We know that there are many crucial components to a comprehensive search engine optimisation (SEO) strategy, and one of them is developing a strong link-building profile. By influencing the visibility and authority of a website online, backlinking is key to sustained organic growth and traffic.
When done correctly, backlinking can significantly improve your website’s ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs). However, before launching a link-building plan, it can be helpful to understand the do’s and don’ts of backlinking to ensure you’re following best practices and avoiding potential pitfalls.
We’ll talk about the key do’s and don’ts of backlinking to help you make informed decisions and achieve better SEO results.
The Do’s of Backlinking
1. Choose quality over quantity of your backlinks
Although it is pretty common to want to amass a large number of backlinks, there is the possibility of running the risk that you will generate low quality ones. Instead, prioritise acquiring high-quality backlinks from reputable and authoritative websites. You can check for this by looking at the relevance and credibility of the website.
2. Aim for natural link-building
Create high-quality content that others would naturally want to link to. When your content is valuable, informative, and unique, it becomes more likely to attract organic backlinks from other websites, because it matches user intent in a specific and organic way.
3. Leverage guest blogging
Seek opportunities to contribute valuable content to authoritative websites within your industry. This is also a great chance for you to build natural relationships within the industry. Forge strong relationships with influencers, bloggers, and other website owners in your niche. Engaging in meaningful interactions can lead to opportunities for guest blogging, collaborations, and obtaining backlinks from their websites. In your guest posts, include relevant links back to your website to enhance your backlink profile.
4. Monitor the performance of your backlinks
Using Google Search Console or other third-party backlink analysis tools, you can identify and disavow any spammy backlinks that may negatively impact your website’s SEO.
The Don’ts of Backlinking
1. Submitting to low-quality directories
Low-quality directories with little to no editorial control can harm your SEO efforts. Avoid link directories that exist solely for the purpose of link building, as they often offer no value to users.
2. Including irrelevant links
Links with high irrelevance and low user intent match can raise suspicion with search engines, impacting your SEO efforts. Be sure to vet and verify your backlinks to only retain the highest quality and relevance.
3. Keyword stuffing in anchor texts
Aim for natural, contextual anchor text that provides meaningful information about the linked page instead of excessive keyword-rich anchor text.
As an essential aspect of SEO, backlinks need to be approached with care, while adhering to best practices. Effectively using backlinks can enhance your website’s authority, visibility, and search engine rankings. It is crucial to have a strategic and ethical approach to backlinking, so that you can reap the benefits of this long game.
