Linkbuilding

Link building is an important area in online marketing and, given the constantly changing search engine algorithms, is considered the supreme discipline in search engine optimization. In link building, specific methods are used to increase the number of references to a website (backlinks).

From Artificial to Natural Link Building: How Link Building in SEO Has Changed

Until a few years ago, when search engine optimization was still in its early stages and the algorithms of Google and others were not too strict, different practices applied to the link-building strategy than today. Many website operators tried above all to quickly build a broad link profile for their website by purchasing or renting backlinks. In this context, many so-called link farms and shadow domains emerged, which were supposed to contribute to the optimization of the backlink structure. Although such SEO measures are still possible, one should be cautious: Because Google does not favor mass link exchanges or link purchases. Moreover, if the links come from a bad neighborhood, there is even the risk that the site will receive a penalty and be sanctioned in the rankings—or, in the worst case, be completely removed from the index. Especially due to the Penguin update, natural link building has increasingly come into focus.

What does a natural link building on the web look like?

Strictly speaking, "naturally" means that backlinks are voluntarily placed on a domain by other websites—in the sense of the original internet recommendation that links represent. For this to happen, however, the website must have content (texts, images, videos, studies, checklists, etc.) that is "linkable." The theory behind this lies in content marketing. The higher quality and more target-oriented the content is, the more recommendations in the form of links will be made for it. In this context, natural link building primarily includes topic-relevant backlinks. It is therefore no longer just about generating links from different websites, but creating a link structure that is based on thematically appropriate references. This strategy in link building not only has the advantage of optimizing according to Google's Webmaster guidelines, but also that qualified traffic flows to your own website. Because anyone who seeks information on topic X on a website will also follow the link to the page with topic X.

In the course of Google updates, it is becoming increasingly important to embed link building into a holistic online marketing concept. Starting with high-quality content, link building can lead to backlinks, communication (via social media), qualified traffic, conversions, sales, and ultimately success. The value of links should not be underestimated.

Are buying and exchanging links absolute no-gos in link building, or do they still have their value?

In principle, link buying and link exchange can still be integrated into a natural link profile – realistically speaking, in very competitive industries, it's not possible to do otherwise when it comes to link building. It is just important to ensure that the backlinks do not appear unnatural. It is logical to link to a partner in a company cooperation, but the links should not be set one-to-one and mirror-inverted, appearing as pure agreements. This is referred to as reciprocal links. The theoretically most minimalist model in link building is the triangle link model. This exchange of links is illustrated as seen in the following graphic:

And whoever buys links should pay attention to the link trust and also avoid getting links that seem unlikely (if a newcomer in a segment is recommended right at the start by industry leaders, then that is rather suspicious).

In addition, there is now the "sponsored" attribute for link building. This meta tag can be used to label purchased backlinks for the search engine. Although Google will not consider these links for link juice, there is also no risk of penalization. Such links are particularly useful on high-traffic pages to attract users to another website. In general, it can be said for link building: the mix of links is what matters. A link profile should consist of "follow" and "nofollow" links as well as "sponsored" tags to signal naturalness.

Further possibilities for the link building strategy

High-quality content remains the first recommendation for link building and online marketing in general. For the appropriate link building, it is worthwhile to conduct outreach. For example, contact a site operating in your field and offer to write a guest post for a blog as an expert, from which a link will lead to your own website. Similarly, you can also request guest authors for an article in your own company blog. Blog SEO is definitely an effective tool for link building.

Note: Anyone allowing user comments on a blog should use the "ugc" tag to denote User Generated Content, to avoid being held accountable by Google for negative link spam from users.