Link building is an integral part of digital marketing, particularly in search engine optimization or SEO. It is a smart way to promote your website with the ultimate goal of obtaining quality links, which are links coming from relevant and authoritative websites.
How to build links
There are several link building strategies. The most common ones include:
Gaining quality links isn’t a walk in the park. It takes lots of time and effort. It also must be done for as long as your business is running. Just because one part of your digital marketing strategy (i.e content marketing) is exemplary, that doesn’t mean you’ll immediately be on the first page of search engine results.
Links are as important as your content to improve your rankings. And like your content, your links should also be relevant.
For links to be considered relevant, make sure to use a good link title or anchor text. This is especially true when doing a guest blog or press release. Meaning, it contains keywords that target your website’s services.
On the other hand, you will want to avoid submitting links to irrelevant directories or low-quality websites. Otherwise, this may not only penalize your website but may get you banned from search engine results altogether.
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Why does link building matter?
#1: It increases SEO ranking
First and foremost, links are essential for SEO because search engines use them to measure the relevance and authority of your website. A single backlink serves like a vote for your website. And search engines view this as a positive behavior, even more so if the link comes from a relevant website.
#2: It improves web traffic
The more links you acquire from credible sources, the more people can read your content. For example, let’s say you are a tech website who has a huge following, and there’s another blogger in the same industry who asked you to publish their content in hopes of sharing it with your readers and improving traffic. If their content is something that your readers would be interested in, you might consider publishing it. Typically, their content would include links that when clicked would direct your readers to their website.
#3: Fosters brand exposure
Once you have built your links to relevant sites, you have higher chances of exposing your brand, product, and services – not only to your intended market but also to new and diverse audiences. In addition, continuously working on link building will increase positive communication and conversations among your target demographic.
#4: It builds relationships
Last but not least, reaching out to other businesses becomes necessary when building your links, especially if the information you want to share includes promotions, events, and other activities relevant to your business. While your main goal is to grow your quality links, it will eventually promote long-term relationships that will become favorable to both businesses.
So tap into link building strategies now and reap the many benefits it gives before you start missing out on potential business and opportunities.
Originally published here.
