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Link Building: Conducting a Link Profile Audit and Effective Strategies to Employ
Backlinks are a crucial ranking factor for search engines. Without link building, website promotion is practically impossible. In this article, we will discuss the criteria for high-quality backlinks, conducting a link profile audit, unconventional link building tactics, and other important nuances
Table of Contents
What is link building?
Link building is the process of building a high-quality backlink profile (not to be confused with mindlessly purchasing backlinks). It is a key aspect of SEO that falls under the category of external website optimization. Search engines take into account the presence of backlinks when evaluating content. Websites with a strong link profile are ranked higher in search results.
Why does promotion without link building not work?
Backlinks hold equal importance alongside high-quality content. They are one of the main ranking factors in Google's algorithm.
Key criteria for high-quality backlinks
Not all links will help you in your promotion efforts. Some may not have any effect at all, while others may even harm your website. Below, we will list the key criteria for high-quality backlinks. It is important to keep in mind that obtaining a link which meets all of these criteria is challenging. Instead, these criteria serve as guidelines for assessing risks. For example, you will have a clear understanding of which websites to avoid.
1. Relevance
Examine the website on which you want to place a link. How relevant is it to your niche? If its focus is unrelated to your topic, the link will carry little weight.
The domain zone and region also matter. If your business is targeting the UAE market, backlinks from Chinese resources will be of no help to you.
Examine the website on which you want to place a link. How relevant is it to your niche? If its focus is unrelated to your topic, the link will carry little weight.
The domain zone and region also matter. If your business is targeting the UAE market, backlinks from Chinese resources will be of no help to you.
2. The significance of the linking website's authority (trustworthiness)
How authoritative is the website that is linking to you? Google refers to this metric as PageRank, but the specific rating data is not publicly available. Ahrefs provides a trust score ranging from 0 to 100. It is advisable to aim for a score above 30.
However, it is important to understand that trustworthiness is an auxiliary criterion. A new website may currently have low scores. But if it is of high quality and geared towards growth, your link on that site will also become more influential over time.
How authoritative is the website that is linking to you? Google refers to this metric as PageRank, but the specific rating data is not publicly available. Ahrefs provides a trust score ranging from 0 to 100. It is advisable to aim for a score above 30.
However, it is important to understand that trustworthiness is an auxiliary criterion. A new website may currently have low scores. But if it is of high quality and geared towards growth, your link on that site will also become more influential over time.
An example of trustworthiness in Ahrefs is the Domain Rating metric
3. Traffic
Does the website receive consistent organic traffic? If you notice a sharp decrease in traffic at any point, with a continued downward trend, it is a risk. Even if the website meets other criteria, it is advisable not to rush into placing a link. This resource may have been affected by search engine filters or penalties. Monitor its future dynamics closely before proceeding with a link placement.
Does the website receive consistent organic traffic? If you notice a sharp decrease in traffic at any point, with a continued downward trend, it is a risk. Even if the website meets other criteria, it is advisable not to rush into placing a link. This resource may have been affected by search engine filters or penalties. Monitor its future dynamics closely before proceeding with a link placement.
4. Link attribute (dofollow or nofollow)
Dofollow and nofollow are attributes of hyperlinks that are intended for search engine robots. If a link is tagged with the dofollow attribute, it is automatically indexed by search engines. Conversely, the nofollow attribute does not impact page rankings.
If the majority of links on the website where you want to be placed have the nofollow attribute, then the placement will bring you little benefit in terms of link building (only as an opportunity to gain mentions and referral traffic).
To determine the prevalence of attributes, you don't need any special tools. Here's a simple process:
If a website has the majority of its links marked as nofollow, the chances of them making an exception for you are low.
Dofollow and nofollow are attributes of hyperlinks that are intended for search engine robots. If a link is tagged with the dofollow attribute, it is automatically indexed by search engines. Conversely, the nofollow attribute does not impact page rankings.
If the majority of links on the website where you want to be placed have the nofollow attribute, then the placement will bring you little benefit in terms of link building (only as an opportunity to gain mentions and referral traffic).
To determine the prevalence of attributes, you don't need any special tools. Here's a simple process:
- Right-click on the link.
- Select "Inspect" from the menu that appears.
- Look for the attribute in the opened HTML code.
If a website has the majority of its links marked as nofollow, the chances of them making an exception for you are low.
5. Quality of outbound links
Examine the quality of the resources to which the website is linking. The following questions can help:
It is also recommended to pay attention to the site's guidelines (many resources accept publications and have specific requirements that must be met). The stricter the guidelines and the more challenging it is to obtain a link, the greater weight it will carry.
The best links are those through which users can reach your website via search queries.
Examine the quality of the resources to which the website is linking. The following questions can help:
- How relevant are the links?
- Do they lead to authoritative resources?
- Do they appear natural or paid for?
It is also recommended to pay attention to the site's guidelines (many resources accept publications and have specific requirements that must be met). The stricter the guidelines and the more challenging it is to obtain a link, the greater weight it will carry.
The best links are those through which users can reach your website via search queries.
For example, say a potential customer searches for "how to choose a vacuum cleaner." The search results display general thematic websites, reviews, and listings. During the process of exploring these resources, the user may click on a link that leads to your website. These click-throughs significantly enhance the value of the link, while also sending a positive signal to search engine robots for ranking purposes.
How is a backlink audit conducted?
We analyze the volume and quality of the link profile of the website itself and its competitors. Performing an audit without considering the competition would be pointless. Our goal is to outperform your competitors, so we need to understand the existing gap in terms of quantity and quality of backlinks. The link building strategy will depend on the competitor analysis. Additionally, the analysis can provide insights and suggestions, such as identifying potential donor websites to target for acquiring backlinks.
What exactly do we analyze?
- The quantity of backlinks and the growth dynamics.
- The quality of the link profile. We assess whether the links meet important criteria, as discussed earlier. Our focus is primarily on evaluating the authority of the referring websites. We also study which pages are most frequently linked to and analyze the ratio of anchor links (hyperlinks containing a search query in the anchor text) to non-anchor links.
- Are there any links that hinder position growth? Some links can actually impede your progress. During the era of black-hat SEO techniques, there were widespread practices of creating so-called "link farms" or "link spam." These websites were solely created for the purpose of hosting links. However, search engines have become better at detecting and penalizing such practices. If your website has acquired links from these low-quality sources in the past, they can now negatively impact your rankings. It is crucial to remove these links from your backlink profile. The easiest way to do this is through Google Search Console, where you can utilize the disavow tool. This tool allows you to upload a list of websites that you want to disassociate your website from.
- Additionally, we conduct a separate analysis of the backlink profiles of your competitors for the keywords you are targeting.
How is a link building strategy created?
Based on our analysis of these factors, we can develop a link building strategy. We can determine the number of links needed for quantity and quality, as well as assess the potential impact of utilizing crowd marketing techniques such as native link placements on relevant forums and social media platforms.
Crowd marketing is beneficial as it not only helps improve product visibility but also serves as a source of links and native advertising.
At the same time, the growth rate of the link profile should not be too rapid as it can raise suspicion from search engines. For instance, if the website is relatively new, the growth should be gradual and smooth. Similarly, in the case of a stagnant website, a sudden acquisition of 100-200 links can be questionable. If the average monthly growth rate has been around 10 links, it is advisable to limit the purchase to no more than 20. The goal is to establish a natural and organic link growth pattern.
Crowd marketing is beneficial as it not only helps improve product visibility but also serves as a source of links and native advertising.
At the same time, the growth rate of the link profile should not be too rapid as it can raise suspicion from search engines. For instance, if the website is relatively new, the growth should be gradual and smooth. Similarly, in the case of a stagnant website, a sudden acquisition of 100-200 links can be questionable. If the average monthly growth rate has been around 10 links, it is advisable to limit the purchase to no more than 20. The goal is to establish a natural and organic link growth pattern.
It is important to review and adjust your link building strategy every six months. By analyzing the results of the initial iteration, you can determine whether to aim for a higher quantity of links, or continue at the same pace. The success of the strategy can be tracked through the increased visibility of the pages that received the acquired links.
Where can one find websites for placing links?
Links can be purchased through specialized exchanges. You can find platforms to fit various budgets. There are links for $500 and links for $2. Some donors accurately value their websites, while others overprice them. Thoroughly vetting these platforms requires significant effort.
Paid placements and crowd marketing are not the only tools available. You can also utilize the following strategies:
Links can be purchased through specialized exchanges. You can find platforms to fit various budgets. There are links for $500 and links for $2. Some donors accurately value their websites, while others overprice them. Thoroughly vetting these platforms requires significant effort.
Paid placements and crowd marketing are not the only tools available. You can also utilize the following strategies:
- Guest posting (negotiating free placements with relevant corporate blogs that intersect with your target audience)
- Pitching materials to significant media outlets in your industry (usually, such resources have detailed guidelines) or establishing direct contacts with journalists
- Providing comments to journalists through specialized services (the catch is that not all publications include backlinks in their mentions)
Summary. A link building strategy is built on paid link placements. The budget depends on the niche (placements may not be expensive for certain industries) and the client's capabilities. Some portion of links can be offset through crowd marketing and free publications.
Two ways to check your backlink profile for free
There are two ways to analyze your backlinks at no cost (keep in mind that it is simpler than using paid services and is suitable for surface-level examination).
- Google Search Console. If you don't have it installed, go through the verification process. Then go to the "Links" section. There, you will see pages with the highest number of backlinks, sites that link to you most frequently, and the most common anchor texts (the text of the link that serves as a search query). This tool is useful for reference purposes, but it cannot assess the quality of the links.
- Ahrefs Backlink Checker. It shows the trust level of your domain, the number of backlinks with the referring page addresses, the number of referring sites, and the percentage of dofollow links. Generally, Ahrefs is a paid service, and this tool is a limited free version.
What are some unconventional link building tactics?
1. Guest post updates
Typically, working with guest posts follows a certain process: you negotiate with the editor of a blog for publication and prepare a unique piece of content for them. This content includes one or two links to your website. Sounds great. However, this process has a downside. The guest post is published at a new URL, which, in turn, does not have any backlinks or authority.
Typically, working with guest posts follows a certain process: you negotiate with the editor of a blog for publication and prepare a unique piece of content for them. This content includes one or two links to your website. Sounds great. However, this process has a downside. The guest post is published at a new URL, which, in turn, does not have any backlinks or authority.
Solution. Instead of asking editors to publish a new article, you can request them to make changes to an existing authoritative page by adding your link there.
What is the benefit? Updating the material will revive the influx of organic traffic. This is particularly relevant for articles tied to a specific time period (e.g., "Most Effective SEO Strategies of 2020"). The traffic to such influential domain materials usually initially grows and then predictably declines as it loses its relevance.
It's a mutually beneficial arrangement: propose to update the material in exchange for a backlink.
To begin, gather a pool of suitable websites and materials, find their contacts (if they are not available on the website, LinkedIn and other social networks can be helpful), and write a brief pitch message.
It's a mutually beneficial arrangement: propose to update the material in exchange for a backlink.
To begin, gather a pool of suitable websites and materials, find their contacts (if they are not available on the website, LinkedIn and other social networks can be helpful), and write a brief pitch message.
2. Product feedback
Unfortunately, not every product will be suitable for this approach. This tactic is more suitable for digital projects. Additionally, you must be confident in the quality and competitiveness of your product.
To ethically obtain a link in exchange for providing a product, it would be better to simply offer the product for a trial or review. Offering a free product in exchange for a link goes against Google's guidelines.
- Find listing materials where your product is not mentioned.
- Reach out to the authors, offering your product in exchange for feedback.
- If they like the product, you can ask them to mention it in their post. If not, you will receive valuable feedback.
Unfortunately, not every product will be suitable for this approach. This tactic is more suitable for digital projects. Additionally, you must be confident in the quality and competitiveness of your product.
To ethically obtain a link in exchange for providing a product, it would be better to simply offer the product for a trial or review. Offering a free product in exchange for a link goes against Google's guidelines.
This is how a pitching email might look: "Hello, this is [Name and Position] from [Company Name]. I noticed that our product/solution is not mentioned in this article (link). I wish to inquire about the reason behind it. Do you believe that other tools are better, or did you not have the opportunity to try our product/solution? If it's the former, we would appreciate your feedback on what we can improve. If it's the latter, we would be happy to provide you with complimentary 30-day access to our service so that you can test our tools."
3. Search advertising
Why do businesses opt for search advertising? Within the realm of SEO, there exists a concept known as the "vicious cycle of SEO," which follows this pattern:
Why do businesses opt for search advertising? Within the realm of SEO, there exists a concept known as the "vicious cycle of SEO," which follows this pattern:
This implies that content can naturally acquire backlinks simply because it is visible and occupies the top position in search results (achieved through advertising). However, this approach is unreliable and requires genuinely valuable and viral content. It can work well with research, statistics, and facts. In theory, if your content is truly excellent and optimized for SEO, it has a chance to reach the top organically without relying on advertising.
Conclusion
Link building has both pros and cons. Among the drawbacks are the time and effort it requires. It is not a quick promotional method, and it's not possible to build a high-quality link profile in just a few months. Additionally, it takes time for search engines to index new backlinks.
On the other hand, the benefits are significant. Link building improves the visibility of your website, helps you rank higher for target keywords, and maintains positions through a high-quality link profile. Backlinks also serve as a source of referral traffic, and contribute to improving your brand reputation through increased brand mentions.
Link building is only one of the services offered by our agency. If you need a high-quality link profile, we are ready to assist you.
On the other hand, the benefits are significant. Link building improves the visibility of your website, helps you rank higher for target keywords, and maintains positions through a high-quality link profile. Backlinks also serve as a source of referral traffic, and contribute to improving your brand reputation through increased brand mentions.
Link building is only one of the services offered by our agency. If you need a high-quality link profile, we are ready to assist you.
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