SEO link building - the right way

So, tell me: which other sites are linking to your site? Google ranking is big on the trust and respectability of a site. The search engine reasons that if a respected site can reference yours, then your stuff must be good. Stands to reason, right? Link building, then, basically involves building your site’s respectability by having links to your site in the right places. According to Copyblogger, the right link building can represent about 27% of your Google ranking! So how can you do it fast and right?

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What kind of links matter?

Like we’ve said, SEO link building is all about validation of your site by other respected sites. It’s kind of like a vouching system. If a globally popular site like the BBC links back to your site, it would be a bit like getting a mention from a celebrity (we can dream!). Keep in mind, though, that Google knows you might only get a one-time mention, so ideally you want several high ranking sites linking back to you.

Google gives a score between 0-100 for both domain and URL ranking - where 0 is an unknown site while 100 is a page that appears on Google’s first 3 search results. In our dream world, we’d be looking for sites with a score of 90+ linking back to us. This stuff doesn’t happen overnight, though. It takes serious work (and patience!) to develop the kind of credibility this demands. What can we do, then?

Content authority

As an entrepreneur or small / home-based business, you have your own niche area or topic. Google gives you a BIG thumbs up when other sites in your field are linking back to you. If you write on essential oils, for example, you will get a big boost by getting a link back from an authority site in this topic, such as wellness mama.

Keyword links

But wait! All links are not equal - even when they are from an authority site. A link in the footnote is NOT as powerful as one in the body of an article. The best kind is the one on an anchor text as a keyword. (What the heck is anchor text?! Check out my SEO Made Simple self-study course for the low-down on all the things you can do to skyrocket your site SEO -- and all the things you needn't bother!)

For example, if an authority site like wellness mama had the anchor text, “Benefits of tea tree oil” linking back to your site, it would make you top of the chain on this topic (woohoo!).

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Social links

Although Google weighs social shares differently, it pays to have your content going viral. If your links are getting shared on social media pages with lots of views, Google will mark it as interesting content. Plus, of course, as entrepreneurs, we often get a lot of our business via social networking - so getting lots of social shares has the added advantage of boosting your brand visibility. More of that, please!

Working on SEO link building is a kind of a long-term investment. Unlike paid activity, which will bag you lots of views but only for your campaign’s duration, links that appear on other sites will remain there for (hopefully) a long time - so your site benefits from higher rankings for longer.

This article is just one from the SEO Made Simple series. Check out Why should I care about SEO? and What is keyword research for SEO, too. If you're serious about improving your website's ranking but you're not sure where to start, you'll love SEO Made Simple, one of Thrive Marketing's self-study courses. Designed for newbies, we break down and walk you through the most impactful optimisations you can make to start seeing your site ranked by Google.