Link building 101 is going to show you the foundation of SEO. We can imagine you have thought about this topic before. Helping with link building for beginners is something we love to do. In this article, we will define link building.
Also, we will show you ways to build links with some of the best link building strategies. If you want to dominate the first page of Google, building powerful quality links is the way to go.
Backlinks are a key component of Google’s algorithm as it helps search engines recognize the relevance and authority of your website. If you are new to SEO, link building might be pretty challenging to start with.
But you need to understand that SEO is so much more than keyword research for organic traffic. Getting hands-on and clear on the power of link building from the start will catapult your success with your link building strategies.
At the end of this article, you will learn how exactly to use and implement link building for your website. We created this article so link building for beginners will be easier than ever.
Sit back, grab a pen and let’s get to it!
Table of contents
What is link building?
Do you want your website featured on other highly authoritative websites to increase your Google ranking and authority online? Then link building for your web page will get you there.
Backlinks work like a digital vote. Why should you build links with back links? The more high-quality backlinks you get, the more trust your website gains.
It helps search engines like Google to recognize the relevance of your website, and as such, you will reap the SEO rewards from building links vis backlinks.
To have your website linked to others, you need to:
- Create valuable and relevant content (so you can feature on the website you want).
- Build a relationship with these websites (so they accept your link).
Why does link building matter?
Link building is one of the major factors for ranking at the top position in the Google search engine. Links work like digital votes that Google accesses to determine the position of your website on the search page results.
Thus, to succeed in the competitive SEO market, you must have a white hat link-building strategy.
Now it is clear that links push webpages to the top of the search results, but not all links are the same.
Indeed, the focus should be on the relevancy and authority of the websites with the links to your website.
Many links on low-quality websites, won’t do the work. Remember, website authority is key.
You need to consider the search query you want to rank for. Also, what websites do you want to get linked on? Lastly, check your competitors’ performance for the selected keywords.
Ways to build links
There are tons of strategies and tactics for building links to improve your search results.
In this section, we share some practical and most common practices for link building.
Adding links
Adding a link refers to the action of going to other websites and adding your link to these other websites.
Building links with this tactic is easy but pay attention to not using this technique too often. The value of this type of link is low, and Google may consider it as SPAM.
Remember that quantity does not equal quality. Look to add your website to other websites that are seen as reputable sources. This will help build your online authority. These are seen as high quality links to your website.
Some examples of the tactics known as adding links are:
– Social profile creation
– Blog commenting
– Posting to the community, forum sites
– Creating search listings
Asking for links to your website
Asking for the link is the tactic in which you reach the website owner and ask them for the links by giving an authentic and valid reason. This is a good link building tactic.
Ensure that you have done your research and have thought about valuable content creation ideas before asking website owners about linking your site to their websites.
Below are popular link building tactics to push forward for a link:
– Guest blogging: create a resourceful blog post for their website
– Skyscraper technique: show them a better resource than the one they’re linking to
– Ego bait: write an article showcasing what they do and let them know
– PR: come up with a killer story
– Link exchanges: offer to link their website if they accept to link yours
– Resources page link building: create good resources that add value to theirs
As exciting as this all seems, asking is the easy part.
To limit rejection (because you’ll have to face it), you can build a relationship with the site owner before asking or offering to promote their website.
A strong relationship with the site owner can allow you the chance to do guest blogging regularly.
Know that some people will say no, and don’t let that stop you!
Buying links
Let’s be clear. This is not what we recommend you do. It is a waste of money to purchase low-quality links that have zero impact, and search engines may penalize your website.
You may come across private blog networks (PBNs). People sometimes source links from PBNs without getting caught.
If Google can ban your website from search results, if it finds out that you are buying links.
Ask yourself if quick and unsustainable results are worth losing all your traffic.
Here at First Page Digital, we do SEO the right way. This means never buying low-quality backlinks, ever.
Earning links
The importance of high-quality links in SEO is no secret. This is one of the best link building tactics, period.
Moreover, nothing delivers better results than to generate links the natural way.
Every time your pages are linked to other websites on the internet without you having to ask for it, you earn a link.
The truth is that for people to repost your pages, they first need to see them.
Thus having a marketing and content strategy with valuable content to promote your website is key. Therefore, it is key for your online influence to get featured on another website.
So how do I earn and generate links? You ask.
Below are tactics you can use to earn links:
– Create and promote outstanding valuable content
– Create linkable assets such as infographics or data studies
– Get featured in a podcast, Youtube videos, or Expert roundup
There is no better way to acquiring links than earning them.
In addition, there is no better way to grow your business than to develop your online authority. At the same time, Google’s algorithm will love your website.
As mentioned, focus on quality and reputable websites related to your niche and promote what you do so they can see it.
Link building 101: What are good links?
In fact, there is no exact science when it comes to knowing how Google measures link value. So true, with link building 101.
Moreover, some concepts exist in the SEO community to help define whether a link is good or bad:
1. The authority of your entire website is different from the authority of one specific page.
Page authority is a score that indicates where a specific page will rank on the search engine results page. The higher the number of quality websites the page is linked to, the better the vote.
In addition, you can also use website authority to define the value of being links on the page. For example, it makes sense that an article on the Guardian will bring more value than your local football team’s website.
2. The links that have strong relevance with each other have stronger votes in the eyes of Google.
This means you should focus on getting your website linked to websites that are in your niche and relevant to yours.
Think about it. Who would you prefer to get financial advice from? A personal finance expert or a doctor?
3. Focus your effort on building links that support cast votes. They are called “followed” links.
4. Importantly, place your link in the content section and make them visible so your readers click on them. The more people that click on your link, the more authority your website gains.
Make sure you add links at the top of the page and throughout the copy. Readers are more likely to click on links places at the beginning of the article rather than at the end.
5. There are three destinations to which your links should lead to your homepage, your linkable assets, and the pages you want to rank high for on Google.
Link building 101: The top link building strategies
The best link building strategies are:
– Pursuing the links of your competitors using backlink research tools
– Identify and create shareable and link-worthy content with content research tools
– Promote your website and content via advertising, outreach, and leveraging online communities
– Get involved in guest blogging and write an article for another blog. It is still, to date, one of the most effective ways to link building.
– Find high-quality websites to get featured in with link prospecting tools
– Monitor your competitor activities and how your keywords are used with web monitoring tools
Link building 101: Conclusion to the best ways to build links
Targeted, powerful link building can take you to the first page of the search engine for your target keywords and bring you evergreen traffic for the years to come.
Here at First Page, we recommend following white-hat link-building tactics.
We hope this guide helps you understand what link building is, answered all your questions, and teaches you how to use it on your website. If you are interested in learning more about our premium link-building services, be sure to contact us today.
