In the world of ever-changing Google search engine optimization ranking rules, how much do you really know about link building and its importance to search? How many methods do you know? You might be surprised! Let’s talk about the best ways to build links and common misconceptions.
UNDERSTANDING LINK BUILDING AND ITS MERITS
According to research, there are over 1.5 billion websites in the world today and about 380 new websites are created every minute. Unfortunately, not all are able to compete, in large part due to poor link-building methods. It’s also in large part due to the ever-changing nature of the rules and requirements of on- and off-page SEO. So naturally, a few will lag behind.
According to Google, links pointing back to your website are the number one ranking factor and it’ll be difficult to rank without them. Aside from ranking, links have other importance such as:
● They constitute the web
● It’s what makes Google see your website
● They pass trust
So what exactly is link building and how do you go about it? Link building refers to the practice of improving the quantity and quality of links to a website with the aim of improving its SEO rank.
Although this definition makes link building seem simple, it’s admittedly one of the most tiring things to do, and it takes time to see its results. However, when it’s done right, the results can be very rewarding.
BEST SEO LINK BUILDING METHODS FOR 2020
There are many ways to start your link building process, among them are:
1. Case studies and research reports
2. Using social media
3. Starting a blog
4. Finding the common backlinks of your competitors
5. Recovering your dead backlinks
6. Using videos
Case studies and research reports
According to research, conducting case studies and posting research reports are among the most effective means of building links naturally with almost a 70% efficiency.
Consider this for a moment: imagine if you stood out with original research and data in an over-saturated niche, wouldn’t you be the brand that commanded authority in that community?
Subsequently, your content and links will be shared by others without you having to put in much work. Now that’s a goal to aspire to.
Use social media
Social media has unequivocally become more than just a platform for pictures and likes. It’s evolved into an excellent tool to build online businesses. And the simplest way to do that is by both sharing your content and links on your platform and engaging consumers in the comments section.
Although the latter does not directly influence your link-building strategy, it boosts your positive image and trust among consumers, which, in turn, leads to getting your links and content shared.
Start a blog
Writing much-needed blog posts about your chosen niche consistently not only engages consumers in a valuable way but also gives you an avenue to engage in several link-building strategies. Among them are in-text linking and reciprocal linking, just to mention a couple.
Having said that, it’s oftentimes difficult to keep up with the necessary consistency of blog posts, especially when your platform takes off. In situations like this, it’s either you crumble under the workload or you outsource. If you prefer to outsource, you may consider a specialized SEO-building site like Adsy.
Find common backlinks of competitors
Common sense dictates that if you want to get to the top, you need to learn from those ahead of you. After all, imitation is the highest form of flattery. It’s no shame to recognize when competitors are leading the charge as it’ll help you make a few discoveries such as your competitors’ common backlinks.
With the aid of quality research and common backlink analysis tools, you’ll find your competition’s common backlinks, and if they can get access to those, so can you.
Recover dead backlinks
Dead backlinks occur frequently, especially when a website is moved to another domain, relaunched, or a webmaster spells a flawed link. Even more frequent is when the location of the page to which the link was backlinking is no longer there. What a waste it is for these deadlinks to display a 404 error whenever users click on it! The silver lining is there are many tools you can use to find dead backlinks so you can either redirect the link to existing ones or recreate the lost page once more.
Turn mentions into backlinks
This method promises a very easy way of link building but it’s most effective when you are a leading expert in that niche. All you have to do is turn every mention of you or your brand into a backlink to your website by contacting a webmaster and you’re ready to go!
Use videos
Much like backlinks to written content, video backlinks also present an equal opportunity for link building through similar avenues such as social media shares, in-text links, and reciprocal linking, just to mention a few. And because videos are sometimes better alternatives for relaying information, consumers sometimes prefer it to written content.
BAD LINK BUILDING PRACTICES TO AVOID
Despite its tremendous benefits, link building can be counterproductive, especially when you are new to it. It’s very easy to engage in certain bad linking practices and it happens every day. Amongst those are:
1. The use of web directories
2. The practice of excessive reciprocal linking
3. Buying links blindly
Web directories
A web directory is basically an online catalog of websites that provides either paid or a free reference to a third-party website. Judging from the definition alone, one might wonder about what could possibly go wrong when using a web directory.
Unfortunately, some directories offer no real value to consumers. As such, they’ve been blacklisted by Google and you wouldn’t want your website on any of these directories. So first things first, make sure the directory will have real benefits to you before adding your platform. For more effective results, use directories that are relevant to your niche.
Reciprocal linking
Reciprocal linking is when a website places a third party’s inbound link on their website and the action is reciprocated by the said third party. It’s an excellent idea by itself, except when it’s done in excess.
Buying links
It’s no secret that Google frowns upon the practice of buying links because it is unethical and you’re likely to get penalized if caught. Not to mention, buying links can be counter-productive when they are of low quality. Considering the risks involved, you might want to take the high road and build high-quality links the old-fashioned way: by making great content and optimizing it to generate natural backlinks.
Given the number of websites in the world now, depending on in-text keywords alone to boost your SEO rank will contribute little to nothing to your bottom line. Not to mention, chances are you might not even show up in the Top 15 of the search result pages. It goes to show that link building is of extreme importance to any live website on the world wide web. So take advantage of some of the best link-building methods listed here and boost your online presence.
