In the digital age, a successful online presence is crucial for businesses of all sizes. Without this element, you may find improving your bottom line and growing your company challenging. However, building your online presence requires a well-thought-out plan of action.
One of the critical aspects of any online marketing strategy is search engine optimization (SEO). And at the heart of any good SEO strategy is link building.
As Google's algorithms continue to evolve, staying up to date with the latest link-building practices is becoming increasingly important. It is the only way to make sure your website continues to rank highly in search engine results pages (SERPs).
Below, we take a deep dive into a new guide by Google on link-building best practices. We'll cover everything from the basics of link building to the most advanced strategies.
What Are Google's Updated SEO Link Best Practices?
Building quality links from reputable sources can improve your website's search engine rankings and drive more organic traffic to your site. Yet, not all links are created equal.
Google has recently published a new guide you should follow to ensure your link-building efforts are effective and won't result in a Google penalty.
Google's new link-building practices include:
- Make your links crawlable.
- Use descriptive and relevant anchor text when building links.
- Use internal linking.
- Spread apart your links.
- Cite your sources.
- Use nofollow only when you don't trust the source.
- Build links that provide value to users and enhance their experience on your website.
Join us as we examine each of these points in greater detail.
Make Your Links Crawlable
Crawling is the process where search engine bots or spiders scan through the web to discover new and updated pages. During it, the bots collect information on the content of the pages, the keywords used, and the links that connect them to other pages.
Once the crawling process is complete, the information is sent to the search engine index.
The index is like a library of web pages that the search engine can access when someone performs a search. These pages are organized according to content, relevance, and other factors, such as backlinks.
Crawling and indexing are essential for search engine optimization. Without these processes, search engines would be unable to find your website, and it would not appear in search results.
In order for Google to successfully crawl a link, it must be presented in the form of an HTML <a> element, more commonly known as an anchor element, with an href attribute. Links that take on any other format are unlikely to be detected by Google's crawlers.
Most importantly, Google can't reliably extract URLs from <a> elements if they lack an href attribute or if additional tags act as links due to script events.
Ideally, your links should look like this:
<a href="https://example.com">
Ensuring your links are in the correct format to optimize your website's SEO is crucial. Doing so will enable Google to fully explore and index your website, resulting in higher visibility and traffic.
Use Descriptive and Relevant Anchor Text
Anchor text is the text that you use to create a hyperlink to your website. In other words, it is the visible text of a link.
It's essential to diversify your anchor texts to avoid over-optimization penalties from Google. For best results, use a variety of anchor texts, including branded anchors, partial match anchors, and generic anchors.
Using descriptive and relevant anchor texts when building links can improve your website's search engine rankings by providing more context to search engines about the content of the page being linked to.
Additionally, it is best to always place your anchor text between <a> elements that Google can crawl.
Here's an example of how it should look:
<a href="https://example.com/ghost-peppers">ghost peppers</a>
Use Internal Linking
Internal linking is an often overlooked yet crucial aspect of link building. It's a hidden gem that can significantly improve your website's authority and take it to the next level.
By linking to other pages on your website, you can help Google understand the structure and hierarchy of your website. It allows Google to identify the most critical pages on your site, thereby improving your chances of ranking higher in SERPs.
Moreover, when you link internally, you're not just passing on link juice from one page to another but also helping visitors discover more about your website. A well-structured internal linking strategy can keep visitors engaged and browsing your website for longer.
In addition to the SEO benefits, internal linking can increase your website's visibility and reduce bounce rates. It makes for a more user-friendly website that encourages visitors to return again and again.
Spread Apart Your Links
In the past, link building was often a numbers game. The more links you could get, the better. Nevertheless, as Google's algorithms have evolved, quality has become much more important than quantity.
Today, having a few high-quality links from authoritative websites is worth much more than hundreds of low-quality links from spammy websites. Hence, the focus should be on building links of impeccable quality rather than an indiscriminate quantity.
The same goes for adding contextual links to your articles.
When your blog post is full of links leading to low-quality websites, it is a bad look. Thus, it would help if you took the time to reevaluate your sources and only link to valuable content that can be useful to your readers.
Building high-quality links takes time and effort, but it's worth it in the long run. These links not only contribute to your website's authority and reputation but also serve as a testament to your website's credibility.
Adding relevant contextual links to your piece can have a similar effect. For example, thanks to it, you can avoid issues such as keyword stuffing that may deteriorate your ranking.
It's time to spread apart your links and aim for a few exceptional ones. Ultimately, it's the quality of the links, not their quantity, that will make all the difference.
Cite Your Sources
Backlinks are links from other websites that direct traffic to your website. But only quality backlinks from reputable sources are the real game-changers, and they are hard to get.
Fortunately, there is a silver lining — linking to such sources is much more manageable and can benefit you in ways you may not have considered. Not only does it cost you nothing, but it can also enhance your website's reputation and bring in more traffic.
Let's say you're writing about the latest changes in Google algorithm, and you reference an article written by an expert on the subject. In that case, you could include a link to their site and back up your findings with an opinion from an authoritative source.
As an added bonus, it allows your readers to dive deeper into the topic if they're interested, increasing user engagement.
Overall, linking to external sites can enhance your writing and help you establish trust with readers. Don't be afraid to link out to other sites when it's appropriate. Just be sure to use these links strategically and provide context for your audience.
Use Nofollow Only When You Don't Trust the Source
There may be times when you don't fully trust the source you're linking to. In these cases, you can use a nofollow link to prevent passing along any reputation to that site.
For example, suppose someone wrote a negative article about your favorite book. If you want to respond to their claims but don't want to give them any of your website's reputation, a nofollow link is a good option.
Build Links That Provide Value to Users
At the end of the day, the ultimate aim of your hard work is to create links that truly benefit your audience and elevate their experience on your website. These links can go a long way in forging a lasting relationship with your followers and boosting your position in search engine rankings.
When you focus on crafting links that add value to your users, you create a win-win situation. It improves the user experience on your site and helps you to establish your brand as an authority in your niche.
This trust-building exercise can set you apart from competitors and make your website the go-to destination for anyone seeking valuable information.
However, it's essential to keep in mind that link building isn't a one-time deal. It requires constant effort and dedication to ensure that your links continue to provide value to your users.
By consistently creating high-quality content and nurturing relationships with reputable sources, you can stay on top of your game and continue to reap the benefits of link building.
The Bottom Line
In conclusion, the importance of building links that cater to your users cannot be overstated. It can help you build a loyal audience, improve your search engine rankings, and establish your brand as an authority in your niche.
By following the best link practices for Google, you can ensure that your website continues to rank highly in search engine results pages (SERPs) and drive more targeted traffic to your website.
Remember to focus on quality, make your links crawlable, use relevant anchor text, cite your sources, and use internal linking. By incorporating these best practices into your link-building strategy, you can outrank your competitors and build a strong, sustainable online presence for your business.
