Link Building is still one of the most important ways to increase website visibility and position. While this should not be the only one of the positioning activities, it is still an activity that certainly should not be neglected. Due to changes in the Google algorithm, which constantly enforce the improvement of the quality of inbound links, it is worth discussing good practices.

It is not an art to link – the essence is to know how to do it wisely. The Google algorithm has long promoted the naturalness of content, trying to combat generic, less informative texts and spammer links. That is why the emphasis is placed on unique content within subpages, already mentioned by me in the article on thin content. The same applies to linking.

Links types

First, let’s briefly discuss two types of links that we can acquire. The first of them are links that transmit „power” – the so-called DoFollow links. They will pass the Google robot to the destination site. Thanks to this the link will contribute directly to the visibility of the website.

NoFollow links are not useful in terms of positioning in the literal sense. The NoFollow tag protects the link and does not allow Google to crawl to the landing page. In this case, it would seem to be apparent that there is no point in obtaining links with this tag. This is an arguable issue, but it is more natural to get links from various sources. In the end, the website is also naturally linked by authentic users who do not pay attention to the types of links. It is worth striving for the link profile to resemble the natural situation as much as possible. In addition, skilfully obtained NoFollow links can be useful for us, obtaining traffic to our site.

We can distinguish NoFollow links from regular links with a piece of code:

<a href="https://domena.pl” rel=”nofollow”>

However, we do not have to check the source code every time. The most popular browsers have long been equipped with plugins that allow you to recognize NoFollow links at a glance.

Acquisition ways

There are several ways to get valuable inbound links. Remember that positioning is not about quantity but about quality. As a result, the hours spent on choosing the right places to obtain links are not lost. It is worth being incisive and definitely reject those places that do not meet our expectations.

Another thing to keep in mind is the behaviour of a similar topic between the landing page and the one on which the link will appear. A link to a store with electronic articles leading from the floristic forum may not bring us great benefits. There are a lot of thematic places on the Australian Internet, including forums, established on practically every topic. We will certainly be able to find places thematically related to our industry.

Forums

Forums are a great place to acquire natural looking links. However, we must be careful in choosing the right places. It is easy to inadvertently choose a forum that no longer has moderators and has fallen victim to spammer attacks. If we see that all of the users’ statements contain links, have little content, or the assumed topics consist mostly of strange strings – we should leave this place. The link from such a forum, in the face of recent changes to the algorithm, will only bring damage.

A good forum is one that has moderation, keeps thematic (meaning there are no themes not related to the original purpose of the forum), and has relatively few outgoing links. An additional indicator on which to base your decision is Trust Flow. The higher, the better. In such a forum, leaving the link can be difficult, especially if moderation is actively involved in maintaining the page level. However, this should not discourage you.

Linking on the forum involves creating a new profile and building a history of posts. Thanks to this, we build the credibility in the eyes of moderators. It is difficult to say how much the activation date of the profile is taken into account by the Google algorithm. However, a large number of links coming from short-lived profiles with only one post (the one containing the link) looks suspicious.

Sponsored articles

Sponsored articles, whether purchased through a platform or obtained through direct cooperation with a website or blogger, is an interesting, though expensive way to get links. It is also worth looking for websites related to our industry as much as possible.

Thanks to sponsored articles, we get a valuable link coming to our site. Surrounded by a unique, long and relevant text, the link has more value for the Google algorithm, especially if it comes from a recognizable blog or page. If we choose the website in person, let’s make sure that it is not a blog that is maintained only from the placement of sponsored articles. Let’s check Trust Flow and the popularity of the site. Of course, the higher the quality of the page, the higher the price of the article can be expected.

Social media

Given the previously given information that NoFollow links do not transmit power, we would have to recognize that getting links from social media is a waste of time. Nothing could be more wrong.

A lot of research shows that it is worth creating a fanpage of a store or website and informing users about the new content on our website. Thanks to this, we have a chance to attract engaged users. Although it definitely should not be our only method, this road supports the recognition of our website and brand awareness among users.

Other sources

In addition to the above, we can also help ourselves be commenting on blog posts, using online directories, where we can place a link and various types of cooperation by exchanging links for a fee. There are many possibilities. What we should be guided when choosing a place to locate a link is always: the popularity of the site, its credibility and reputation, and quality (the Trust Flow indicator will help in the assessment).

How to link to not cause damage

What we should focus on when creating content for linking is their uniqueness, relevance and text volume. It is easy to take care of it especially when our store or website is small. However, if we are building a link profile for a large store or frequently visited website, we can quickly burn out trying to write something unique every time. It is worth to hire efficient link builders who will relieve us.

We should definitely avoid writing fast and short posts with only one sentence and link, and general negligence in the preparation of the text. The quality of the content surrounding the link can tell the algorithm a lot. A weak link may even be considered spammer, and if it occurs in large numbers, it may harm the visibility of the site.

The number of links placed monthly should depend, among other things, on previous activities or the natural increment speed of inbound links, and the size of the website. If the website is small, and before it was completely unlinked, we should start carefully, from a few links per month, gradually increasing their number.

Let’s also remember about broad diversification: do not use only forums, but also do not rely entirely on sponsored articles. Moderation and an appropriate spread of links from various types of places will surely come out for good. Also in the context of inserting links, it is worth to differentiate such trifles as the location of the link in the content. Let’s try to give naturalness to the fasts we prepare. Do not put links only at the end of the text or inside after the dash.

If we link in forums, avoid the links in the footers and profiles that appear under each post. We can place there less content, which translates into the quality of the link obtained in this way, and also its appearance with each post reduces the naturalness.

It is therefore worth getting links from various sources and with different value. If they do not directly contribute to Google’s position and visibility, they can indirectly contribute to an increase in engaged users and the awareness of our brand.