Is Linkbuilding Still Relevant for SEO?
“Is linkbuilding still relevant for SEO?” is a question we receive every now and then from potential clients here at DASH-SEO. Linkbuilding has always been a hot topic in the world of SEO and digital marketing, yet it seems to be more relevant than ever before, in large part due to many individuals, agencies, experts, and consultants hypothesizing Google’s next move with their algorithm. To answer the question, yes, linkbuilding is still very much relevant for any proper SEO strategy. We would say it’s more relevant than ever, as Google has indicated time and time again it values quality content produced for users, not strictly for search engine robots. When the content is high quality, more often than not, the backlinks will follow. Throughout this post, we’ll be going over the evolution of linkbuilding, the current state of linkbuilding, why quality over quantity should always be emphasized, how to approach linkbuilding in today’s day and age, and the challenges and considerations along the way. Feel free to contact us if you have any immediate questions about SEO or linkbuilding. We’ll be happy to help!
The Evolution of Linkbuilding
Linkbuilding began as a relatively straightforward SEO tactic that was largely based on quantity over quality. In the early days of SEO, search engines such as Google would use links as a litmus test of sorts where the more links a webpage had, the more authoritative it must have been. This assigned authority where quantity of links superseded quality of links led to the creation of “link farms” and widespread abuse of link buying. This prompted Google to refine its algorithm to favor quality over quantity of links.
Throughout the years, linkbuilding has certainly evolved from a rudimentary practice to one where there are sophisticated elements of digital marketing, public relations, content creation, and communication strategies; all wrapped up in one package. In today’s day and age, it’s not about the number of links your website has, it’s about the quality and context those links possess.
The Current State of Linkbuilding
Modern linkbuilding is very much less about acquiring a large quantity of links, and very much more about acquiring quality links from relevant and reputable websites. Taking the time to build genuine relationships with those in your niche, providing valuable content, and truly engaging with your community in ways which naturally encourage others to link to your content is what modern day linkbuilding is all about.
Quality Over Quantity
Google and its algorithms have become increasingly sophisticated when it comes to determining link quality and relevance. Sites with high-quality links, from trusted websites will usually see better results than those websites who have links from any and all link focused sites with poorer quality and relevance. The shift in Google’s preferences for high-quality over high-quantity links has been felt by many in the SEO world, and it’s ultimately for the best, as high-quality content paired with high-quality link acquisition will always be a winning combination.
Relevance Matters
The relevance of your backlinks is extremely important, especially in today’s competitive SEO environment. Backlinks from sites which are closely related, or at least close in relevance to your niche, will be much more beneficial over a random link from some linkfarm website. An example of this is let’s say you have a website which focuses on the latest and greatest styles of latte art. You wouldn’t want a bunch of links from an automotive manufacturing blog, as this would be completely irrelevant to your blog and its niche and content.
User Experience & Engagement
User experience and user engagement is extremely important in the eyes of Google. Simply look at Google’s latest algorithm updates and you’ll always see at least a portion of the update is focused on helpful content and providing a great user experience to encourage engagement. Engaging content is not only a great tool to keep visitors on your site, but it also increases the likelihood of visitors choosing to link to your site naturally; which is one of the best ways to secure backlinks.
How to Approach Linkbuilding Today
Linkbuilding in today’s SEO landscape requires adoption of strategies which properly align with the latest and greatest best practices:
Create High-Quality Content
Content is king, and creating high-quality content which attracts links naturally is one of the best ways to go about maximizing quality and quality of your backlink profile. Through producing informative, valuable, and engaging content for your users, you’re addressing the interests and needs of your website visitors. Everything from blog posts, to landing pages, to resource pages, and more can allow you to acquire quality links naturally over time.
Skyscraper Method
The Skyscraper Method is a linkbuilding technique which involves identifying content within your niche for a target keyword or keyphrase which has already a significant number of backlinks and is ideally in the top three or top five positions on Google’s first page search results. Once identified, the next step is to create a superior version of the top three or top five pages which are ranking for the search query you want to rank for. Your version should be more up-to-date, very thorough, visually appealing, and all around better when compared to your competitors. From there, you’ll want to begin pitching your updated, more relevant, all around better post or page to the sites which are linking to your competitors. Present your version as a more accurate, valuable, useful resource than your competitors (because it is!), and nine times out of ten, the website you’re pitching to will swap out your competitor’s link for your link to your superior post or page, as this allows for an improved upon experience for their users on their site as well.
PR Relationships & Outreach
While HARO (Help a Reporter Out) is no longer, there are a number of other similar resources to connect with reporters, journalists, PR professionals, etc… who are eager, willing, and waiting to incorporate your expertise and insights into their latest story they’re working on. Some of these resources one should consider incorporating into their linkbuilding strategy include SourceBottle, SourceOfSources, etc…
Guest Blogging
Guest blogging is still relevant in today’s SEO environment. Reaching out to relevant, niche-focused blogs, websites, ecommerce sites, etc… in your niche to contribute helpful and useful content to their site will nearly always be appreciated. Guest blogging can be a great way to establish yourself and your site as an authority figure within your respective niche.
Engage in Community Building & Networking
Performing outreach within your community can be an old-school, yet very effective way to acquire relevant, authoritative links. Engaging with community members and participating in industry-related conversations will likely lead to newfound relationships and an abundance of possible linkbuilding opportunities. Participating in everything from webinars, podcasts, community-focused forums, Chamber of Commerce meetings, etc… can all lead to the development of professional relationships over time.
Monitor Your Backlink Profile
Regularly monitoring your backlink profile will allow you to see who is linking to you and who is not linking to you. “Negative SEO” strategies don’t really work nowadays, so don’t stress if you happen to acquire a batch of weird, unrelated links from low-quality sites. Google has specifically stated they don’t place much weight on irrelevant backlinks.
Challenges & Considerations
While linkbuilding is certainly one of the cornerstones of any great SEO strategy, it’s not without its own set of unique challenges. With search engines, such as Google, increasingly penalizing link buying tactics, it’s important to remember why someone would want to link to your site in the first place: quality, relevant content. Proper linkbuilding requires careful planning, preparation, strategy, and execution to be a success in most cases. As with most facets of SEO, linkbuilding is a long-term investment in your overall digital marketing strategy. It’s usually not an overnight success story.
Choose DASH-SEO for Excellent SEO & Linkbuilding
To answer the question again, yes, linkbuilding is still relevant for SEO. Despite changes in Google’s algorithm and the rise of alternative SEO tactics, linkbuilding will likely always have some influence on Google’s algorithm and how they choose to reward sites who are doing things right in their eyes. Through focusing on quality over quantity when it comes to linkbuilding, you’ll find yourself in a much better position overall when it comes to achieving and maintaining high rankings on the first page of Google for relevant and profitable search queries.
Contact DASH-SEO today using the form below to learn more about how we can help your website rank higher with our team of SEO experts. We look forward to hearing from you soon and we’re eager to begin working together to improve your website’s performance and ROI.
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