The internet has always been a hotbed of change and innovation. The one constant in our ever-changing digital world is that there’s always something new to learn about SEO.
Backlinks are one such thing; they’re an integral part of search engine optimization but also one where even seasoned marketers can make mistakes without realizing it.
If you’re new to backlinking or just looking for some fresh ideas on how to improve your website’s rankings, here are some things you should know about them.
How Backlinks Changed SEO
Over the past decade, bloggers, digital marketers, and business owners have run with the idea that backlinks are the best possible way to improve rankings in search engines. Google has always been a search engine that rewards quality content, and backlinks have never been the most important factor in SEO.
In the late 2000s, many marketers began to focus more on link building than on creating quality content. Some would even create subpar content just to secure a few backlinks. This was not an effective strategy because it did not take into account how search engines worked and what users wanted from their search engine results pages (SERPs).
By writing for people who were looking for links instead of those who were genuinely interested in learning about a topic or product, marketers missed out on valuable traffic that could have come from genuine interest.
In 2011, Google Panda came along and changed all that. The purpose of Panda was to lower the rankings of low-quality content, so websites with thin or duplicate content that didn’t provide much value for users. This affected many websites and caused a lot of panic among SEO at first because it made the ranking for keywords much more difficult for everyone.
4 Ways to Build Backlinks
Here are four ways to build links the right way:
- Gaining Links From Authoritative Websites
Earning links from authoritative websites is challenging — especially if you’re just starting. But it’s not impossible. If you’re struggling to get the kind of link-building results that will help your site gain more organic search rankings, remember: patience and persistence are key.
If your time is limited, hire a Link Building agency offering link building packages to run your link-building campaign. It is a long and slow process, but it is rewarding in the end.
Get a blog or website online by using platforms like WordPress or Wix (you don’t have to pay for these). Then start guest blogging on other blogs in your niche so that they’ll link back to your site when they publish your article. As soon as possible, start building links between posts on your own blog by creating internal links between them.
- Build links from high-quality sources
Nowadays, it’s important to build links from high-quality sources as well as sources that have good authority and trust. These are both equally important when it comes to building backlinks, but they’re not necessarily the same thing.
Authority is one of the factors Google uses in its ranking algorithm and it can be measured using metrics like Domain Authority or Page Authority. Trust is another factor in determining a site’s rank, and many people believe that Google takes into account “how reputable” each page is when deciding where to rank them in search results.
- Guest Blogging
Guest blogging is a great way to get links back to your website while establishing your credibility with an audience similar to your own. But it’s not as straightforward as writing one guest post and then sitting back and watching the search traffic roll in.
You’ll need a strong writing team with ample information to share. Additionally, a networker capable of identifying guest blogging opportunities is essential. You’ll also need some patience; results may take months or even years before they come through.
- Create High-quality Content
The best place to start building links is by writing articles that provide valuable information for your target market. Once one of these articles is published on a website with links back to your own site, it’s viewed as an endorsement. This endorsement comes from someone who has earned trust with previous work. This will help convince people who are just browsing the web that they should visit your site too!
Final Thoughts
It can be hard to get started with backlinking, but it’s worth the effort. Use a link building agency to ensure that you establish yourself as an expert in your field. And remember, building links can be a time-consuming process. It may take months or even years to establish credibility in your industry through link building efforts..