Google’s been all over the news lately. Results have gotten much less useful over the last few years, and headlines proclaiming Google’s downfall are everywhere.
It wasn’t always this way.
Google is the world leader in search for a reason. Early on, while its competitors were struggling to determine which sites mattered, Google hit on the idea of using the number and relevance of links as a sign of a site’s authority. The algorithm has changed a lot, but the fundamental idea behind it hasn’t — linking is still a critical part of Google’s formula.
Good backlinks (other people linking to your website) benefit your site. Google will rank it higher, people will find it more easily through both search and organic links, and it will look more authoritative because people are referencing it.
But not all links are created equal. Here’s how to create backlinks Google will love.
What NOT To Do
It might be easier to say what you shouldn’t do to build backlinks first.
DO NOT Use Link Farms
There are plenty of companies that promise to build links for you. Some are legitimate; many digital PR firms specialize in getting backlink placements in articles. But some companies use “link farms” — networks of spammy websites with low-effort content that only exist to link to other websites. These link farms can temporarily boost your traffic, but eventually they can backfire.
Today, RankBrain AI checks results for how users interact with specific keywords. When RankBrain sees a pattern of user behavior that looks like it’s driven by a link farm, it will lower the ranking of the site for trying to “game the system.” This makes the site much less visible on the search engine results page (SERP) — the opposite of what you want.
DO NOT Take Every Backlink Opportunity
Exchanging backlinks is a time-honored method of building your authority. But you need to carefully vet anyone who reaches out looking to trade backlinks — don’t take every opportunity that’s handed to you. Look at a few key areas to determine if they’re worth your time:
- Is their digital presence high quality? Take a look at their website and their social media. Is it regularly updated? Is the content solid? You should also look at their domain authority if you can to see whether you’re actually going to get any benefit (Ahrefs has a free authority checker tool you can use).
- Does the site look hastily assembled? Check how recent all of the regularly-updated content is. If it’s a completely new site, it’s not a 100% no, but be cautious.
- Is the information on the site credible? Whether AI or human, slapped-together content will often include information that’s repetitive, out of date or downright incorrect. Spot check a few pieces of content to make sure it looks correct.
- Does the opportunity match your brand? Spammy SEO link builders often don’t check who they’re sending their emails to that closely. If you get an email from a beauty product company and you’re in home improvement, that’s a red flag.
All of these can help you make your decision. But remember, the most important thing is that your audience cares about your link building partner. Ask: if I were part of my site’s potential audience, would I find this site on my own, find it credible and trust the links it sent me to? If yes, go ahead. If no, don’t bother.
How to Build Backlinks
To build backlinks Google is guaranteed to love, here are the three tips you need to follow.
Create Strong Link-Building Content On Your Site
No one will link to your site unless you have resources they actually want to look at (and share with their audience). Create and highlight content that answers frequently asked questions, explains issues that you know a lot about and makes people interested.
Once you have that content, refer to it via internal linking — through your blogs and by adding it to other areas of your site. You should also promote it externally through social media and outreach efforts, and if you think it’s going to get enough attention, put it front and center on your site design by linking it on your menus or your front page.
If your site’s been around for a while, you may have some important link-building content already. Analyze your site with a tool like Google Analytics to see where your traffic comes from. The most-visited pages are usually the home page, about page and contact form — if you see something else in the top 10 that isn’t a main structural page on your site, it’s probably worth focusing on.
Check for information-based pages (usually on your blog) that have high traffic and low bounce rates. These are your backbone. Focus on them and bring them to center stage to start building backlinks organically.
Create Authoritative Content on Other Sites
One of the best ways to build backlinks is to publish content with links to your site on another site with high domain authority.
Guest posting in your niche works still, though it’s not as powerful as it used to be in the heyday of blogging. Reach out to sites that have complementary content and audience. Ask if you can exchange links — you guest post on their site, they guest post on yours.
Submit to a larger general-interest site like Forbes or Entrepreneur. Some PR firms specialize in getting you placements on these sites; it may be worth reaching out to them depending on how hard you want to push. Usually these sites will let you link out to your website in the author biography, and if you can find something relevant in the article they may allow links in the body too.
Build a network of people you can contribute to who can contribute to your site too. Focus on mutual benefit; if everyone isn’t winning in the relationship, nobody wins long-term.
Build Relationships with Influential People In Your Field
On both a personal level and a brand level, reach out to people in your field that you admire — people that create content you like, that hold positions of influence in your community.
If you publish something that’s relevant to someone you know, reach out on social media and let them know you published it. Maybe you ask for feedback or say “hey, do you agree with this? Interested what you think.” One good share can catapult your content into relevance and start building backlinks as people share it themselves.
Once you’ve established those relationships, ask about quid pro quo backlink sharing. See if there’s mutual benefit. Personal relationships pave the way for authority-building.
The Fundamental Question of Link-Building: Who Benefits
We’ve talked a lot about what you should and should not do with link-building, but there’s one overriding question: does this serve my audience?
Every link building effort you take should fit the brand and be authoritative for your audience. If it’s not, it’s worse than not doing anything at all.
Create content aimed at your audience and you’ll win long-term. Build resources they’ll love, reach out to other brands that fit what they’re looking for and contact people that they’ll want to listen to. You’ll win long-term — and you’ll outpace your competition that relies on scammy tactics.
Good link building isn’t hunting. It’s farming. Cultivate your crop — and the sooner you plant those seeds, the faster you’ll reap the rewards. Follow these tips to start today. And if you need a hand, reach out to us; we help brands like yours build links all the time.
Best Regards,
David Brandon
Copywriter
Rainmaker Digital Services