One of the most effective elements of online marketing, search engine optimization, is a complex process that aims to get a website as high as possible in the Google search results list for specific keywords.
There is much more to this field than content writing and mass link collection, as it is now extremely important for Google to make a website user-friendly, and today’s professional SEO is striving to achieve this.
While Google has a lot to consider about ranking in search results, many of which we don’t know, there are three main elements to search engine optimization. Technical SEO deals with the technical structure of a website, OnSite SEO examines the content of a website, and OffSite SEO involves supporting the website from external sources, of which link building is an essential part.
Why is link building necessary?
A well-structured website that has been provided with relevant and quality content is indeed very beneficial, but the key to greater success can be a link to external quality websites. Google evaluates these links to include useful information for our users, and we consider it worthwhile to rank higher in the results list.
What do the links consist of?
Links are made up of two essential elements: one is the anchor text, which is underlined and visible to users as a link, and the other is the url of the specific website to which the link leads. In addition to text links, the link can be placed on an image, video, or other item.
The essence of link building
It builds quality link building, relevant and high-quality articles and links based on professional connections that can achieve lasting results. Without such links, it is no longer possible to achieve really high rankings, so it is an extremely important part of search engine optimization.
Websites on the Internet are already linked to an almost inconceivable number of links, following which, in theory, almost all existing websites can be found by Google’s search engine crawler. In link building, we are guided by the goal of getting as many quality links as possible to our own website, and there’s a real emphasis on the word quality here. For example, a link from hvg.hu would be very beneficial for our website and we could achieve a top ranking in a shorter period of time, but if the link comes from a collection of links discounted by Google, it could even be detrimental to our site.
Change in evaluation of references
Many years ago, online marketers realized that the number of links to a website played a key role in Google’s algorithm. Taking advantage of this, link catalogs have been multiplied fast, and serious results have been achieved. As a result, there were plenty of poor sites in the top positions, so Google changed its algorithm and “rewarded” poor, poor quality link acquisition.
This has practically opened a new chapter in link building. Companies that chose the cheap, easy solution before it have changed their strategy and started building quality links, or have stopped building links altogether.
From the very beginning, our marketing agency voted in favor of quality link building, so the aforementioned tightening did not negatively affect any of our projects.
How link building works
Link building is currently proposed to be seen as a long-term investment and based on this, all valuable links should be valued as, say, a worthwhile stock. Furthermore, it is very important to focus on some aspects of implementing quality link building. First, it is recommended to try to get inbound links from different quality websites from relevant contexts.
No less important aspect is that the form and method of placing the link should be varied and have a natural effect. Beware of websites that deal with the placement of openly paid links, however, PR-type articles placed on news portals are fully accepted.
After that, the only goal is to get as many such quality links as possible. Of course, it is also important that our website is relevant and contains valuable information for our users, so that these visitors don’t leave us, but can profit from the traffic generated in this way.
The difference between good and bad links
It is generally accepted that links purchased in large quantities, links placed in link collections, and links from poor quality pages are more harmful than they would use. In contrast, links from high-read and high-quality pages, especially if placed in a relevant environment, can be very effective.
Link building methods
So link building involves the activity of building continuous, high-quality links in order to get our page ahead of a particular keyword in Google’s search results. In the following lines, we will look at some of the methods that underlie well-functioning link building.
Writing text on thematic pages
Guest articles posted on professional sites working in a similar field can be very useful. Many people fear this method because they believe that competing sites will certainly not place an article on their website that points to another website. Yet experience shows that there is openness to this. This is worth striving for, because if our site deals with the sale of souvenirs, for example, a quality link from a page with a similar theme is much more valuable than if the link came from, say, a medical site with a similar quality.
Magazines and online newspapers
One area that is worth gold and yet relatively rarely exploited is links from magazines and online news portals. It can be a stunning tool for link building, as such a site can generate huge traffic and is considered a valuable site by Google. Thus, they can be very useful even if they otherwise display articles on a topic other than the one we are dealing with.
More own websites
Another well-known trick in this area is to run more of our own websites that will become valuable over time according to Google and use them to strengthen the site we want. Of course, these pages should not be neglected either, it is important to keep building these with valuable articles as well, if possible on a topic related to our main website.
Writing valuable articles and content on our own site
It is a time-consuming, but very useful way to build links if we publish valuable content on our site, which is taken over by other news portals and professional sites. Many search engine optimizers use only this method, as it is safe and the links obtained in this way do not violate any Google policies. The only downside is that a lot of quality content has to be produced for this and it takes a long time for them to discover our website and start referring to our articles.
What to avoid
As already mentioned, it is worth avoiding the possibilities arising from link directories from afar and this can also be true for the placement of PR articles. PR articles ordered for money can be effective and safe if, for example, they are placed on the surface of magazines or other reliable, quality sites for a certain fee.
Social media and link building
In addition, let’s not forget the importance of social media, which has now become very valuable to Google. Participation on various social media platforms is highly recommended to reinforce the good rankings of our website and it is worth striving to gain as much popularity as possible on these interfaces.
Get inspiration from competitors
Finally, we can encourage a humble attitude in this area, as we may not be familiar with all the link building options and techniques, so it’s a shame to study how competitors get valuable links.
Conclusion
Link building and search engine optimization is a time consuming process, so patience is a basic requirement in this area. Don’t be discouraged if there isn’t a huge change in a short amount of time, quality links need to be collected and with perseverance there is a high chance the expected results will come. In this area, you simply have to pay attention to the trends and regulations applied by Google, and strive for a mentality that really prioritizes quality, valuable links and doesn’t risk a large amount of shoddy links to get quick results.
If you would like your website to rank ahead for relevant keywords in Google’s search results through SEO and quality link building, please contact us: