Link building, according to SEO specialists, is the method of building connections with other websites to acquire links back to your own website and is the foundation on both how and why search engines were first created. While link building can be the toughest aspect of SEO to manage, SEO specialists say that the use of links is timeless and is still one of the most important parts of your search engine strategy as it lets your website be found by users and search engines alike.
Why is Link Building Important?
Done right, link building can increase a website’s ranking on Google and other search engines. When search engines crawl through the web, the algorithms of the search engines analyze not only the quality of your website and content, but the number of links coming back to your site from other quality sites.
The more high-quality and high-authority links that come back to your pages, the better your site will rank. In fact, the quality and volume of links directing back to your pages can make the difference between the Search Engine Results Pages (SERP) of your website and an otherwise equally-good website.
A Brief History of Link Building
Before search engines like Bing and Yahoo! and long before search engines like Google, it was nearly impossible to find a site if you didn’t already know the URL.
In a time where only major companies and Internet enthusiasts had their own website, finding new content was a problem. To fight the issue, website owners would add links to their favorite websites and websites of friends on a designated links page of their website.
This is where the very first search engine was conceptualized. The first search engine was created to scour specific files on websites and “crawl” website links, creating a database of what sites could be found.
Today, with millions and millions of websites to consider, search engines have become much more complex in order to deliver and provide relevant results to each of your search terms, but the basis of how search engines work is quite very much the same.
That is why link building is a classic search strategy and the more quality links you have that connect other websites back to you, the more often a search engine will find your site! Each link helps up the relevancy score that ultimately becomes your place in the search engine results page (SERP).
Boostability of Links
Links are considered the building blocks of the internet. They come in different shapes and sizes and serve different purposes. You can expect boostability to have a link-building strategy centered around your website using all the right building blocks:
Business Directories
Can your customers find your business? You cannot just stop after registering your business with Google. Links to multiple online directories like Yelp, Foursquare, MapQuest, and Yahoo need to be out there.
Social Bookmarking
According to SEO specialists, social bookmarking has progressively become a way of posting and sharing quality content for people to see. Done right, this can send a lot of traffic into your site’s deeper content pages.
Custom Blog Posts and Articles
Offsite blog articles and posts oriented around the keywords most relevant to your business increase your credibility and drive readers your way through interesting, original content.
Infographic Syndication
Consumers love infographics. They’re easy to share and interesting to read, full of cool information and statistics. Plus, these are recommended by SEO specialists because they include links back to your website that help increase your SERPs whenever they get picked up and shared.
The SEO Specialists Takeaway
Link building is not a sole mechanical process. We understand that today’s internet users want to feel engaged when they read an article, a blog post, or an infographic.
We understand that strong content is tantamount to high reader engagement, which in turn leads to higher SERPs. Link building isn’t an extra service – it’s a core part of what we do.
If you’re ready for high-quality SEO services that include a multi-faceted approach to link building, contact us. We never lose sight of the fact that Search Engine Optimization (SEO) isn’t just about numbers.
It’s also about building relationships with your clients or customers. Those growing relationships will ultimately start to generate organic links that have an even greater authority and effect on your SERPs.