Link building will improve the SEO of your blog
This week’s post is timely for me, and courtesy of Emma J. Fox whose business is Pit Stop Media, based in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. Emma has some SEO tips to help raise your blog’s ranking.
How to Keep Your SEO Link Building Efforts Strong and Effective
Link-building is the bread and butter of professional SEO services companies. For the uninitiated though, SEO can be a rather scary term, even more so with Google turning update happy with its Penguins and Pandas.
Facts however, are quite different from the general perception of SEO. For one, basic SEO can be a DIY exercise. The most important aspect of any DIY SEO exercise is link building.
Merge Link Building with Content Strategy
The weight of website content in determining page rank has further increased recently. As SEO strategies evolved over time and became more devious (through the eyes of Google, anyway), Google had to find ways to keep user experience a priority and turn its attention back to what counts the most. Content is high up on that list.
Since posting really excellent content can only get you so far in promoting your site, you need to do some link-building as well to reinforce the content you’re putting up in your site. After all, people won’t be able to appreciate how good your articles are if they don’t find them in the first place. Use excellent content as link bait. Even if not all of your articles will end up becoming viral, if the quality is commendable and the information valuable, there will still be people who will refer and link back to your articles.
Have an Over-Arching Plan for All Link-Building Campaigns
If each of your link building campaigns prove to be successful, good for you; if you manage to make each succeeding campaign complement or add to the success of your former projects, then all the better! Having a grander plan will give you a clear direction in all your campaigns. More importantly, all your successes will not be temporary. If one link building strategy is successful and followed up by another, then another, and another, whatever you’ve established in the first strategy will be preserved and even strengthened. That makes for sustainable and long-serving links.
Try the Unconventional
The advantage of taking the less traveled paths in link building is that Google will be less likely to notice artificial links. Of course, it is also important to be up to date with the current link practices. Why else would we be keeping an eye out for the latest and widely confirmed strategies if not to carry them out ourselves? As you ride along the current tide, be open for alternative link-building that also has the potential to work.
Always Keep Detailed and Accurate Tracking/Records
One of the most-common causes for link-building downfall is inaccurate or complete lack of link tracking. The dilemma most people had post-Penguin should be a lesson to everyone. Remember how webmasters scrambled to clean up their link profiles and remove low-quality inbound links? The problem is many webmasters could not trace the sources of those links. Sure, there are those who will link to your site without your knowledge; but what about the links gathered by your link-builders? It is not enough to have many links; you also need to make sure that they contribute a lot to your page ranking.
In order to accomplish all these, you need to have knowledgeable and reliable link builders to concentrate on these efforts. In this light, it would be better if you have a permanent link-building team.
Emma-Julie Fox writes for Pitstop Media Inc, a top rated Vancouver SEO company that provides services to businesses across North America. If you would like to invite the author to guest post on your blog please contact www.pitstopmedia.com
Thanks to Emma for this informative post. Have you tried these techniques to improve your SEO? Have they worked for you?
I hadn’t previously paid much attention to SEO until very recently, but after implementing a few tips from my technical advisor, Sherryl Perry of Keep Up with the Web, such as the ones in this post, I greatly improved the google ranking of my chocolate travel blog. They do work and are worth your while to implement if you’re trying to drive traffic to your blog.
Another great post on SEO that pertains particularly to authors can be found on the She Writes site in this post.
Wow! As a new Digital marketer, I learned so many things about the importance of SEO from reading your post on this blog.
Your blog post on “Link Building Will Improve the SEO of Your Blog” is an insightful and informative resource for anyone looking to improve the visibility of their blog through link building. Your explanation of how link building works and how it can improve search engine rankings by increasing the authority and relevance of the blog is helpful and easy to understand.
I appreciate how you emphasized the importance of building high-quality, relevant links from authoritative websites. Your tips on how to perform effective link building, such as creating valuable content, reaching out to other bloggers and websites, and using social media to promote your blog, are practical and actionable.
Overall, your blog post is a valuable resource for bloggers looking to improve their SEO through link building. Thank you for sharing your expertise and providing such useful insights on how link-building can improve the SEO of a blog.
Thank you for sharing this great post! I believe that creating quality backlinks is important from SEO perspective as it also enables your website to rank higher. I was looking for an SEO company for my small business. I came across Search Berg and I must admit that I am really satisfied with their work!
Thank you for the great tips! I agree with your point about the effectiveness of strong link building and how it can impact your website in a positive way.
Thanks for this informative article. The facts that you have highlighted in this article are really important for effective use of SEO.
Yes, getting sucess in blogging require lots of hardwork, consistency and patience. All the points you mentioned above are very important and following them properly we can easily achieve success. There’s an ongoing argument nowadays whether web directories are still relevant or not. Some people strongly believe that it’s already a thing in the past or a “dead” strategy. Though, you have shared useful insights here that somehow debunks that theory about web directories. Indeed, it can help in building quality backlinks and I can’t wait to try these sites you’ve mentioned. I hope others will find this post useful just like I did. Thanks for posting, Doreen.
Thanks for sharing such a great post.. I am also in SEO field and i must say this is so great and informative blog. I am glad to find a such a nice blog.
Hi.. Over here you have discussed about the latest link building strategies and how to build a good links. It is very important to earn good links for improving our website’s ranking.
SEO) is an integral part of digital marketing. Canada.top seo , the independent authority on search vendors in Canada, just released the list Canada Best SEO company,
Getting the best use out of a website’s content is one of the key principles behind an effective content strategy. You have to create information that counts and what the customers really ant to know about. Remember, you are creating content for your target audience and not for the SEO.
Link building is one of the most effective and useful marketing techniques that every web marketers must use because they help you build natural backlinks which helps you get rank on popular search engines such as Google. Also, they are effective at branding.
Right! It is true that link building has a role in improving SEO for blogs. I may not be working so much on SEO but I definitely love posting comments on different blogs that include businesses.
I am really happy after reading this post as this post is useful for all the beginners and for the SEO. Keep Sharing
I am new in blogging line, i Liked the way you present your articles. I read your blogs regularly. Your posts related to link build up and blogging are excellent.
Can you tell me some way to build quality links quickly?
I have subscribed to your comments and love to know your views..plz share
Thanks for your comment, and I am glad you’re enjoying the blog.
The post you are responding to is a guest post as I am not the expert on backlinks. I suggest you get directly in touch with Emma for that.
Appreciated your informative article. DIY is very time consuming but does pay off in the end. I am tracking my links and I am also trying for links that have relevancy to my site. The quality links are the ones that will matter at the end of the day
Hi Emma. I agree with all your points. Quality links are the pillar of your blog/website. Link relevancy matters a lot in link building. Thanks for sharing such a beautiful post.
I just came across this great blog post that explains the Panda/Penquin algorithms from Google. It’s written in easy-to-understand language for those of us aren’t too tech-savy. Find it at http://www.tekdig.net/panda-and-penguin-update-breaking-it-down/.
Many webmasters started to think that link building is no more now but it is not true, we need links for ranking higher but they should be from authority sites, quality sites and relevant sites.
Also, we have to focus on content development too.
Hi Doreen,
Thanks for sharing Emma’s guest post. It’s a good overview of the benefits of link building. I appreciate that Emma mentioned the value of tracking your efforts.
For those of us who use CommentLuv, it’s also important to keep an eye on the do-follow links that we’re allowing in the comments. There are unscrupulous people who lure us with links to trusted comments and then start linking to sites that we’d rather not be associated with. So, it’s a good idea to keep an eye out for that. Thankfully, it’s a small group of the population who do this.
Thanks for that tip, Sherryl. There always seems to be something new or different that we’ve got to be watching out for in order to stay ahead of the game.
this is a test comment to make sure everything is working
Hello Andrew: Yes, things seem to be working now. We luv CommentLuv here on the blog and thank you for your wonderful plug-in. For some strange reason, 2 bloggers I know had difficulty posting a comment and got an error message and Sherryl wasn’t sure what was causing the interference. If anyone else reading this comment had difficulty posting a comment, do let us know. Thanks!
After all the panda and penguin updates I am still wondering if google and other search engines are still ranking websites by their backlinks.
Another question I have is are linkwheels still effective?
Thanks for your comment, Rambo.
I must say I don’t understand the panda and penguin reference that Emma used in her post, so I’ll invite her to come back and clarify that as well as address your question regarding linkwheels as I have no clue what that is either. Stay tuned!
Rambo, the Panda update is related more to content than links. Penguin penalized those who used networks or those who paid for links, or those who went beyond the limits.
Yes, Google is now paying more attention to backlinking profiles and you have to be careful. However, their core technology, PageRank, is still based on links and will probably be used for some time.
Sorry, I missed your link wheeling question. No, they are not effective and I am not convinced they ever were, on the long run.
If you are planning on building an online business to generate income, then go for the white hat tactics. It will take longer, but you will not risk your source of revenue.
Usually all of this stuff goes directly over my head – so not techy. This was clear and well written. Thank you for letting me know about this, I’ll have to add this to the list 🙂
Thanks, Becc. I know what you mean. Tech stuff is generally over my head, too. But I’ve really found that having a tech coach like Sherryl has helped me tremendously. We can definitely get by with a little (or a lot of) help from our friends.
Thanks for this excellent post! I just had my developer add a broken link plug-in for my word press blog to help guard against broken links, which can penalize your ranking.
Best, Irene
Thanks for your comment, Irene, and for the tip about the broken link plug-in! I didn’t know there was one, and I didn’t know that broken links would adversely affect one’s google ranking! So many factors to consider and keep on top of!
HI Irene, you don’t get penalized when you have broken links. If you link to other URLs and those URLs don’t exist anymore, it’s ok with the search engines. However, if you link internally to pages on your site and the links are broken you lose something called “link juice”.
The plugin that checks for broken links is a good idea.
AFter a year of blogging, I’m on the cusp of being able to digest the importance of linking and SEO. Thanks so much for the post and I’ll be bookmarking it so I can return to it as needed.
Thanks, Jeri. Yes, it really seems that optimizing one’s site is a never-ending journey! Just when we think we have things going nicely, we find out about all the stuff we haven’t been doing!
Indeed, optimizing a site is not a one-time job. But once you start getting used to, it will become your second nature: choosing the right keywords, the right channels to promote the content, or the right headings.
Hi Doreen,
In attempting to generate traffic to your site it helps to have a good network to begin with. You seem to have a great network. Me? I am depending on those Google searches, since I’m kind of unknown.
Hi Esther: It takes a lot of work to establish, grow, and nurture an online network. I really do put a lot of time and effort into it and am hoping that will translate into a solid book-buying public. But in addition to that, I really enjoy having a regular network of like-minded individuals who like to drop by and share their on the topic of the day/week. Like you! Thanks for being part of our community here on the blog.
Hi Doreen,
Emma has indeed tackled the topic comprehensively. What I know from experience is that your links are definitely important but you have also to know how to choose the appropriate keyword for your posts.
Your keyword should be not highly competitive but should be highly searched. This would be crucial to generate organic traffic, which is essential for bloggers to earn.
Apparently, the purpose for link building is to establish your online integrity so you could have more conversions and earn more.
With the appropriate keyword, you can actually attract organic visitors and more conversions whether you have loads of links or not.
Just my input based on my experiences. Kudos for a well-researched topic.
Thanks for your thoughtful reply, Jena, and welcome to the blog! I believe this is your first visit.
You obviously know a fair amount about the subject of SEO and optimizing one’s site. I’m still a novice at that, but very happy to learn from you and all who are generous with their knowledge.
Slowly but surely, I am hoping that the traffic to my chocolate travel site will continue to grow. I hope you took a moment to drop in there as well!
Great post Doreen , and thanks for showing us what things have been working for you. I am a bit like Susan in this, ie slightly out of my depth, and although I use the Yoast SEO plugin and go over my blog with that mind, I don’t have a real grasp on where my links are coming from. Oh dear. Something else I need to get on top of. Thank you for reminding me.:-)
Thanks for your comment, A.K. It does indeed seem that the path to learning the behind-the-scenes to optimum blogging is never-ending. I think we have the front end covered, but it’s the backend that always seems tweaking and manipulating. If only we could just be blogging purely for fun!
Good and informative article, Doreen. Like Jeannette I have found that linking to an authority site really works well.
Thanks for your comment, Catarina. It’s nice that we’re all learning this online game together and are willing to share tips and strategies. I pity the people who are working out there in isolation. That’s why so many blogs fail and are abandoned.
Linking out to authority sites it’s a strong signal that the article is well researched. For example, linking to a research paper on the American College of Rheumatology, while you write a piece about health issues related to arthritis could indicate academic and well research content.
Of course, the language you use, properly quoting the article (and providing the source) are strong signal too.
That’s why it’s good to link out.
Thanks for the comment, Emma. And thanks again for authoring the post.
I think we all understand about linking out. But as Rambo mentions in his comment, what are “linkwheels” and are they recommended? And with respect to your original post, the reference to pandas and penguins went over my head, and probably over the heads of others who are not tech-savvy. Can you explain that reference?
Link wheels means creating networks of websites, each site in a network linking to another and all of those websites finally linking to your site. This image makes it easier to understand.
I do not recommend using link wheels as your link building strategy.
Panda and Penguin are code names for Google algorithm updates. The Panda update identified low quality sites – in terms of content (i.e. lots of duplicate content or not enough content) and removed those URLs from their index. The Penguin update, on the other hand, looked for external links pointing to sites and if they found something like links from blog networks, paid links and over optimized anchor text.
Thanks so much, Emma, for taking the time to explain link wheels and the panda/penguin references. I think we’ve all learned a lot from this post and from the discussion that has ensued. I know I have!
I am so impressed. I will admit I feel at bit out of my element with all this. You have given me serious food for thought. I believe it may be time to look for some help to help me make the next leap. Thank you. 🙂
Hi Susan: Yes, engaging the services of a professional like Sherryl Perry has been a godsend for me. Tech stuff is definitely over my head for the most part and Sherryl always gives me the option of trying to tackle things myself 1st (with her guidance) and if I still don’t feel comfortable handling them, she takes over. I don’t know what I’d do without her!
I don’t know Emma (the author of this post) and can’t endorse her services, but it seems like her company offers a similar service to what Sherryl is providing her customers and we’re fortunate that there are people out there who can help the tech-unsavvy among us!
Linking to an authority site is definitely an advantage in seducing Google. But I’m careful when I receive comments not to approve them if the comment links back to a questionable site. I’m also careful about posting to sites that offer marginal value.
Hi Jeannette and thanks for your comment. Yes, awhile back I had a deluge of comments coming from all kind of weird URL’s. I deleted them all. Certainly don’t need those kind of back-links!
Excellent article, and congratulations for stretching out of your comfort range to wander into this subject, and succeed. Then, typical Doreen, you share what is bringing you success. That’s Karma and marketing smarts working for you. How could you not succeed?
Oh, wow, Wendy! What a remarkable thing to say. Thank you SO much!
You have really been an inspiration to me, as without your coaching and nudging last year (or was it the year before!) to get my online world together, I would have still been really stumbling along. And you did all that for free and as a friend, so your karma has got to be as good as mine!
Thanks for this, Doreen. I’m doing some updates for my blog, and going to post more regularly–or at least try. Improving my site’s SEO will certainly help, and I’m sure these tips will help.
Good for you for getting the #1 ranking for your chocolate travel blog. That is very inspiring, and makes me want to work that much harder.
Thanks so much, Christine for your friendship and continuing support.
Yes, we think it’s enough work to just setup a blog and post the occasional update. But there’s so much behind-the-scenes work that is necessary in order to make it truly effective.
Very informative article. You’re very right in that SEO is easy to DIY. Tracking your links is the only way to understand if what you are doing is productive and worth your effort. Thanks for highlighting that point.
Thanks for your comment, Kelly.
Being such an un-tech person, I tend to overlook the behind-the-scenes work that is necessary in order to get our blogs noticed. I’m so grateful that I have Sherryl Perry of Keep Up with the Web to help me do just that! Trying to decipher codes and tech talk is all Greek to me. But if you explain it in simple steps and show some patience … I just might catch on!