The Tenets of Link Building
Much of advertising, particularly Search Engine Optimization, has changed to a game from a game with hardly any rules that Google is pretty much just refereeing. Many marketers are just throwing in the towel with their old strategies generating penalties.
Let’s take a timeout and show you the new strategy we must come out on top.
For reference, here’s a still of the whiteboard of this week!
Video transcription
We are definitely going to be discussing the tenets of a link building service now. This is extremely significant because we see lots of folks out there in the advertising world becoming frightened of link building, previous activities coming back to haunt them, folks saying that link building is not alive, links losing worth in the algorithm of Google. Rand did a fantastic Whiteboard Friday a couple of weeks ago about that.
But what is really upsetting is some folks are giving up entirely on link building when it is still a really enormous section of the algorithm of Google, because they do not understand the rules, and they are giving up. They do not comprehend that when you play for the most part, by the rules, you can actually win. That which we see, I like to consider this like a basketball game, going back to the days of the primeval Aztecs there were not lots of rules and when they began playing. What is happening now is we’ve Google, the referee in the white and black striped top. They are coming down and they are saying, “Hey guys, this is not working. We must put in some arrangement here.” So they begin giving fouls and punishments out to individuals.
A few of these folks are becoming frustrated, and they are leaving the match. However, the people that are not becoming fouled, who are not getting the penalties, they’re winning the score. That is where we wish to be. We wish to be the individuals who are playing the game because these individuals are not going to win, instead of walking off the court. So if we recognize such rules I see get broken on a regular basis, even folks attempting to do what they are able to get away with, and what the rules are, it is not worth it. Playing by the rules is some thing that we should strive for.
One thing I Have heard net marketers talk about for ages is the concept of doing what works. For quite a while, there was no referee on the court. Google was not simply present, and folks were doing whatever they needed. Folks would say, “You know, I do not actually care what the rules are because I am going to do what works today for my customer.” Folks like Rand Fishkin and Wil Reynolds, they were saying, “Men, you have got to follow the rules since the rules are arriving. Do not do what works today, do what works tomorrow.” That is the guidance.
Today, these rules are based not only on what works, tomorrow, but what works. Not only that you win the match of today, but that you keep winning game after game after game and you also win that NCAA tournament. All right.
Beware links you command
Firstly, I would like to start off with some things that we should prevent when link building. There are generally two common factors in links they target if we look at what Google has been targeting. They’re, to start with, links which you control. When we see Google crack down on client blogging networks, touch profile links, on widget links, they all have that one component in common: that you command the anchor text. That is just what Google is trying to find. I call any new link punishments that occur later on may also follow this routine. It’ll be links where you command the anchor text.
We are constantly going to get situations where we do control the anchor text, but beware because those are the links which are subject to penalization and devaluation, and be very cautious with those links.
Be careful with links that scale
The exact same thing goes for links that scale. Again, we are referring to widget links, writer bio boxes. When you join these two together, those are just the sort of links which you should be really special careful with and not scale, not since they’ll constantly be subject to those punishments do too much anchor text exploitation.
Do not ask for anchor text
One rule that I Have been following for a long time, I got this from Eric Ward, the link contractor that was really well-known: Never request anchor text. Asking for the anchor text is going to raise lots of red flags, when you are doing outreach, when you are speaking to other folks, when you are guest posting. That is because when you commence asking for anchor text, your brain begins working, what kills it for you. You believe, “Well, I want this key word. I want this key word.” Designs are created by you. You create over-optimization. Regardless of precisely what the temptation is, should you not ask for anchor text, you are going to get a link profile that is much more natural.
In all the years who I have been doing link building, I’ve never asked for anchor text. Whoever is linking to me and I can link however they desire. Occasionally itis a no-followed link. Occasionally it is not just what I’d like. But it is not unreal, and it comes off a lot more natural.
Do not link in the footer
A few other rules whom I see individuals break all of the time that Google has made clear in recent months: Do Not link in the footer. Only do not. I am not going to enter the motives. Only do not do that.
Prevent website-extensive links
By the same token, except for navigation, prevent site-wide links. This really is some thing which we have known for a long time. If a person links to you website-wide, in the side bar, that is right for Penguin-design links.
These are best practices.
There are exceptions to the rules. But usually, following these rules will help you out even in case you must break them occasionally.
Addendum: Oftentimes, footer links and site-wides are totally okay. The three reasons I urge people prevent them for
link constructionfunctions are:We frequently link outside website- footer and wide links with Penguin-design activities. Not constantly, but it is something we look for.
Optimized, site-wide anchor text may trip over-optimization filters.
The worth of a footer or sidebar link is usually significantly less precious than a really editorial link uncovered in the primary body text.
Keep doing link building!
On the “do” side of things, one thing I wish to stress is do link building. Do not give up simply because Google penalizing individuals and is enforcing these rules. We want the people that are out there building links. They have a tremendous chance to win. So do not give up on this as a part of your practice.
Focus on distribution
One thing I’d stress doing is changing from actively constructing links to more of a focus on distribution, because the more eyeballs which are in your content, the more natural connections you are going to bring in.
That is something they do at Moz; we’ve a tremendous emphasis on societal distribution, distribution through our associates. Because that is the end target anyhow, we only want to get the eyeballs on the content. There’s a very big correlation between getting eyeballs on link building and great content. It is among the most effective types of link building you can do. It is simply having your content available on the right eyeballs.
Do some outreach
Along those same lines, outreach continues to be acceptable. Writing those e-mails, locating those influencers. Our pals at BuzzStream only wrote a truly excellent guide on the best way to do outreach. Truly worth a read. The notion is, together with distribution, where it is not scalable, so they have those chances to develop those natural links that you do not command the anchor text you would like to get the right eyeballs in your content. Itis an actual human being supporting you and setting a real link within their content.
Link worth = traffic quality
One thing to at all times remember that when we are taking a look at links and they are judged by us, the value of the link equals the quality of the traffic that you can be driven by it. Meaning this is kind of Google judges links. It is not always the amount of the traffic that you can be driven by the link, but the quality. Should you operate at a mechanic store and you need great leads from those links, you’d need auto part stores or other automobile mechanic shops to link to you personally. Because it is not really useful, a link from a Search Engine Optimization site likely does not have lots of value.
Among the golden rules is look in the character of the traffic that it is going to drive you when you build links. That is going to assist you a whole lot in those relevancy indicates that Google and Google Adwords Help is looking at.
Adopt the nofollow
Eventually, in this new era of link building, we should begin adopting the nofollow and not be as frightened of it as we’ve been, because those links that we’re contemplating no following likely were not helping you that much anyhow, and so adopting them sort of reductions those signs away that Google does not need those to pass PageRank. They do not need them to pass anchor text. But remember that links were followed by no, Google looks at those. We’ve signs that Google uses nofollowed links for discovery and crawling functions. There’s some evidence that Google may use links that are nofollowed for signs other than that. Not every link has to pass page rank or anchor text to be precious.
One closing idea that I would like to leave with, is to remember, when you practice these great do’s, of link building best practices, it is possible to take your advertising to a high level. At its finest, great link building is indistinguishable from great advertising. Because you are doing great advertising when you are doing link building you do not even want the links. You are shoving your content out there, you are speaking to those influencers, you are getting visitors to your website, and those merely happen to be the signs that Google needs to reward.
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