This may not be the first time you are reading a topic about backlink strategy. Some may tell you to focus on developing high-quality content, and link building for the brand image will have to take the backseat. Unfortunately, this is not a wise suggestion. Backlink remains one of the most important signals that Google uses to rank a website. Based on the reports released by Moz, websites with high authority and page rank have a decent number of high-quality external links. Writing valuable content without actively building your backlink is not the most practical advice.
What is Link Building SEO?
If you want to achieve a higher SERP on Google, you want to make sure you have a healthy collection of backlinks. The search engine will determine how valuable the content is depending on the site’s quality linking to it. We refer to this as ‘link juice.’ Therefore, websites with higher authority linking to your site would signal to Google that you are a valuable source of information on that topic. The search engine will use this juice to gauge the relevancy of your website on that particular topic. Some experts claimed that SEO link building had lost its power due to the rampant use of the blackhat method (for instance, PBN and Parasite Sites). To mitigate the effect, Google has diminished the power of backlinks on determining the site’s authority
However, this is further from the truth. Google still recognizes link building for ranking websites, especially when assessing the website’s authority. Authority simply pertains to being the credible source of that industry. In addition to boosting your authority, backlinks can also be a free source of organic traffic. As long as you choose a relevant link, there’s a better chance of generating quality traffic. It is also an excellent way to develop a relationship with influencers, bloggers, and leaders in the industry. Nonetheless, it does not always mean that more links will lead to a higher authority. As we mention above, you need to pay attention to the relevance and quality of the site.
Do-Follow Vs. No Follow
A no-follow link will tell search engine spiders that the link doesn’t count. This is one of the excellent moves of Google to prevent spam link building. For instance, you could be posting comments to hundred of websites that link back to your site. This also keeps you safe from spam link attacks of your competitors. Sometimes, your rivals will send you spam links to discredit your authority and remove you from the top of the search result.
On the other hand, a do-follow is the opposite of the no-follow tags. These are the type of backlink that sends juice to your webpage. This will help improve your website’s authority and boost your prominence on search results. If you want to go further, we also have Sponsored and UGC attributes. UGC or User Generated Content and sponsored will tell Google that it is paid promotion. Usually, this will have the same behavior as a no-follow tag. Still, no-follow tags are not ultimately without power. These can still affect your authority, and Google will base that according to hundreds of other signals.
Link Building You Should Avoid for Brand Image
As mentioned, Google will not look at your backlink equally. Links found o the navigation, footer, and sidebar will not carry enough juice. If you try to trick the system using the Blackhat methods, you will be penalized by search engines. You will notice that you are gradually losing traffic, and your ranking is quickly falling. Here are some link building SEO strategies you should avoid if you want to boost your company’s authority online.
Article Directory
Years ago, adding a backlink on your EzineArticles content may help you boost your authority. Unfortunately, things have changed. If it is simply filled with spun or duplicate content and does not offer any value to the audience, then Google will not increase its authority. You should always avoid directories that appear spammy. Check the content and make sure that it is filled with high-quality content. You should also be more discerning of guest posting sites. A single post on a website with high authority and quality will outperform the 100 guest posts from spammy websites. Remember to use link building strategies only on relevant and high-authority sites.
Spammy Link Exchange
A couple of do-follow links performed on a couple of your websites will be perfectly fine. However, if it only involves spammy websites, you are bound to hurt your online visibility and authority. Google might treat your website as spam. Irrelevant SEO link building can prompt Google to penalize your website. You should also avoid using your link on automated email marketing since it can harm your visibility.
Auto-Generated Web 2.0 Profiles
Perhaps you’ve encountered those Fiverr accounts promising you 20,000 backlinks for an affordable price. We highly encourage you to avoid these types of freelancers. They will most probably use a tool that automatically creates link building profiles on web 2.0 platforms such as Squidoo, Hubpages, Blogger, etc. Any massive increase in your backlink is a sign that you are using a spam method. Google highly favors the organic growth in the backlink. Apart from low-quality, auto-generated web 2.0 profiles, this link velocity will affect your website ranking. Remember that authentic links will never happen in a short time.
Paid Links
Any paid links that aim to generate your brand awareness can be translated as your effort to manipulate the ranking. If you are using a sponsored link to boost your brand reputation, be sure to add ‘no-follow’ tags on all of them. This will help you avoid the penalty of Google.
How to Determine the Type of Backlinks You Need
After highlighting the type of backlinks that you should avoid, you should also understand the kind of link building for SEO that you need to boost your presence and authority. Understand that there are different stages to building your presence, and it also comes with a range of constraints and challenges. Here are some of the business stages and the backlink opportunities you need to look for.
For Those Under 100 Visitors/Day
While it may take a while before you notice an increase in your search ranking, you are perhaps looking for ways to increase the critical metrics on your analytics. Luckily, there are types of backlinks that will send referral traffic to your website. Here are some of the SEO link building tactics to use.
- Guest Posting- Advancing your company’s branding is essential for the growth of your online presence and reputation. By guest blogging on sites with high authority, it would be an excellent way to improve your brand’s image. One good thing about guest blogging is it is scalable. Be sure to avoid websites that appear spammy. If you could post on blogs with high authority and relevancy, you can improve your site’s ranking.
- Guestographic- If you have been guest blogging for quite some time, you are probably aware of different websites that don’t allow adding links or only add no-follow tags on the author bio. If this is your situation, infographics can help you create a link building strategy. You can add relevant links to the body of the articles.
- Social Media- Your shares on social media does not necessarily mean that you will have a higher search ranking. Nonetheless, it also gives you excellent exposure. You should not disregard the billions of active users on different social media platforms. Social media activities also help Google determine if you are a trustworthy website. As your visibility increase, you can also improve your domain authority.
You Have a Collection of Well-Written Content
If you are attracting a decent number of audiences, it would be time for you to create well-written content that offers your audience valuable information. You should choose a subject that has high demand (for instance, evergreen and trending content). Here are some strategies that you can use for your link building strategy.
- Skyscraper Technique- It is an effective link building for SEO since before you even create your online assets, you will start to generate the interest your business needs. You will start by reverse engineering an online asset that is linkable. For instance, if you are offering reputation repair, you can use tools that will provide you with a list of Content Ideas. Once you find content that receives high traffic and backlink, this will give you an idea to start. Use this content to develop more in-depth and well-developed content. Next, you might want to reach out to the linked websites on that topic and inform them that you have more comprehensive information about that topic.
- Internal Linking- Deep linking using your website’s relevant content can significantly help your website’s authority and improve your ranking on critical search terms. This will distribute the link juice on various internal pages and spread the power towards different sites.
Low Budget in Creating High-Quality Content
We understand that it is challenging to create well-written content, and it takes time and resources. Know that most SEO link building strategy relies on content creation. However, not all of us have the skills to create high-quality content. There’s also a chance that your content is not demonstrating your desired ROI. Here are some of your options.
- BLB (Broken Link Building)- This is one of the oldest types of backlinking strategy. It is still effective these days since it offers the web managers to build their broken links that harm their website authority.
- Reverse Engineering Your Rival’s Strategy- Perhaps your last option would be to subscribe to the premium backlinking tool plan and outdo your rivals. You can filter the result according to what is relevant to your business. You can do this without creating new content.
Link Building for brand reputation will significantly boost your site’s authority and presence. It is also an excellent method to expose your website to referral traffic. Be sure to keep the strategies mentioned here in your mind if you are looking for the best way to advance your brand image. Avoid those spammy sources to keep away from penalties.
Tags: backlink, link building