High-quality backlinks are the lifeblood of search engine optimization. These virtual votes of confidence show your website’s credibility and propel your pages to the upper echelons of Google’s search results.
As Google’s algorithms grow more sophisticated, so too should your organic link-building tactics and tools. So, let’s look at the top 5 tactics that can help (and that your competitors might have missed, which is too bad for them)!
#1 Getting Rid of All Toxic Backlinks
Only after two years of being in the competitive field of business, I’ve realized that not all backlinks are created equal.
Here is the deal: Google judges your website by the number of other sites linking to you AND the quality of those sites. In the end, the latter is more important than the former. Harmful links from lower-quality sites, often called “toxic backlinks,” can potentially trigger penalties from Google and cause a website to plummet in the rankings!
To boost your link-building, I strongly recommend using a reliable tool that thoroughly assesses the quality of backlinks and helps you eliminate unneeded ones. Use SEO SpyGlass to disavow links — I’ve been using this tool for over a year, and it is 100% user-friendly and scalable.
Why choose it? This tool emulates Google’s algorithm, scrutinizing each link for potential red flags. Here is what it detects and helps you eliminate.
- Multiple links from the same IP address/having the same C-class block: Google views this as unnatural and potentially penalizes the site receiving these links.
- Excessive repetition of the same keyword in more than 10% of the anchor text: Over-optimizing anchor text with the same keyword can trigger Google’s suspicion. You must maintain diversity in anchor text!
- Linking from pages with an unusually high number of outbound links: These are often seen as less valuable. It’s better to secure links from pages that maintain a reasonable balance of outbound links.
- A low InLink Rank for the referring domain or page: InLink Rank is a metric that assesses the authority of a linking page or domain. A low InLink Rank can suggest that the linking source lacks credibility. This means the backlink is not valuable (or even harmful!).
- Links that appear to originate from link directories: Links from directories designed solely for link-building purposes can be perceived as manipulative by search engines, yet again. It’s crucial to focus on natural, contextually relevant backlinks rather than directory listings!
By diligently monitoring and addressing these issues in my link-building strategy, I can ensure that my link profile remains free of toxic backlinks.
Need more options? Check out these backlink checkers!
#2 Ensure You’ve Resolved All Technical Site Issues
A robust link-building strategy requires more than just compelling and relevant content (unfortunately)!
Other websites are more inclined to link to your site organically when it’s clean, free from errors, boasts a healthy architectural design, and offers user-friendly navigation, including seamless mobile optimization.
While the quality of your content pieces remains paramount, the overall health and customization of your website play a pivotal role in attracting organic backlinks. Here, I recommend this website audit template. Yet another necessary thing in my SEO toolkit, this Website Auditor’s SEO checker monitors site performance faster than other programs I’ve tried and gives clear reports on ALL website components that influence rankings.
Please note that you should maintain a well-optimized website, as that encourages other websites to link to your pages naturally. This, in turn, solidifies your position in the digital landscape!
#3 Choose 1-5 Best Pages on Your Site and Link to Them
When considering which pages to link within your website, always prioritize your top-quality content. Here’s why!
- Optimal Link Value: Linking to your best-written blog posts or other high-value content pieces significantly enhances the link’s overall worth. This heightened value makes it more appealing to publishers and more likely to be noticed and CLICKED by interested users whose engagement level is already higher.
- Page-Specific Authority (PA): Internal linking directs page-specific Page Authority (PA) to the linked page. That boosts its potential to rank higher in search results, outperforming other pages on your site.
- Improved User Impression: By linking to your most valuable content, you create a more positive impression of your brand among referral traffic visitors. When they encounter this quality material (with high-resolution images, emotion-evoking content, and useful facts/offers), they are more likely to have a favorable perception of your brand! That, of course, increases the chances of converting such users into customers or loyal followers.
#4 Place Your Links Higher in Articles (But Ensure Relevance!)
The placement of your links within an article plays an important role in the authority they pass, too! It adheres to the pyramid principle often observed in journalism, where information is presented in descending order of importance.
The most valuable, intriguing, and high-quality content typically finds its place in the initial third of any text. As a result, links positioned in the header or early in the body carry significantly more weight than those relegated to later parts, a sidebar, or the footer.
Please note! In my practice, sometimes it’s better to place a link in the middle but in a relevant context. An irrelevant link in the first paragraph of an article will not help much, nor will it attract people to your site. For instance, imagine reading an article about the top 10 magic tools with a link to some tarot cards in a paragraph about candles. That is not the way — let your link appear later, but it will be in a section that corresponds to what you offer!
#5 Do Not Ignore Nofollow Links — These CAN Be Valuable!
It’s a common belief that only dofollow links pass authority, but Google’s evolving approach to link tags is worth noting. The “nofollow” tag, embedded in a page’s HTML code, prevents a link from contributing to a site’s authority. Some high-domain authority publishers deliberately employ nofollow links to protect their online reputation in Google’s eyes, too.
While nofollow links may not directly boost your authority, dismissing them as worthless is a HUGE mistake. These links still offer value in terms of brand visibility and referral traffic. Plus, they provide an opportunity to impress high-domain authority publishers and pave the way for coveted dofollow links.
Final Words: Best of Luck!
In online business, success often lies in the details. To grow and be visible, you must embrace experimentation and fine-tune your link-building tactics. Small details matter, be it choosing the right pages or where to place the link. Stay open to innovation, refine your strategies, and always pay attention to the nuances that your rivals overlook!