Link building is a subtle art and is one of the most important aspects of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). It is a difficult skill to master because it involves grappling with a search engine algorithm that is almost always in flux.
Google search engine’s algorithm is one of the most sophisticated in the world and it is worked on daily by a large number of data scientists and engineers. Google has come a long way since its early days when it would rank search results just by frequency.
In 2012, Google’s Penguin Update revolutionized the entire field by introducing an algorithm that ranked search results by the quality of content and the number of backlinks.
If you do not maintain a clean and white-hat approach to link building, you can incur heavy penalties from Google itself. Proper link building can increase your website’s search engine ranking, organic engagements, reach, etc.
Here is a checklist you can use to optimize your link building campaign in 10 simple steps:
Source: Seo Hacker
Familiarize yourself with Google’s new algorithm:
The first item on this checklist is the most important one. Google updates its search engine algorithm regularly to provide users with a better search experience.
You have to keep yourself abreast of their updates and policies so that your website does not incur penalties due to careless link building. However, this information will not be provided by Google. You will have to deduce this yourself with the help of data analytics.
Audit your current backlinks regularly:
Google is the most used search engine in the world because it painstakingly examines the quality of content.
If your backlinks are broken/decommissioned, then your search engine rankings will also suffer. One of the most important items of this checklist is that you should audit and update your current backlinks regularly, and weed out/repair the ones that are non-functioning.
Source: Backlinko
Remove bad links ASAP:
Monitor your backlinks constantly and have bad links immediately removed or disavowed. Bad links can cause significant damage to your organic ranking and you need to contact the webmaster ASAP so that they are cleaned right away.
Contact Google if you have been penalized before:
If you have been penalized by Google before for using black-hat link building, you can submit a request for reconsideration. However, it is recommended that you do this only after you have fixed all the issues with your backlinks and website.
Create a keyword strategy:
Keyword phrases are one of the foundations of the functioning of a search engine. You have to develop a keyword strategy that works for you and also complements your link building campaign.
It is a good idea to invest in good quality content and infographics to increase engagement as well. You can find out what keywords you need to use if you do a proper assessment of your goals.
Partner with reliable webmasters:
It is prudent to carefully vet and assess the performance of every webmaster/blogger before you partner with them.
You should assess a site before you partner with them. Keep in mind various attributes – such as domain authority, page authority, and trust flow. Your backlinks will be more valuable if the credibility of the site itself is high.
Source: Searchpros
Create good quality content:
You also have to create good-quality regularly updated content for your audience.
Targeted blog posts, infographics, images, etc. with attractive fonts and bright colours can increase your website’s organic traffic by 12%. Also, quality content is easily shared on social media and leads to more engagement.
Spread your links all over the internet:
You should locate and build partnerships with credible niche websites and slowly spread reliable backlinks all over the internet. The more your backlinks will be spread out, the better your organic ranking will be.
Content marketing:
Work closely with your organization’s marketing department to develop a robust online marketing plan that complements your SEO and link building campaigns.
In this way, you can create custom content that your audience will find more engaging and interesting.
Monitor your links constantly:
Keep a close eye on your backlinks and monitor them constantly. You must immediately disavow/remove any bad links and fix the ones that don’t work.
With the help of this checklist, you can build up a robust SEO and link building campaign for your business.
