- Only checked hand-picked websites.
- Extensive contacts to webmasters.
- Use of professional backlink tools.
- Only high-quality and trustworthy links.
- Backlinks from Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Russia, etc.
Follow the right link building strategy: What do you have to consider?
Link building is similar to contacts in real life: It is not the number that is of utmost importance, but rather the quality. Nevertheless, there are always SEO experts and content marketers who are keen on as many links as possible.
However, this SEO strategy fails in most cases, because nobody wants to be randomly associated with websites whose domain authority leaves something to be desired.
For a website to be ranked by Google, it is much better to be recommended by a few but reputable sites. Anyone caught manipulating the Google algorithm will face a hefty fine.
Most often such a website is given a soegnant Google penalty, which downgrades it and thus makes it almost invisible. Although manipulations can achieve excellent results in the short term, in the long term they cause immense damage to the ranaking of a website. Therefore it is important to proceed methodically and think strategically when creating backlinks.
Here our link building agency will tell you which link building strategies are worthwhile and which link building tools are available to you.
What exactly is link building?
Link building – or link building – is an important part of search engine optimisation (SEO). Link building takes place in the offpage area. This means that links are not tinkered with on the website to be linked, but are searched for outside.
The aim is to build as many high-quality links to a website as possible in order to increase its ranking and popularity. Backlinks show search engines such as Google that the content on your website is relevant and that your website should therefore have a top position in the ranking. This is why link building is so important.
Link building is nothing new, but since the Panda and Penguin updates introduced by Google in 2011 and 2012, link building requires much more know-how and tact than before.
In the past, it was common practice to place links at the very bottom of the homepage – first place in the Google ranking was almost guaranteed. Since Google put an end to this and similar practices, SEO link building has become a complicated discipline. The following link building strategies are unwanted by Google:
- Bought Links
- Rented links
- Link farms
- Automated posts and comments
- Article directories
Link exchange is still considered a grey area. In any case, you should not overdo it with the link exchange, otherwise you can get a penalty from Google. But if you want to exchange a few links with partners, you can do so without any problems.
Nowadays, a successful link building strategy is made up of several factors. Google punishes websites that use unfair methods and engage in convulsive link building.
Rather, webmasters should pursue the natural creation of links as their goal. Unfortunately, many smaller companies have neither the time nor the SEO skills to increase the popularity of their website with strategically placed links. It is therefore worthwhile to consult a competent link building service.
Defensive backlink building pays off
Google is constantly introducing new updates to improve the quality of search results for users. With each update the link building strategy has to be adjusted. It is therefore advisable to pursue a defensive link building strategy.
So-called defensive builds focus on high-quality backlinks that ensure a stable ranking. This strategy is safe and strives for success, but it also takes a lot of time.
It is much easier to go on the offensive and accept a reduction in the quality of the backlinks. This strategy can be worthwhile if maximum traffic is desired in the shortest possible time. Ultimately, it is up to you to decide on a specific strategy. A professional link building agency will help you to make the right choice for your company.
What is Linkjuice?
The power of a link and the associated ranking potential is called Linkjuice. A distinction is made between external and internal linkjuice. The former is passed on through another domain, but the latter is created by internal links.
The stronger the authority of a site, the more Linkjuice it can deliver. It is important to regularly monitor the amount of Linkjuice that flows through your website. This can easily be done with the appropriate software.
Content instead of links
In the ideal case, the desired backlinks are created automatically. This is what every marketing expert strives for. Google’s algorithm is getting better and better and detects link manipulations with pinpoint accuracy.
That’s why content is more important today than ever, because appealing content is often linked spontaneously by users. Meanwhile most link building offers also include content creation.
What role do keywords play in search engine optimisation?
If you think about content, there is no getting around keywords. These keywords serve to describe your company. These can be short keywords consisting of a single word or so-called longtail keywords with several words.
Keywords are so important for SEO because they are indispensable but must not be used excessively. If there is keyword stuffing, an excessively high keyword density, this is a good reason for Google to become suspicious.
A large volume of anchor text, which is an unnatural accumulation of linked keywords, is also undesirable and will be punished by Google. The content and thus also the keywords and anchor text must be topic and industry standard in order not to be rejected by Google.
Why are backlinks so important?
By placing a link to website A, website B recommends it. If website B is now detected by a search engine crawler, the backlink from website A turns out to be an important signal. Website B rises in Google’s ranking thanks to the backlink.
However, the website from which the link originates should be authoritative and be in the same subject area as the linked website. Only then is the backlink valuable.
Link building methods are constantly changing and adapting to the new online reality. While entries in web directories used to have a strong impact on ranking in the past, today they only occupy a small niche. On the other hand, backlinks originating from popular blogs nowadays have a great influence on the domain authority of a website – often even more than the backlink of a worldwide known company.
Especially freshly baked websites should take care of high-quality links. If suddenly there is a large number of backlinks, a punishment by Google may follow. Initially, backlinks should only be placed on the homepage, but in time you can also link to subpages.
If several websites are created by one webmaster, and if they belong to the same subject area, they can be linked to each other without much effort.
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The most important methods in SEO link building
As a rule, a distinction is made between four different link types. These include the following methods of link building:
- Owned Links
- Self-Placed Links
- Paid Links
- Earned Links
Owned links and self-placed links are among the simplest methods, but have little impact on Google’s ranking. Earned links are the most important, but they are not easily purchased.
Self-Placed Link
Another strategy is the placement of so-called self-placed links. This is done mainly in web catalogues, yellow pages and other directories. Links in forums or press portals can also prove useful.
However, please remember that too many links are considered by Google as manipulation of the search results and can lead to penalties.
Owned Links
You create Owned Links by linking to your site in social media. Today there are hardly any companies that are not at least on a social media platform. Although these links are only of limited importance, they still increase the online presence of your website. Since you can easily reach customers or fans through social media, Owned Links can result in Earned Links in an organic way.
Paid Links
Paid links – bought links – clearly violate the guidelines set by Google. Nevertheless, companies are always caught in the act. Paid links are attractive because they require very little work and can be purchased in almost any quantity.
Paid links can be purchased or rented guest articles, product tests, voucher portals and advertorials. The most important feature of a Paid Link is that it is only granted for a certain price.
Since theoretically any company can buy a link, the actual purpose of link building is lost here. A couple, skilfully placed paid link will not arouse the suspicion of Google, but webmasters must expect penalties for larger amounts.
Earned Links
Earned links are built using content marketing. This method is labour-intensive and the success is not always predictable. Professional articles, Wikipedia entries and interviews can be found in this category.
In order for other websites to link to your website, you need to deliver high quality content. Under no circumstances should this be duplicated content. They are part of the natural link building process. The disadvantage is that these links are not scalable. Nevertheless these backlinks are very valuable.
Link building tips: How SEO works correctly
Nowadays it is important to strive for a natural link building. The times of quick link building are over, because users expect added value from a website. Instead of link building, more and more webmasters are focusing on content.
This can be offered to bloggers and journalists who then link to your website. As a webmaster, you should compile a list of potentially interested parties to whom you can forward relevant content. You can also produce targeted content that is likely to be of interest to a particular partner.
Look around the competition
Each website has one or more direct competitors. As in other areas, you want to outperform your rivals in link building. Take a look at competing websites and carefully study the links listed. Try to identify a strategy that you can replicate and even surpass.
Set link attributes
Link attributes inform search engines about the relationship to the linked page. In the SEO context the following attributes are important:
- ugc
- sponsored
- nofollow
None of these attributes should ever mark your backlinks, otherwise they are worthless for search engines. The attribute “ugc” refers to user generated content – links that are generated by users.
This attribute comes into play when users of the website set links themselves instead of the website operator. The sponsored attribute is used to identify purchased links, while the nofollow attribute indicates that this is by no means a recommendation.
Engage experts
An expert opinion is not only an advantage for your users, but also offers you significant added value. By asking an expert for an opinion, you increase the authority of your website. The chances that the expert will respond by linking to the content are high.
Consider which websites or blogs have a particularly wide reach in your industry. If you succeed in building up backlinks in this way, you can count on an improved Google ranking.
Writing guest articles
Blogs and websites are always looking for new content and new link building tools. Guest contributions offer an excellent opportunity to interact with experts and get valuable backlinks. In your guest article you can either place a link to your website or to your content.
This form of link building is mutually beneficial and allows both the guest author and the client to increase their authority and credibility in a given field. In this respect, online magazines that are based in your industry are a good choice.
A backlink that originates from a trade publication is worth its weight in gold and will clearly boost your Google ranking.
Give interviews
If you have established yourself as an expert in a niche, you can give interviews and make a name for yourself in career networks. No matter whether you express yourself orally or in writing – a backlink to your website is as good as certain. Readers or listeners will usually link to your website from their own plays.
Offer webinars
Webinars have a wide reach and can therefore lead to numerous links. Instructions and helpful tips are very popular with many users. You can publish your tutorial on online platforms or in your own blog to arouse interest. The content is shared, which in turn leads to organic links.
Lectures at technical schools and symposia
Conferences and thematic events offer numerous opportunities to draw attention to yourself and your website. As a speaker at a conference, you will be mentioned by name – it’s not far from a link to your website. Of course this does not apply to all industries and is therefore only suitable as a link building strategy for certain companies.
Run your own blog
A blog can be an excellent link building tool. But it is not enough to publish a single post with a backlink. To have a positive effect on your Google ranking, a blog must be kept alive. So you need to publish new posts regularly and try to encourage your readers to comment. The more hits your blog has, the more credibility it – and therefore your website – will be attributed.
Software and tools
Each website uses at least one tool or software package. Find out if the companies responsible for your software are interested in working together. Here it is worthwhile to use the software of smaller companies and start-ups, as they are more receptive to collaborations than software giants.
Ask for links
Sometimes it can be to your advantage to be direct. Just ask business partners or colleagues who operate websites with a matching theme for a backlink. If you have not yet made any suitable contacts in your industry, you should definitely start doing so.
Forums and groups on social media platforms are ideal springboards. Follow specialised journalists, bloggers and scientists on social media and try to build a relationship by making appropriate comments and linking posts.
An underestimated problem: broken links
They are there, but they lead nowhere: broken links. If you find a broken link on a website, you can contact the webmaster and offer your own content. Make sure that it matches the content of the website you want to offer. If you come across a 404 error message, simply view the former content via archive.org. You can then create suitable content or modify the existing content.
Link removal: less instead of more
Every now and then it happens that links have to be removed. Since this is a rather tricky matter, it is best to contact a link building agency.
For example, if you have attracted unpleasant attention in the past due to an unnatural link profile and have been punished by Google, it is a good idea to have link removal done. However, if links are simply removed and not replaced by new, higher quality links, this can have devastating consequences for Google’s ranking. An alternative is Google’s Disavow tool, which is able to devalue unnatural links.
With this method, unwanted links can be declared invalid quickly and easily.
Professional link building
Many people imagine link building as something dry and sober. Creativity is required here. If you think around the corner and approach the subject in an innovative way, you can’t go wrong.
Think about which link building strategies you can exploit to the full and which methods you may need help with. Our competent link building agency will be happy to advise you and draw up a link building plan that is tailored to your wishes and needs.