Link building is an essential aspect of any successful SEO strategy. In fact, at Modern Classic, it’s our main one.
When you build high-quality links, you drive organic traffic to your website and boost your rankings on SERPs (search engine results pages). But, in order to do this effectively you need expert tactics that are proven to work.
Luckily, we’re experts and we know exactly what works.
In this article, we’ll share a handful of expert strategies that will help you enhance your link building efforts and achieve better results. We'll also explore different tactics that can be used to generate high-quality backlinks, such as guest blogging . You'll learn how to identify authoritative websites to target for link building and how to create compelling content that is guaranteed to earn links.
Additionally, we'll discuss the importance of diversifying your link profile and avoiding spammy practices that could harm your website's credibility. We'll provide practical tips and actionable advice that you can implement right away to improve your link building strategy.
If you're ready to take your link building game to the next level and drive more organic traffic to your website, then let’s get started.
What is link building?
Link building, in simple terms, is the process of acquiring hyperlinks from other websites to your own. These hyperlinks, also known as backlinks, act as votes of confidence for your website. When search engines see that other authoritative websites are linking to your content, they view it as a sign of credibility and relevance. As a result, your website's rankings on search engine results pages (SERPs) improve, leading to increased organic traffic.
Importance of link building for SEO
Acquiring links consistently (note the emphasis on being consistent) plays a crucial role in improving your website's visibility and rankings on search engine results pages. Search engines like Google consider backlinks to be a strong ranking signal because they indicate that other websites find your content valuable. The more high-quality backlinks you have, the more search engines perceive your website as a reliable source of information.
In addition to improving rankings, link building also drives organic traffic to your website. When users come across a backlink on another website, they are likely to click on it and visit your site. This increases your website's exposure and can lead to more conversions, whether it be sales, sign-ups, or any other desired action.
Types of links in link building
When it comes to link building, there are different types of links that you should be aware of. Understanding these types will help you develop a comprehensive link building strategy. Bear in mind though that the type of link has no superiority. You only need to focus on it being a follow link and attached to keyword-targeted anchor text.
Natural links
These are links that are acquired organically without any effort on your part. They occur when other websites find your content valuable and decide to link to it on their own.
Unfortunately, these aren’t too common and are usually not particularly targeted either.
Editorial links
Editorial links are backlinks that are included within the body of a piece of content, such as a blog post or article. Due to the fact that you will likely have a lot of influence in the creation of this content, they’re great opportunities to secure keyword-targeted links from quality publications.
Guest post links
Guest blogging involves writing and publishing content on someone else's website in exchange for a backlink to your own website. This is a popular link building strategy that allows you to reach a wider audience and build relationships with other industry experts. Much like editorial links, they’re a reliable way of locking in keyword-targeted backlinks.
Resource page links
Resource pages are curated lists of helpful resources related to a specific topic or industry. Getting your website listed on relevant resource pages can provide valuable backlinks and drive targeted traffic to your site. At Modern Classic, we tend to avoid this as the links are frequently nofollow links (this means no SEO is carried by the link).
Link building strategies for beginners
If you're new to link building, it's important to start with some basic strategies that can lay the foundation for future success. Here are a few tactics that beginners can implement to kickstart their link building efforts:
Create valuable content
The foundation of any successful link building strategy is creating content that is valuable and worth linking to. Focus on creating informative, engaging, and shareable content that other websites and users will find useful. Remember, if you talk about your brand then you won’t get links. However, if you create content for a user, you’ll almost definitely secure links.
Create a media list
Create a media list that includes the names and contacts of the websites that are most relevant to your business. Regularly pitch interesting content ideas to them and win backlinks as a result.
Submit to online directories
Submitting your website to relevant online directories are quick and easy wins but shouldn’t be depended on as a sole form of link building. Directories help to acquire backlinks and improve your website's visibility, but they’re also very limiting.
Advanced link building techniques
Once you have a solid foundation in place, it's time to take your link building efforts to the next level. Advanced link building techniques require more time and effort, but they can yield significant results. Here are a few strategies to consider:
Natural links through content creation
Creating link-worthy content is a high-risk and high-reward technique for attracting natural backlinks. Invest time and effort into creating comprehensive guides, research-driven articles, and infographics that provide value to your target audience.
When you create exceptional content, other websites are more likely to link to it as a valuable resource. As mentioned though, don’t make the content about you; make it about your customer/reader.
Building genuine contacts
This is one of the most essential parts of link building. Building genuine relationships with key contacts at publications will make the process of winning links significantly easier and more impactful. Whenever you work with a journalist or website owner, be sure to make the collaboration positive, meaningful and smooth. Your future self will thank you!
Tracking link building
To ensure the success of your link building strategy, it's important to monitor and analyse your efforts regularly. This involves tracking the number and quality of backlinks you acquire, as well as the impact they have on your website's rankings and organic traffic. Use tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to gain insights into your link building performance and make data-driven decisions.
Link building: quality over quantity
Link building continues to be a vital component of any successful SEO strategy. However, it's important to note that link building is an ever-evolving field, and what works today may not work tomorrow. As search engine algorithms become more sophisticated, the focus is shifting towards quality over quantity. The future of link building lies in building natural, high-quality relationships, creating valuable content, and providing exceptional user experiences.
Creating a keyword strategy
You may be thinking that all you need to successfully perform link building is to win links, right? Well, unfortunately that’s not entirely true… or at least it’s not enough. You need to ensure that your content is optimised for search engines and is targeting keywords that you want to rank for and that your customers are searching for.
By identifying relevant keywords and incorporating them strategically into your content, you can increase your chances of ranking higher in search engine results. Additionally, you should focus on creating content that provides value to your target audience. This could be in the form of informative blog posts, in-depth guides, or engaging videos.
It can be really tricky to do this without professional help and guidance, so get in touch and we’ll help you with a personalised keyword strategy.
Conclusion: The future of link building in SEO
Link building is not an easy task. It requires a lot of planning, communication, working to deadlines and ensuring results. However, don’t let it put you off and the only thing that is for certain with link building is that hard work pays off. You may have quiet spells, but keep pushing!
Lastly, it’s important to understand that just a handful of links each month is all you need in most industries. The true key is consistency. One month with 20 links and nothing for the rest of the year is no cause for celebration. Pace yourself and enjoy long-term benefits.
If you want to work with a really great link building agency, just send us a message.
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