.
Less is more. With new ways to build links – less is definitely more! Using a small number of links from a small number of high quality websites is much more valuable than using a large amount of links from low quality, spam and suspicious websites. Quality over quantity will triumph in the link building journey. Focus on deep links when searching for high-quality websites.
Invest in social media. Social media networks and/or platforms are more important than ever. Although Facebook posts or likes are not seen as links – they provide an excellent way to spread your message. Moreover, it will enhance the visibility of your brand and attract users to your website. The content, which is shared across social media platforms, will organically enhance and enhance the visibility of the website. It is recommended to use tools, such as – HootSuite or Buffer, so that you can schedule social media posts in advance.
As you know, the world of search engine optimization (SEO) is constantly changing, and although at times it can become overwhelming – it is up to the SEO professionals to adapt to these changes, so that your website stays up to date and becomes more successful and productive. So, when you hear people say that link building is dead – know that this is a completely misconception and that link building is still a valuable aspect of SEO practices.
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