Linking to another page is the modern way of making referrals. Link building is an SEO strategy of encouraging reputable websites to link back to yours so Google can crawl through and determine your search engine ranking and site authority. With good link building, you can improve your site’s organic search ranking.
Receiving Links from Other Websites
There’s no harm in asking for links from other sites in your industry, but participating in “link exchanges” is frowned upon by Google, who will devalue those links. In the past this tactic was taken advantage of with sites exchanging links with everyone they could to game the system. However, if you link to someone’s site and they link back, or you guest blogged for their site, it’s a legitimate exchange.
On the other hand, getting links organically means that you are gaining links naturally without asking and these links are deemed the most valuable by Google. Users are coming to your site, finding your content valuable, and linking to your site, building your trust and authority.
Linking to Other Sites in Your Content
Is another site asking you to link to their site in your content? It’s a good idea to research the link before you accept it and ask yourself if the link is relevant and reputable. Moz Open Site Explorer can help you determine if a link is “good” or “bad.” If you’ve determined that the link is relevant and can help you, you can add the link in your content. If the link is “bad,” avoid it as it could negatively affect your site and search rankings.
Strive for Reputable Links
Reputable and relevant links on your website are important to not only the authority of your site, but your brand’s perception. So don’t be tempted to build links through tactics like:
- Buying links
- Stuffing your anchor text with keywords
- Unnatural links like links in post signatures
Social Media Links
While promoting links on social media as part of a link building strategy is a good way to raise awareness of your site, it’s not recommended because Google doesn’t look at social shares to determine your site’s ranking. Instead, use social media to:
- Promote content with hopes that other influencers will link to you in the future
- Reach out to influencers for links
Link Building Takes Time
Building links isn’t a once and done thing. It takes time and patience to see results since you cannot control when a site will link to you. If you don’t have the time to build links by yourself, a reputable SEO agency can take the wheel and build a reliable strategy.