It’s no secret that Google’s search algorithms are complex, but despite their notoriously difficult nature, backlinking remains one of the top deciding factors when it comes to rankings.
Link building is simple enough to define: it’s the process of getting other websites to include links to your own website in their relevant content. Essentially, when one website links to another it tells Google that the website being linked to is a quality, authoritative, and relevant resource that’s worth ranking highly when someone uses the search engine.
Building these backlinks is a tricky, time-consuming process, which is why we at AAA Digital Marketing are experts at handling it all for you. We make sure that the links we build generate growth in traffic for your business.
After all, there are right and wrong ways of backlinking, and by far the most effective process is to do it naturally; in other words, actively engaging with other websites and businesses and earning the links.
This is because Google’s autonomous website crawlers, called ‘spiders’, attempt to read websites organically as a human would. They are adept at filtering out organic marketing practices from manipulative tactics that could see your website banned from search results.
But how does link building help your business?
The most immediate benefit is referral traffic. If the link is contained in content or on a website where the readership is particularly passionate about the subject, you are far more likely to see increased referral traffic from the link than if it is posted on a website or article that is not relevant to your business. This is true even if the readership of one website is smaller than the other.
In other words, it is far better to include a link to your website in a highly relevant blog post read by a smaller but more interested readership than an irrelevant post on a massive website with thousands of active users and readers.
These backlinks also help build your brand simply by having your name built into it. Users are far more likely to trust information if it includes the source of it, and in the case of your business, they are much more likely to trust your authority if you openly include your name as the source.
AAA Digital Marketing ensures that our link building services are organic and will help your website build authority and relevancy. However, you can attempt to build quality links yourself.
The most important thing to remember when DIY-ing it is that it boils down to authority and trust. What this means is, when connecting with other businesses or websites and asking them to include links, you should first assess how Google ranks them compared to similar websites, as the better-ranked they are, the greater positive effect it will have on your own website.
There are numerous organic linking strategies you can employ, but bear in mind the process – like anything related to SEO – can take time. That said, you should never try and cut corners. For example, buying links – often called “black-hat SEO”, as opposed to organic “white-hat” strategies – goes against Google’s guidelines and will have a significantly negative impact on your SEO.
A simple tactic to use is to create engaging and compelling content of the highest possible quality that other businesses and websites will want to link back to and discuss. It may sound obvious, but it’s incredibly effective. Note that simply creating the content is not enough on its own; it must then be shared as much as possible through social media, email campaigns, PPC, etc. to have the strongest effect and get links built.
Another method is to write or create guest content for another blog or website in which you include links back to your website. The benefit for the blog is they build their own credibility by having other businesses writing for them, whilst also giving you a boost to traffic and authority from the backlinks. Or, instead of guest content, you could also try a PR angle and get the blog or website to mention or review your brand, including products or services, in their content.
Whatever methods you decide to employ, its key to always remember to make it organic and natural, because Google’s spiders can and will spot any tactics that go against its guidelines. Link building between businesses and websites, when done right and properly, can help your business achieve a far higher organic search ranking.