Link building is creating a network of links on a website. This process is complex because it involves external and internal connections. The former can be acquired from other websites on the web. The latter includes the links between the pages of your site and the links leaving it and leading to different web addresses on the web.
Why are links so important to a site?
Links are the foundation that keeps the network functioning. Websites with a high number of links are perceived as trustworthy and are therefore rewarded with higher positions in Google search results. On the other hand, websites without links rarely get any visibility. And without visibility, they cannot reach their users.
These are also why building links on the site itself, both from and to it, is so important for SEO and any business that wants to be successful.
In this article, we will look at links’ essence, what link building is, and why it is so important for business. We’ll also share a few best practices in a successful link building strategy that can get your site to the top of the search results.
What is link building
Link building is an essential part of any successful search engine optimization (SEO) strategy, as it helps to increase a website’s authority in the eyes of search engines and improve its SERP ranking.
Search engines use links to crawl, navigate and rank your website. Their assessment also shows how much the content on each page relates to the website’s overall theme, whether it’s suitable for the reader, and whether it answers his search for information, product, or service.
That being said, you might think that the more links a website has, the higher it will rank. But the whole process is more complex than it sounds. Search engines also evaluate the quality of the links that enter and leave the site. It’s better to have fewer quality links than many low-quality links.
How to build links to the site
Link building involves using various approaches to acquire links from other websites, such as:
- creating content for websites;
- making connections with influencers in your niche and linking to their site;
- creating case study texts that lead from a satisfied customer’s site to your site;
- leaving positive comments and recommendations for your product or service;
- linking to your image that is used on another site.
These are just some ways to get a link to your site. But link building includes all links – both internal and external. Let’s take a closer look at how these links are built and why having good-quality links is important.
Internal Links vs External Links – What’s the Difference?
Internal links are formed when the address of a given page on one site is linked to a URL on another page on the same site and corresponding domain.
With external links, that same page leads to another site’s URL. Internal links are between your pages, while outbound links point to pages on a different domain.
What are inbound (external) links
These are all links placed on other websites that, when selected, redirect to your website.
These may be external links that come from:
- blogs;
- forums;
- posts on social networks;
- product or service reviews, for example, on Amazon or Google;
- websites with a similar theme to yours;
- case study texts, etc.
Link building with external links is essential to an overall link building strategy. Linking your website to other quality sites on the web, especially when they are on a topic relevant to your business, helps build a good site ranking. This results in greater visibility and higher rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs). In addition, links from other websites can help drive more visitors to your website and increase its trust and credibility.
The most effective strategy to earn backlinks is to create exceptional content that is both high quality and relevant to your website’s topic. Then use it to attract backlinks from other websites. This can be done through blog posts, infographics, videos, podcasts, or any other valuable and relevant content to your audience.
You can also contact people in your industry – bloggers, proven professionals or influencers – to find out if you can publish a guest blog post on their sites.
Guest blog posts involve writing content for other websites in exchange for a link to your website. It’s important to note that this type of post should be done with caution to ensure that the content matches the topic of the website you will be writing for.
What are internal links?
As we already know, there are two ways to build links for your website: acquiring external links and building a network of internal links. And while external linking requires assistance from other site owners, starting with internal linking is much easier because internal links are on your site. It takes time and careful planning to increase the available internal links on your site, but the effort is definitely worth it.
Spending time properly implementing a link building strategy for these types of links and organizing them can help you improve the overall network of internal links on your site, thereby improving SEO for your business.
Every page you want search engine bots to crawl for indexing must have at least one link to other pages. You can increase your internal links by linking to related blog posts and product pages, not just redirecting visitors to your home page.
When building internal links, having a blog can have multiple benefits and make the process easier. In addition to being a resource of helpful information, a blog can increase the number of internal links by giving you more opportunities to link specific products or other internal pages.
Contacting website owners, bloggers, and influencers helps build relationships and increase the chances of getting a link back to your website. It’s important to be selective and only reach relevant and authoritative websites.
Do not use the so-called “black hat” SEO optimization tricks, such as paying for many links from sites categorized as spam. While these tactics may initially work well, in the long run, they quickly get “detected” by the algorithms and fail because the links come from unreliable and low-quality websites.
Benefits of link building for SEO
Link building is time-consuming and difficult, but it is imperative to SEO success. The two main reasons link building is vital to a business are its relationship to the site’s visibility on the first page and the possibility for target customers to discover the business.
Other benefits of a well-constructed and executed link building strategy include:
Higher domain rating (DR) of the site and authority for search engines
A higher DR for a website indicates that it is authoritative in the eyes of search engines. This means that when a user enters a search query into the search engine, your website is more likely to appear in the first search results.
Increased visibility in SERPs
Increased visibility in SERPs (search engine results pages) means businesses and their websites are more easily discoverable when a user searches for a specific product or service. Increased SERP visibility can lead to more website traffic, leads and sales, and ultimately higher profits.
Improved organic ranking and traffic to your website
Organic ranking improves a website’s visibility in search engine results without paying for it to appear in the first results. By consistently providing quality content and a good link building strategy, you will be more likely to rank well, driving more organic traffic to your website.
Increased traffic from referrals from other websites
Increased traffic from referrals from other websites is an essential indicator for any website. The website can gain new visitors and convert them into customers through user referrals. By getting referrals from other websites, yours can increase its reach, visibility, and potential for engagement. Additionally, referral traffic is often more effective than other traffic sources, making it a valuable asset.
Improved brand recognition and trust among consumers
Improved brand recognition and trust among consumers is essential for any business because it leads to increased visibility and a good emotional connection with the target audience, who will support and choose the given business over its competitors.
Ability to reach new audiences
The ability to reach new audiences is a key component of any successful business strategy. This ability allows businesses to tap into markets that may have been previously untapped, reach new potential customers, increase their reach, build brand awareness, and ultimately increase their sales.
Challenges and best practices in professional link building
Link building is essential to SEO, and its benefits can be far-reaching. A well-designed and executed link building strategy can help improve a website’s domain authority, increase its visibility in organic search results, and drive more traffic.
But creating a good link building strategy for inbound and outbound links is a challenging endeavor that involves the following important best practices:
Identifying suitable websites to get links from
Identifying the right websites to get links from is integral to developing a successful link acquisition strategy. It is important to ensure that any websites you are getting links from are relevant to your niche, have a good reputation, and are reliable sources of information.
When considering websites to get links from, it is also important to assess the quality of the content. It should be well-written and informative and should not mislead users. Websites should be regularly updated with new content and provide a good user experience.
It is also important to research the domain authority of the website. This is an indication of its reliability and search engine ranking. Websites with higher domain authority usually provide better-quality links.
Relationship management with the owners and editors of the sites we have chosen for link building
Developing strong partnerships with key stakeholders on the websites we target for link building should not be underestimated. Communicating with bloggers, website owners, and other content creators with authority and influence in the industry helps ensure we can capture high-quality links relevant to our website.
In addition, these relationships help our link building strategy be viewed by search engines positively rather than as spam or unethical practice. Establishing relationships with key stakeholders can also help us identify relevant inbound link opportunities to our site that we did not initially consider, which will lead to more successful campaigns.
Keeping track of the latest trends and updates to Google’s spam policies
Google constantly updates and changes its spam policies to provide the most effective protection against malicious activity. Keeping track of these changes is essential to stay relevant and ensure your website is not affected by new rules.
To do this, you should regularly check Google Search Console and Webmaster Tools for updates to their spam policies. You can also keep an eye out for new posts or announcements about changes to Google’s policies HERE.
Finally, it would help if you stay informed about all the new tools Google implements to fight spam. Keeping these tools up to date will ensure that you take all the necessary steps to protect your website from penalties.
Ensuring quality prevails over quantity when it comes to link acquisition
When acquiring external links, it’s important to prioritize quality over quantity. Trusted links come from reputable and authoritative sources that bring value to the website’s content.
Low-quality links from sources from the so-called “link farms” or other unrelated sites can negatively affect a website’s ranking. It is, therefore, important to ensure that the acquired links are of good quality and from websites that are thematically related to the content they are linking to.
It’s also important to ensure the link acquisition process is done naturally and organically, so it doesn’t look like a link scheme.
Using only “white hat” link building techniques
White hat link building is an ethical and effective way to improve a website’s search engine rankings and online presence. This includes building high-quality, organic links from authoritative and relevant websites. Techniques used in white hat link building include content creation, guest blogging, and more.
Balance between prices for link building and expected benefits for SEO optimization
The cost of building links for a website must be weighed against the potential benefits of SEO optimization. Link building, although often expensive, can be incredibly effective in increasing website visibility and ranking. However, if the website is already well-optimized for search engines, the benefits of link building may be minimal. Therefore it would be better to focus on other aspects of digital marketing.
At the same time, it is important to understand that SEO optimization is not a one-time activity. It is an ongoing process that requires regular monitoring and optimization to ensure the site remains visible and accessible.
Remain patient as building relationships takes time
Link building is a time-consuming process, but it has many benefits and is an important part of any successful search engine optimization (SEO) strategy. By building links from other websites to your own, you increase the visibility and authority of your website, allowing you to attract more organic traffic. Link building also strengthens your online presence because your website is seen as a valuable resource to other websites and search engine algorithms, which can lead to higher rankings and a better overall online presence.
In the article, we looked at link building and site links and proved they are essential for search engine algorithms. According to links, algorithms determine whether a page on a site is relevant and should be shown to the user in his search. This is why link building is a significant part of a site’s ranking improvement strategy.
A well-crafted and executed link building strategy, with an adequate number of links from and to a given website from other quality websites, indicates that its content is valuable and should be ranked higher in the SERPs. Internal and external linking help promote your website and make it easier for search engines like Google and Bing to crawl, explore and rate it as valuable to people.
If you want quality link building for your website but you’re having difficulties creating a link building strategy and implementing it, our experienced team is here to help you.
