Search engines like Google and Bing won’t reveal exactly how they determine what web pages appear first (or rank higher) when a person searches for keywords in their search engines. But what we do know is that they definitely have a search engine algorithm, a formula that weeds through gazillions of web pages to return results, in an orderly fashion, to users.
Obviously, people are most likely to click on links that appear on page one and less likely to click on links that appear on page ten. That’s why getting your web pages on the first page of search results is what companies dream of. People click more on the sites that appear on page one. And when they click, that leads them to take more action. Those actions could range from learning more about your business or services to making a purchase.
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What Is Search Engine Optimization?
This process of including certain things on any given webpage in order to get search engines to rank it higher is called search engine optimization, or SEO.
The process of optimizing a web page can include actions such as:
- Using words on your webpage that are the words your customers use when searching
- Using those keywords in a page title and in subheads
- Making sure the URL contains the right words
- Making sure every image on a web page is coded in such a way that keywords appear when a mouse hovers over the image
- Writing a meta description for each webpage
- Hyperlinking words to other pages on your website
- Hyperlinking words to other websites
- Trying to get other websites to link to your website
The Role Links Play in SEO Optimization
Hyperlinking to your own website, linking to other websites, and most importantly – getting other websites to link to your website – is collectively called “link building.”
Experts have long theorized that link building is one of the most important factors in how Google, Bing, and other search engines rank your website. Google is trying to make its SEO algorithm more transparent by posting updates about what makes a website rank above another website, but the language isn’t always consumer-friendly. That’s led to some misconceptions, but there is one thing we know for sure: Link-building is still important to Google in 2023.
And building links still takes time, patience, and outreach.
What We Know About Google’s View on Link Building
Google couldn’t be more clear that their search engine algorithms are still designed to detect high-quality, unique content. They want other websites to link to your website, showing that you are a trusted source of information. Google recently suggested “Tell people about your site. Be active in communities where you can tell like-minded people about your services and products that you mention on your site.”
When other people link to your site, Google sees it as a “vote of confidence” in your site. They think, “If a human took the time to tell another person about a website, there must be something good there. So let’s rank the site a little higher in our search results.” Google is basically trying to be an amplifier for word-of-mouth recommendations.
Why Link-Building Professionals Are Important
You may know how to hyperlink words to a webpage, but an actual link-building strategy takes much more time and thought. Finding quality hyperlinks – links to research and not your competitors – takes effort. Getting other websites to link to yours requires that you write thoughtful requests. Fixing broken hyperlinks can be mundane.
You could do all of these things on your own, but you probably have better ways to spend your time.
At SEO Design Chicago, we offer packages to help you start or revamp your link-building strategy. Our team of professionals can:
- Optimize the outbound links on each webpage on your website, focusing on quality, not quantity
- Making sure you aren’t accidentally linking to competitors
- Fixing broken links on your website, which is especially important if you’re linking to pages that no longer exist
- Creating buzz in communities focused on your company’s business. If you can get people linking to your site, Google ranks you higher
- Reaching out to other websites, offering to link back to them if they link to you
- Trying to get media outlets and other organizations to create content that mentions your company
- Training your employees on how to build and improve on links
Get in touch with us to learn more!
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