Blog
Link building: a crucial part of your SEO strategy!
Linkbuilding is one of the most mysterious, challenging, yet crucial aspects of ranking higher in search engines.
What is it, and how do you approach it in practice? Our SEO specialists are here to explain!
What is linkbuilding?
Linkbuilding refers to the technique of getting other websites to link to your website (backlinks).
This signals to search engines like Google that your website contains valuable content, as other websites consider it worthwhile to link to your site. Inbound links essentially give your website a certain level of “authority.”
It gets even more interesting when these inbound links focus on specific pages with specific content. As a business, you may want to build more authority for particular products or services rather than your overall brand.
Why is authority so important?
Authority is one of the most significant factors in achieving better rankings in search engines. Ranking factors can generally be divided into three main categories:
- Technical: fast loading speed, mobile-friendly design, etc.
- On-page: content, keywords, meta descriptions, etc.
- Off-page – Authority: inbound links
The first two are foundational—ensure they are in good shape. If you then boost your authority, it will positively impact your rankings. Conversely, if your website or a specific page already has decent authority, technical or on-page optimizations will show results faster.
Ahrefs conducted a large-scale study on the impact of these three factors and their correlation with Google rankings. The findings are telling.
Quality is key!
Yes, authority is crucial, and you gain authority through backlinks. Should you aim to gather as many backlinks as possible? Not quite—quality is key.
Not every link carries the same weight, and the authority of the referring website plays a significant role.
There are services that offer to create backlinks for you. Be cautious: in many cases, these companies generate a massive number of backlinks to your site, but they often have little to no value. In fact, Google penalizes the accumulation of low-quality backlinks.
On the other hand, if an article appears on a reputable site like a major newspaper linking to your business, you can be confident this will contribute to a higher authority for your domain or specific page URL.
How to approach linkbuilding in practice
1. Remove broken backlinks
Linkbuilding isn’t just about adding new, high-quality backlinks; it also involves monitoring the existing ones. Broken backlinks are incoming links that no longer work, often pointing to a page that doesn’t exist anymore, resulting in a 404 error. This can happen if you stop offering a specific product or service or if you’ve restructured your website.
Broken links disrupt the flow of authority to your site and signal to search engines that your site isn’t fully up to date, which can hurt your overall authority.
Use tools like Ahrefs or Google Search Console to identify pages generating 404 errors and links that are broken or even harmful. Then, redirect these links to relevant new pages.
2. Scan for opportunities and quick wins
It’s possible that content about your business already exists online, but without a backlink to your website. For example, you can use Google News to track whether your brand has been mentioned and find an overview of related articles. Be proactive by setting up a Google Alert to receive notifications whenever your business is mentioned.
Once you have an overview, contact the author or website and request the addition of a specific backlink.
3. Monitor your competitors
You’re not the only website owner working on linkbuilding! Follow these steps to capitalize on what your competitors are doing:
- Make a list of your main competitors.
- Identify which backlinks they are using.
- Create a list of your competitors’ backlinks.
- Determine which of those backlinks could also be valuable for your site.
- Contact the website owner and propose providing relevant content in exchange for a link to your website.
Yes, this takes time—but once you get the hang of it, you’ll find setting up link exchanges becomes much easier and more efficient.
4. Outshine competitors with the skyscraper technique
The skyscraper technique involves creating better content than your competitors. Imagine Google search results as a skyline. This method requires you to analyze the top-ranking content (the tallest building) and aim to surpass it by creating a more comprehensive and relevant article (a taller skyscraper).
To succeed, write content that outshines existing results in depth and quality. Collaborating with experts is highly recommended for this technique. With their input, you can craft valuable and authoritative content that stands out.
5. Leverage your network for linkbuilding
Reach out to suppliers, partners, and other collaborators to ask them to link to your website. Many companies already have a page listing their clients; if your company is included, it’s a small step to add a backlink. Additionally, co-writing content can lead to link exchanges. Portal and government websites are often eager to feature relevant or local businesses, making them excellent opportunities for backlinks.
6. Use guest bloggers
Invite guest bloggers to write articles that mention your website, boosting its authority. Guest bloggers are experts in your field who publish high-quality content on authoritative websites. These reputable sites not only lend credibility but also increase the likelihood of your content being shared further.
7. Internal linkbuilding
In addition to collecting external backlinks, you can also work on internal linkbuilding. Place links on your own pages that direct visitors to other pages within your website. Ensure the links and anchor text (the text associated with the link) are relevant. For example, if discussing a current case, link to a similar case from the past.
Google rewards well-structured internal linkbuilding. It allows the authority you’ve gained to flow throughout your website—commonly referred to as link juice. 😉
8. Create and share infographics
Infographics are popular because they offer clear, easily digestible, and structured information. Visual content is processed 60,000 times faster than written text, and infographics generate 37.5% more backlinks.
Create compelling infographics and distribute them across other websites, ensuring they include proper source attribution (with a link).
The importance of linkbuilding
Properly executed linkbuilding is essential for improving your website’s visibility in search engines. The higher your authority, the better you’ll rank, leading to increased visibility and discoverability.
Linkbuilding is an integral part of any online marketing strategy and is indispensable for effective SEO optimization.
Ready to rank higher with advanced SEO strategies? Contact Hybrid to enhance your website’s performance and climb the search engine rankings.
Blog
Other blog articles
Want to read more? Discover more about our expertise in the blog articles below!