How to Successfully Develop a Linkbuilding Strategy

August 8, 2015

Link building is a pillar of SEO best practices, however the rules are always changing so it can be difficult to develop a safe linkbuilding strategy that won't ruin your rankings in search engines.

We already know that mobile centric websites will rank favourably on Google, but let's take a step back and look at the building blocks for a second. The core principles of link building have remained the same, after Penguin rolled out in 2012, there are certain rules you need to follow to avoid being hit by a link related Google update. Read on to find out about the state of link building and how to avoid being penalized by search engines for using certain tactics.

Google takes links into consideration when evaluating your website for its search rankings but it is important to build a website that speaks for itself first. If you produce quality content, you will receive the links you deserve in a natural process.

Foundations of Link Building

The following guidelines are what we consider to be the foundation of link building:

  • Create content on your website that is link worthy - this can either be a product or something your create such as quality content
  • Share your content with a captivated audience
  • Update your content consistently so that your audience has new sharable links

Low Quality Link Building

Most clients are aware that low quality links aren't a worthwhile long-term strategy and this is because most of them have been burnt in the past or watched other businesses suffer due to a bad strategy. It goes without saying that building low quality links without considering good quality links is a terrible idea.

Post-Penguin World

Prior to Penguin, businesses got away with using low quality links but after the Penguin algorithm update, this tactic became much more risky. Penguin meant that websites that acquired too many links, too many of the same link or links from low quality sources were penalised. This left SEO specialists in a tight spot and with fewer options.

Content Marketing

Content marketing, if done correctly, is a great way to generate quality links and, more importantly from a work perspective, links that won't need to be removed in the future. Content marketing can be a sizeable investment for any company so you need to put together a plan for your content marketing - don't just churn out content unless you have some structure. Read more about the services we offer in Content Management alongside the Sitefinity CMS.

How Google Analyses your Pages and Domain

The rules that Google uses to judge your page changes all the time. It seems that Google can rank sites that are the most relevant despite their links so this suggests Google is using a combination of different triggers in deciding how to rank pages. One way Google analyses a domain or page is based on users and how they have interacted with the page previously. This user behaviour, in fact, is likely to mean more to Google than links in the future. For link building experts, it is man against machine.

Ultimately, link building is hard work and time consuming, unlike what it was before the Penguin update. There are no quick wins anymore, or silver bullets and those options always leave you at risk from an update anyhow. Ultimately, the main principles listed above are the only way to develop a linking strategy around your website. What do you think? Share your thoughts on link building with us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

Written by
Alexander Rauser
Alexander Rauser

CEO

Alexander Rauser is the author of Boardroom Guide to Digital Accountability and Digital Strategy: A Guide to Digital Business Transformation, and creator of the DSX Program, a digital strategy and transformation program for Enterprises.

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