In the
early days of the Internet, backlinks (or inbound links) were one of the main
ways of navigating around the web. A few years ago, companies would use
automated backlink building tools and link schemes to create inbound links to
their sites, irrespective of the context. Link spam was beginning to flood the
web. Google released the Penguin algorithm update to combat these black-hat
tactics, and it’s clear today that Google devalues links from poor quality
sites. The Penguin 2.0 and Hummingbird updates focused even more on link value, penalizing sites with low-quality links. Today,
backlinks are still a useful navigational tool, but they play a significant
role in SEO. Building quality backlinks is now key to boosting SEO.
The Value of Quality Backlinks
Quality backlinks are important because they
indicate that other websites value your content. A link from a credible site is
like a vote for your site to be listed in the search results pages. The word
“credible” is important here. Quality backlinks include links from
authoritative sites that are relevant to your industry and also contain
valuable content. Although Google doesn’t advocate developing backlinks
purely for SEO purposes, useful backlinks should arise through the running of a
successful, value adding business and is still considered a white hat marketing
technique. Quantity used to matter; now it’s the quality of each link that
counts. More quality backlinks will help your site gain higher search engine
rankings, and this should lead to more traffic. Backlinks that use your URL are
good, but keyword-rich anchor text links are very useful; these tell Google and
other search engines to list your site under those keywords.
Strategies
to Get More Quality Links
How do you get more relevant, quality
backlinks that help your website and content get more traffic? There are no
guarantees, but there are some strategies every individual or business can use
to help nurture quality links.
*Run a helpful blog. Publishing high-quality blog posts will make sure you remain relevant to
search engines and are therefore more likely to be found by people searching
for valuable information. Use a variety of keywords and phrases (Google now
devalues too much repetition) and link to other authoritative blogs.
*Build online relationships. Helping other
businesses relevant to your business should ultimately help increase backlinks
to your blog or website. It’s about forming genuine relationships. For example,
connecting with others who share your target market can benefit both parties if
the products or services are complimentary. Engage with others and become a
trusted source of valuable information.
*Enhance your social media profiles. If you are registered
to various social media channels, make sure you are active on the sites that
help you achieve your marketing goals. Then check your profiles and make the
most of the information you can include here. Obviously, link to your website
and blog, and fill in description fields using relevant keywords. You can
see below that Constant Content’s Google+ profile is linked to the website.
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