Are you wanting to optimize your website through link building? Search engine optimization, also known as SEO, includes a variety of ways to help you reach your goals. A few things SEO includes are local SEO, keyword research, and link building. If you are wanting to rank higher for your website’s SEO you should get used to using links.
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What is Link Building?
Have you ever been reading an article or browsing through a website and noticed words that are blue and underlined? This is a hyperlink. These are website links that lead the users around the internet. It links from one web page to another. Link building can help keep a user engaged more on your website and learn more information on the topic you are hyperlinking to.
Anchor Text
You wouldn’t want to see a big URL displayed in the middle of your website. That is where the anchor text comes in. Anchor texts are the words displayed that you click on to go to another page. Make sure when you are link building that your anchor text matches what the website link is for. This is important for SEO and your users. Google uses the anchor text to evaluate your website. Anchor text can be tricky when learning how to hyperlink.
Here are a few tips to get you started:
- Make sure you are saying what is relevant to the topic you are linking to. You don’t want to trick your users to click on a hyperlink that leads to an unrelated topic. This makes your SEO decrease because search engines try to make connections between your website and the link.
- Allow the sentence to flow. If the link is awkward, don’t force it. Try to rephrase what you are saying or give a better reference to what could be found on the page.
- Say more than “click here” because it can help with the flow of the sentences. It can help you stand out when you explain more than the classic phrase for hyperlinking.
Link Building: Internal VS External
When you are adding links throughout your content, a balance is required. Links can reflect the quality of the page. You don’t want to give the users link overload, which is when there are too many links on one page. There are differences between internal and external links. You should always use both of them.
Internal Link Building
Internal link building helps the user navigate around your page. It links from one page to another within your own website. This can help show more of your website and offer quick access to a topic you are touching on. Internal link building allows for people to stay on your website longer. It increases the overall time users spend on your pages. It can lead to more revenue for you because people are looking more into what you have to offer on your site.
External Link Building
External link building leads users to other websites. Although you want people to stay on your page longer, this helps your SEO. By linking website articles that rank higher than yours throughout your content, it helps you gain more credibility. It allows Google’s algorithm to see that you are linking to content that helps expand what you are talking about. This can help the user learn more about your content, which can bring user experience ratings up. That makes a website’s SEO increase.
What SEO Link Builders Should Look For
Not all links are the same. When you are searching for links to include throughout your articles or website you want to make sure you are connecting your users to quality content. Knowing what you should look for when link building is important.
Relevance
When you are linking to websites that offer similar content it helps search engines figure out what your website is all about. If your link isn’t directly related but offers insight on the topic you are talking about, the search engine will figure out the connection. They are programmed to discover if a link relates or if it doesn’t.
Credibility
Try to show links that have proof that their website is legitimate and trustworthy. They aren’t just a blogger who is writing about something random. The website itself can help you figure this out as well. You can base it on the layout and if the website seems outdated or unprofessional. Pick sites that reflect well on your own.
High Ranking
When you link other websites throughout your content, you want to have websites that not only provide valuable information but also rank higher. When they rank higher than your site, it boosts your credibility. You don’t want a website lower than yours because it doesn’t do much for you. It could even lower your credibility since that website appears lower on the SERP than yours.
Link Build the Right Way
When it comes to adding links to your website there is a right way and a wrong way to go about this. Google has strict criteria to build up SEO. If you try to cheat the system, the algorithm can tell. It overall hurts your website and costs you in the end.
Link Building the Wrong Way
If you are wanting to get websites to feature you, don’t pay for it from a freelance link-building service. They aren’t really going to improve your SEO and get you thousands of links. Next, contact people that can help you. You want to contact other websites with similar content to start link building. If the website has no relevance to you, they’re no use for either party to waste their time.
Link Building the Right Way
Doing it the right way is the only way to boost your SEO through link building. Links are like roads that lead to one another. Have a good balance on your website between external and internal links. Make sure if you are connecting with others where you can both help each other. Mutually beneficial relationships are always the best.
Links and Website Traffic
There is a direct correlation between the quality of links on your pages and the amount of website traffic you receive. If you are linking quality websites, it is like having quality friends. Links are the indicator of the quality of your website. Google wants to give its users the best experience, which is why they have an intense algorithm to help figure out the best websites to provide their users.
Links Increase SEO
Links increase SEO because it adds to the credibility of your website. Algorithms are used to give your users the best experience by providing the most credible websites. When you link a credible website, you can rank higher in SEO over time. This can even help you increase your brand’s authority which lets your company’s voice be heard.
Brand Awareness
Anything to do with SEO improves your brand awareness. SEO’s main objective is to help search engines rank your website higher on the results page. When your website becomes ranked on the first page of the search engine results page (SERP) it always receives more attention.
Lowers Bounce Rates
A bounce rate finds out how many people only stay for a “single-page session on your website”. This is where a user views your page but doesn’t look around. You are wanting the user to stay on your website longer because they can see all that your business has to offer. A high bounce rate isn’t always a bad thing, depending on your website. If you have a blog and people go and read the article you posted, it is normal for the viewer to only look at the one page. When you add links to expand on topics, it can provide the user more information if they choose to expand on it.
Long-Lasting Strategy
SEO is going to be around for a long time. If you want to get in on the action, link building can be one of the best SEO tools for you to incorporate. It is also one of the easiest ways to incorporate SEO into your website.
Start Link Building on Your Website
Link building on your website is a key factor in enhancing your SEO. If you are wanting help or simply wanting to learn more about SEO and link building, we want your business to thrive. With the right team behind you, it makes link building simple. We can do all the research for you. This allows you to focus on making sure your business is the best, while we focus on increasing your SEO. Working with SEO Design Chicago allows you to see where your links are and how they are helping you.
FAQs
- What is link building?
- Is there a difference between internal and external links?
- What should I look for when link building?
- How to build links the right way?
- What are the benefits of link building?
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