One of the most debated tactics for search engine optimization (SEO) is link building.
Some say that link building is dead or spammy and can hurt your SEO, but when it is executed properly, it can be an essential part of SEO strategy that can help boost your organic search engine rankings.
The reason that many think of link building as spammy is that they are looking at it as something that manipulates search engines. Instead, you should look at it as a way of building relationships in your industry and giving your audience value. As with everything in SEO, this is a long-term investment, not short-term, and not something to trick search engines.
Why is link building important to SEO?
Backlinks are one of the critical factors of Google’s search algorithm. Links help Google understand the content on a site, and backlinks help to show Google what content is and how it is useful.
In addition to helping the Google search algorithms, backlinking can give you referral traffic, help you index orphaned pages, give readers more on-page value, cite your sources, and build relationships with other brands in your industry. Link building is a good extension of content marketing; when you publish content, you can help get your brand out there as an authority if you are building backlinks to it.
Link Building Best Practices
When you work on link building, it is important to keep in mind that not all links are going to be equal. Even if a site has a link to one of your competitor’s sites, it does not mean that you need to get a link to your site on it, too; in fact, you may want to avoid getting your link added to that site.
When looking at a site, you can usually tell if the source is spam or authority, and you want your link on the authoritative site. You want links that improve the value of your content and on sites that are not private blogs or networks owned by a single entity. Keep in mind that it is a violation of Google’s terms of service to pay for links.
If you engage in guest posts, do not do so just because you want a backlink. If you can create relevant, quality content that will help position you as an authority and extend your thought leadership.
Link Building Tactics
Now, let’s take a look at some tactics that can help you with your link building.
Link Reclamation
One of the easiest forms of link building is link reclamation. If you have a backlink from a site to a page that is broken or removed, you can contact the site to get your link updated.
Broken Link Building
There are plenty of sites out there that have broken backlinks to other websites. For this, you look up blogs in your industry and look specifically for pages with broken backlinks. You then reach out to the blog and tell them that you found a broken outbound link on their site and offer to replace it with a page from your site that is not broken.
Guest Blogging
Blogging is a solid tactic for SEO in general, and guest blogging is a great way to get some quality backlinks. Look for blogs that accept guest posts that have high authority and are relevant to your brand. While many sites will ask you for a payment to post your blog, it can still be worthwhile in the long run, especially if the site will share your post on their social media.
Aim for pages that are currently on page one of Google; they have a higher authority, and it can help you gain authority. Before you reach out to a brand, study their target audience, most popular posts, and the overall user experience. Does this site attract the readers that you want on your site? If so, reach out. Guest blogging is powerful when done correctly.
One way you can find prospects for guest posting is to go to Google and search for topic + intitle:”write for us.” This is how a lot of sites find their guest posts. You can also just find sites with relevant blogs that are not advertising for guest bloggers and reach out to them about the post. While some might turn you down, it is a piece of free content, so you might find many sites that are open to it even if they do not advertise for it.
In addition to guest blogging, you can also reach out to brands with podcasts and look into being interviewed on their podcasts in exchange for links. This can be a little more difficult to get than a guest blog, but it can have a similar effect. Interviews will also help you position yourself as an expert in your industry, which is highly beneficial for your brand and SEO.
Find Unlinked Mentions
Sometimes, other sites will mention your brand without including a link to you. This happens more often than you might think. The author of the site is already familiar with your brand since they mentioned you, so it can be easy to get a backlink this way. There are a few different SEO tools that can help you find these unlinked mentions. No matter which you use, weeding out your unlinked mentions can be a time-consuming process, but it can be worthwhile.
Community Site Links
Forums and message boards like Quora and Reddit may not have high domain authority, but they are an excellent way for you to build some relevant links to your site and help gain the attention of more of your audience members and gain new customers. These links are often nofollow, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. You are still leaving thoughtful comments that contribute significantly to a conversation, which is vital for your brand.
Conclusion
Gaining organic traffic is essential for any site, and one way to get that is through backlinks. While some may think that link building is considered a black hat SEO strategy and not something that they should consider, there are plenty of white hat link-building tactics. Contact Seattle Digital Marketing today to talk about us building backlinks for your website!
