Link Building Book A Comprehensive Guide

Link building is a vital component of search engine optimization (SEO), and understanding how to do it effectively can make all the difference in driving traffic to your website.

A comprehensive guide to link building should start with the basics, such as the importance of relevance and quality over quantity. According to our research, a single high-quality link from a relevant website can be more valuable than 100 low-quality links from irrelevant websites.

The first step in building links is to identify your target audience and the types of websites they frequent. This can be done by analyzing your website's content and identifying gaps in your existing links.

By focusing on quality over quantity, you can create a strong foundation for your link building strategy and set yourself up for long-term success.

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Link building is an SEO tactic that involves getting other websites to link to your website, which can make search engines like Google view your site as more authoritative and rank it higher in unpaid search results.

Google treats certain kinds of links from other sites, known as backlinks, like endorsements. The higher the quality and quantity of backlinks pointing to your site, the more trustworthy it can seem.

According to our study, 8 of the top 20 ranking factors that Google considers relate to backlinks. It's possible to acquire backlinks naturally over time, but proactively building links can help you gain or maintain a competitive edge in search.

Here are some key link building fundamentals to keep in mind:

Link building is a crucial aspect of SEO that involves getting other websites to link to your website. This can help search engines like Google view your website as more authoritative and rank it higher in unpaid search results.

A strong backlink profile is a key factor in determining how well a website ranks in search results. According to a study, 8 of the top 20 ranking factors relate to backlinks.

Getting links from reputable sites can make a big difference. For example, bbc.co.uk has backlinks from over 1 million domains, including sites like cdc.gov, microsoft.com, and britannica.com.

Link building is not just about getting links, but also about building relationships with other websites and creating high-quality content that others will want to link to.

Here are some common link building techniques:

Remember, acquiring links that you didn't ask for is the nirvana of SEO. This can happen when you create a website that is link-worthy, through a great product or service, or via producing great content that is referenced by other websites.

Original research and data can significantly boost your online presence.

Statistics and data are highly linkable, and when someone cites your data, they link to you. This can add up quickly.

A large Google ranking factors study I published accumulated a whopping 75.9K links.

Link building strategies involve creating high-quality content that people want to link to, such as visual assets, original research and data, online tools and calculators, and in-depth guides and tutorials.

Earning links can be extremely cost-effective and doesn't require you to worry about violating Google's link spam guidelines. To earn links, create content that content creators find valuable and link to without your direct request.

Typical methods to distribute the content to earn links include social ads remarketing, social ads, social media organic shares, and Google Ads.

By analyzing competitor backlinks, you can replicate link building tactics that work for your rivals and identify patterns in topics, style, length, and format. To start, go to Semrush's Backlink Analytics tool and enter a competitor's domain to see which pages get the most backlinks.

Here are some common types of content that tend to earn the most backlinks:

Links are still the best way to determine the quality of a webpage, nearly 20 years after Google's PageRank Algorithm changed the game.

Google now focuses on link quality, not just link quantity, thanks to updates like Google Penguin.

A fresh viewpoint: Best Link Building

Backlinks remain Google's go-to ranking signal, making them incredibly important for any website.

Their impact is so significant that nearly two decades after the PageRank Algorithm, links are still the most reliable way to gauge a webpage's quality.

Google's emphasis on link quality over quantity means that having a few high-quality links is more valuable than having a large number of low-quality ones.

Earn links by creating high-quality content that people want to link to. This type of content is often referred to as link bait.

To earn links, focus on creating visual assets, original research and data, online tools and calculators, and in-depth guides and tutorials. These types of content tend to get shared and linked to more often.

You can use tools like Backlink Analytics to see which pages on your site or a competitor's site get the most backlinks. Simply enter the domain into the tool, head to the "Indexed Pages" report, and look for the "Domains" column to see how many different sites link to the page.

Typical methods to distribute content and earn links include social ads remarketing, social ads, social media organic shares, and Google Ads.

Creating content that is optimized to be linkable or shareable increases the likelihood of it being shared, discussed, and linked to. This is especially true if the content is valuable and useful to your target audience.

By analyzing your competitor's backlinks, you can replicate link building tactics that work for them and identify patterns in the types of content that tend to earn the most backlinks.

Here are some types of content that tend to earn links:

Link building is an essential part of SEO, and there are four fundamental ways to build links. Some of these methods work much better than others.

To get started, you can use the Skyscraper Technique, which involves creating high-quality content that others will want to link to. This technique has been proven effective in various link building case studies.

You can also use the nine best backlink building tactics, which include strategies like adding keywords to your content and using the Link Building Tool to manage the process. After you've added your keywords, click on "Competitors" at the bottom of the pop-up to see who's linking to your competitors.

Remember, anchor text is the clickable text section of a link, and Google uses it as a ranking signal. However, building lots of exact-match anchor text links is considered spammy, so it's best to avoid it.

Here are the 9 best tactics for building links, straight from the experts.

1. The Skyscraper Technique can help you create linkable assets that earn backlinks naturally, like a tool, research report, or in-depth guide.

2. Broken Link Building is a favorite strategy of many, as it adds value to someone's website by replacing broken links with working ones.

3. Creating linkable assets is key, such as a tool, research report, or in-depth guide, as seen with Semrush's blog post on content marketing statistics, which has backlinks from over 2.5K domains.

Explore further: Keyword Research International

4. Content marketing is the key that unlocks amazing backlinks, and certain types of content work best, including in-depth guides, research reports, and tools.

5. Relevancy of the site matters, not just its authority, so you want to get links from sites that are closely related to yours, like a Paleo Diet website getting links from a health website.

6. You can find competitors' broken backlinks with Semrush's Backlink Analytics tool, which can help you inherit those links and get more exposure.

7. Reaching out to sites with broken links is a great way to build relationships and get links, especially if you have a good alternative for the broken page.

8. A site's relevance is the new PageRank, meaning it's more important to get links from sites that are relevant to your niche than from high PageRank sites.

9. Simply publishing content isn't enough to land you links, you need to create high-quality content that's relevant to your audience and provides value to them.

A different take: Is Link Building Still Relevant to Seo

A link from a site like NYTimes.com will have a MUCH bigger impact than a link from a no-name blogger.

Getting links from authority sites is key, but it's not enough - the site's relevance also matters. You want to get links from authority sites that are closely related to your site.

A link's quality is determined by a domain's sitewide authority, which you can check using tools like Semrush. Enter a site root URL into the tool and check out its “Authority Score”.

Rel=”nofollow” is a tag added to a link that tells search engines: “Don’t count this link as an endorsement.” You want to get normal, “dofollow” links whenever possible.

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Anchor text is the clickable text section of a link. Google uses it as a ranking signal, so it's worth understanding how it works.

For example, if you get a link to your site with anchor text like "paleo desserts", Google will assume the page you're linking to is about "paleo desserts".

Building lots of exact-match anchor text links is considered spammy today.

If you do get a link with your keyword in the anchor text, it's worth celebrating.

You can use Google reverse image search to find people using your images without a link.

Publishing visual assets like infographics and charts can lead to others using your images without attribution.

A friendly email can turn many of these opportunities into valuable links.

Don't freak out if you find others using your images without a link, it's a sign of success.

You should celebrate, as this means your content is being used and shared.

See what others are reading: Seo without Link Building

Link value and quality are crucial factors in link building. You want to focus on building links that will actually improve your Google rankings.

Google defines quality based on the reputation of the content and the company or people behind it. This means that a link from an authoritative site about unicycles might not be as valuable as one from a reputable source in your industry.

Some SEOs use third-party metrics like Domain Rating (DR) from Ahrefs to triangulate a quality site. This can save time when evaluating a site's quality during link building or competitor analysis.

Quality backlinks have several characteristics, including authority, relevance, anchor text, nofollow vs. follow, placement, and destination. Using these factors can help you determine the value of a backlink.

Here are the key factors that affect a backlink's value:

By understanding what makes a quality backlink, you can focus on building links that will actually improve your Google rankings.

Focusing solely on paid links is a mistake. Don't waste your time and resources on this approach.

Building skills for other link building techniques can be more impactful at scale. For example, focusing on paid links alone won't get you far, whereas learning other methods can lead to better results.

Here's an interesting read: Paid Web Traffic

Reclaiming lost backlinks is a straightforward process that involves using tools like Semrush's Backlink Audit tool to identify lost links. This report shows how many referring domains have been acquired, broken, or lost over the past 90 days.

To find lost links, head over to the "Lost & Found" tab in the Backlink Audit tool. You can then filter the list to show follow links with low toxicity scores, which tend to be high-authority sites.

These high-authority sites are often worth reaching out to, as they can provide valuable feedback on why the link was removed. You can visit each URL and try to work out why you lost the backlink.

If the page was removed, search the site to see if they published a replacement. If the page was redirected, see whether there's a good spot for your link on the new page. If the page was updated, see whether there's still a good spot for your link.

Here are some steps to take when trying to recover a lost backlink:

By following these steps, you can increase your chances of recovering a lost backlink, or at least getting some valuable feedback.

A common link building mistake is not doing a thorough backlink gap analysis. This is where you identify websites that link to your competitors but not to you.

To do a backlink gap analysis, you can use Semrush's Backlink Gap tool. Simply add your domain and your competitors' domains, and click "Find prospects." This will show you domains that link to all your competitors but not to you.

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These are the strongest backlink prospects, and you can click the arrow next to one of those numbers to see details about the backlinks from a particular domain, including the anchor text and target URL.

For example, let's say you're using the Backlink Gap tool and you see that a particular site links to your competitor but not to you. You can then create superior content that might persuade the site owner to link to you as well.

Here's a breakdown of what you can expect to find in the "Best" tab of the Backlink Gap tool:

Focusing on paid links can be a major mistake in link building. It's a complex task to analyze the impact of paid links, and beginners may find themselves building the wrong skills by focusing on this approach.

Paid links can be identified and devalued by Google if they violate their spam policy. This can be a major setback for your link building efforts.

You should consider using link building techniques that work with content creators instead. This can help you build skills that are more impactful at scale.

To get started, find ways to enhance content using subject matter expertise. This can be a more effective approach than relying solely on paid links.

Here's a tip for beginners: use link building techniques that work with content creators, and find ways to enhance the content using subject matter expertise.

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Black hat link building is pretty easy to spot: If the links go against Google’s Webmaster Guidelines, they’re probably black hat. Google’s Webmaster Guidelines are the benchmark for determining what's acceptable and what's not.

Black hat link building is a risk that doesn't come close to justifying the reward, according to some. The risk of penalties from Google is a major concern.

You need to know the penalties that Google dishes out, regardless of whether you're a white hat or black hat search engine optimization. The penalties can have a significant impact on your website's visibility.

The choice to engage in black hat link building is ultimately up to you.

See what others are reading: Black Hat Link Building

Link building outreach is a proactive method that involves contacting content creators or websites through email, phone or social media.

To secure links, an outreach campaign can use one or multiple campaign types, including linkable content, expert sources, add-on value, and relationship building.

You can use Semrush's Link Building Tool to find high-quality prospects by looking at your competitors and the keywords you want to rank for.

The tool will give you a list of suggested websites, which you can then choose to pursue.

Outreach uses tactics from influencer marketing and digital PR to secure links.

There are four fundamental ways to build links, and some work much better than others.

You can group sites by technique, such as guest posting, and use a standard template to customize your outreach efforts.

To customize your template, you need to determine which technique to use for each site.

Semrush's Link Building Tool can help you manage the entire process of quality link building.

A fresh viewpoint: Blogger Outreach Link Building

You can use the tool to find high-quality prospects, manage your outreach efforts, and track your progress.

Here are some examples of outreach campaign types:

Building links is a crucial part of your online presence, and there are four fundamental ways to do it. Some methods work much better than others.

You can use nine specific tactics in your strategy to build links effectively. These tactics are a great starting point for any link building campaign.

The key to successful link building is to understand that not everyone will link to you when they mention your brand in an article. You need to proactively reach out to them and encourage them to do so.

When someone mentions your brand in an article, they link to you. This is a no-brainer, but it's a powerful way to get high-quality links.

You can't control what people say about you, but you can encourage them to link to your brand by making it easy for them to do so.

Getting easy links is a great way to boost your online presence. You can find unlinked mentions of your brand using tools like BuzzSumo, which works great for this purpose. Most site owners are happy to turn your unlinked mention into a link with a gentle nudge.

Guest post links have their place, but they're not always the easiest to get.

Link building can seem overwhelming, but it's actually pretty straightforward. You need to understand the fundamentals, which is where it all starts.

Link building fundamentals are crucial to getting it right. You need to know what a natural link is, and that's a link that looks like it was earned, not bought.

Measuring link quality is also essential. You can do this in three ways: by looking at the link's relevance, authority, and anchor text.

There are 50 types of links you want to build, and they include things like resource links, review links, and guest post links. You can build these types of links by creating valuable content and reaching out to other websites.

Expand your knowledge: Build Link Popularity

Link building techniques can be divided into three categories: the good, the bad, and the ugly. You want to focus on the good techniques, like guest blogging and resource page links.

Here are some good link building techniques to get you started:

You also need to know how to build links for Bing and Google, as they have different algorithms and preferences. For example, Bing prefers links from government and educational websites.

To run a sustainable link building campaign, you need to focus on quality over quantity. This means building a few high-quality links each month, rather than trying to get a lot of low-quality links.

Here are five tips to help you run a sustainable link building campaign:

A good chunk of links (75%) were created because presenting information as a visual is more engaging than listing it in a table. I've seen this firsthand with my own visual about Google CTR, which has been linked to dozens of times from authoritative sites in the marketing niche.

The Skyscraper Technique works well because it's as much about building relationships as it is about building links. People won't link to your content unless they know it exists, and they won't know it exists unless you tell them about it.

Julie Adams' blog, Our Beautiful Planet, saw a 194.1% boost in organic traffic after using email outreach to build backlinks with The Skyscraper Technique. This is a legit increase that shows the power of this technique.

I ran a broken link building campaign that involved emailing the person in charge of content to give them a heads up about broken links. Most folks were more than happy to add my link as a replacement.

Matt Lawry, an ecommerce site owner, used content to generate links to his site by publishing an amazing piece of Skyscraper content on his site: “Australian Gin: The Ultimate Guide”. He promoted his content via email outreach and many people offered to link to his guide.

Suggestion: Email Outreach Link Building

A link building strategy is a plan to improve a website's reputation in search engines and readers, leading to better rankings. This plan has three parts: Analysis, Guiding policy, and Steps.

To begin, choose one of the following methods to get links fast: Expert guest posting, Passive PR, or Resource links. These methods help you get links quickly and show how content creators in your industry will respond to your message.

A clear link building strategy should be outlined before diving in. Define your goals, target audience, and strategies, and consider questions like: Is your content linkable or do you have expertise to share? Can you build new content? How new is the site or company?

Here are some key questions to ask when planning your link building strategy:

A good link building strategy involves getting other websites to link to your website, which can make search engines like Google view your website as more authoritative and rank it higher in unpaid search results.