If you are running an online business today, it is important to focus your efforts on search engine optimization (SEO). Gone are the days when all that was needed to rank on search engine result pages (SERPs)was a website. The competition for high ranking on SERPs has never been stiffer and you need to rethink your strategy in order to boost your business.
With 93% of online experiences beginning with a search engine, it is important to strategize on how best to stay ahead of the pack. Backlinks have been around in SEO for a long time and while debate still rages on the best backlink practices, there is no denying their critical role. You might have heard that link building is dead, but this is only true to those who have not adapted to the ever changing SEO rules and requirements.
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The Basics of Backlinking
In the simplest terms, a backlink happens when an external website links to yours. When these links are coming from an authority website, this is a signal to search engine crawlers that you have quality content. With a high number of inbound links (IBLs) coming to your site from high-quality websites, there is a good chance of better ranking on SERPs.
Before Google Penguin, it was very easy to leverage link building for better ranking on SERPs. All an SEO service provider needed was to invest in many links to rank highly, which spawned an entire industry. That was before Google Penguin became part of Google’s core algorithm to filter spam links. Google Penguin now works real-time to detect spammy links and devalue pages where they exist.
The Place of Backlinking in SEO
The question that comes to mind at this point is whether you need to take the trouble in backlinking. According to analysts, links still remain a crucial Google ranking factor. With more links, you will not only attract relevant traffic but also boost conversion on your website. Gary Illyles from Google says that ranking without links is very difficult, which shows that backlinking is still one of the ranking factors being used by the search engine.
Best Practices in Backlinking Today
Buying links is part of what is referred to as black hat SEO and with Google algorithm updates, you could end up ruining your website’s ranking in SERPs. The site also takes a hit if it is devalued due to broken or spammy links. If you are looking for the best backlinking practices today, it is time to consider the following tips in this 2017 backlinking guide:
1. Avoid spamming at all costs.
2. Check for relevancy and authority of the website you are linking to.
3. Consider the placement of the link and include it in a piece of content as opposed to a footer. In short, the link should be placed where it is most clickable.
4. Leverage article marketing and guest blogging but ensure links are created naturally.
5. Avoid excessive reciprocal linking.
6. Don’t buy links; instead, ask for backlinks.
You should also try a multiple pronged strategy where you build long-term relationships, blog regularly, listing your site on trustworthy directories and use online tools to discover competitors’ backlinks.
