Link again: why links to your website matter
In the constantly and rapidly changing world of SEO, it’s never been more important to build consistently high-quality links. Any business that wants to compete and thrive online needs to invest effort in it.
What is link building?
Essentially, link building means gaining hyperlinks from other websites to your own. Major search engines use these links to crawl the internet, including internal links and those between separate websites.
They do this to source fresh web pages, but also to decide how well a particular web page should rank within their results. Having crawled web pages, they can add the content to their indexes, and determine a particular page’s quality.
SEOs agree link building is a challenging area, and they spend a lot of time getting it right. It’s challenging because Google is always updating its algorithm, and has got wise to some link-building techniques.
But, when mastered, it’s something that can truly put you head and shoulders above the competition.
Why links are important
- A link is seen as a vote of confidence in a page. After all, you wouldn’t send someone to an inferior shop or restaurant, and the same principle applies.
- The more high-quality websites that link to you, the higher you’re likely to rank in search results.
- Outreach to relevant websites and blogs in your industry can help you forge relationships with key industry influencers, increasing trust. Done properly, link building helps establish your brand as an authority in your field.
- A link from a popular website may well also boost traffic to your own site.
Should you buy links from other websites?
It’s not uncommon for companies to spend significant sums on backlinks, with the aim of seeing better results more swiftly. But, ethically, buying links is as about as sound as paying for votes.
And it’s a risky strategy because buying backlinks goes against Google Webmaster guidelines. It may be hard for Google to monitor, but if you’re caught action will be taken against your website. Low-paid links in particular are incredibly high risk.
Simple tips for building links
Luckily, there are things you can do that don’t involve spending money:
- Ask anyone you can think of who has their own (relevant) website or blog for a link.
- Forge strong relationships with blogs, forums or social groups in your niche.
- Leave a testimonial with a business and get a backlink that way.
- Start a relevant, well-structured and regularly updated blog and guest-post on others’ blogs.
- List your website in reputable online directories.
- Ensure you have great content so there is something worth linking to. That includes your blog, but also your home page, which is where backlinks will often take visitors.
At Front Page, we’ve been link building for years and can ensure your online brand has the backlinks it needs to rank well with Google and other search juggernauts. Talk to us today.