Building Bridges: Understanding the Link Building Process
Digital marketing and all the channels therein can be quite a lot to process, let alone master. Link building might be an SEO concept that you have come across before, but today we are going to take a deep dive into this strategy and outline how it works and what value it can add. Link building can be very effective if you approach this digital activity correctly, so we will also discuss what poor backlinking looks like so you can avoid those pitfalls that might have you penalised by Google.
What is link building?
Link building and white label link building services are the processes of building links to your website so that Google can determine your website to be an authority and subsequently enhance your SEO. Every time that a website links to your website or social page, that is considered one backlink (or inbound link). The more backlinks and the greater visibility for your website with traffic and other authority scores typically rise. Link building will happen naturally if others wish to refer to your website as a reference; but a strategic link-building strategy will consist of actions that acquire links to your website.
Are all links worth the same value?
Link building is most effective when the websites that are linking to your website are of high quality and have a reputable domain authority (DA). Websites like Forbes and Time have a very high domain authority as readers, and Google; recognise these online sources as reliable and influential. A new blog with only a few articles will not have the same impact on your website, even if they both link to the same website with the same anchored text.
SEO experts will often refer to links and backlinks as ‘link juice’, as you are effectively passing link juice around the website when you internally link and when you have backlinks pointing to your website. Think of link building as getting the most quality link juice injected straight into your website.
Where can you find backlinks for your link-building strategy?
Now that we have discussed the benefits of link building; you may be wondering how you can find backlinks to your website. You are really only limited by your creativity here; as there are many ways that you can cleverly engage website owners. Here are some ways you can build links to your website.
Guest posting
Guest posting entails a content submission that is written by the ‘guest’ with a backlink in the article that points to your website. The piece of content will be related to the website in question and its audience; providing value for the reader with the link seamlessly integrated into the content.
Providing infographics and independent research
Another great way to have websites backlinking to your website is by creating infographics and independent research. These sharable pieces of content are likely to be picked up by your audience and shared across different channels, strengthening your SEO performance.
Testimonials and supplier pages
If there is a business that you work with; then you may have a relationship where you can ask for a backlink to your website. If they list partners they work with and preferred suppliers; this might be the perfect opportunity to implement a relevant link.
These are just three ways that you can create opportunities for backlinks. Before long, you will start to think of your own link-building ideas and will create relationships and opportunities that will allow you to level up your SEO.
What is Google’s response to link building?
Link building can be black hat, white hat or grey hat – it all depends on the quality of the work and the intention. By quality and intention, what we really mean is whether the link is natural and contextual. If there is a website that has an audience of young entrepreneurs; then writing a guest post with a link to your website with the anchored text ‘cheap car wash near me; is not going to be favourable to Google. Ideally; they want to see links being made to websites based on trust and the sharing of information; not just brokering links for money. If in doubt, you can read Google’s terms of service and seek the guidance of trusted SEO agencies that offer link-building services.
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When you have a greater grasp of link building and how it works in the marketing mix; you can start to create a strategic plan that will enhance your SEO performance; and your domain authority as a result.
