In the wake of the Panda and Penguin updates, we have dug into the data and found some of the most common patterns in the sites and pages that lost their rankings. The search engines are only getting smarter, and link building is being redefined as a result. It’s important to think ahead if you want to stay in the game for the long haul. With that in mind, here are some strategies we use to future-proof our efforts.
Identify Viable Link Opportunities:
Focus On Sites with Manual Approval:
Win the Content Marketing Game:
You need to find and qualify your link opportunities by their authority and relevance. Focus strictly on domains related to your niche, and approach these opportunities strategically. If the human visitors won’t even be there, don’t waste your time. Identifying the right link opportunities is a must before you can start building links.
If you can get a link from a site without a human being playing a part in the process, that link is virtually guaranteed to have no value in the long term. Any benefit it offers today will disappear tomorrow, possibly bringing a penalty along with it. Sites with no manual review process ultimately lose value. Low-quality junk gets posted, sometimes not even written by human beings.
Content on the Web will probably always be text, but that’s exactly why it’s so important to do something different and stand out. All of the following count as content.
Don’t forget:
- Videos
- eBooks
- QA Site activity
- Comment Marketing
- References and Guides
- Guest Blogging
- Blogger Outreach
- Press Releases
It’s also important to understand a few things about the psychology of what makes things go viral, such as:
- Specific, unique, urgent, useful headlines
- Use lists
- Focus on trending topics
- Be inspirational, funny, and incite emotions
Use Balanced Anchor Text:
Anchor text just isn’t the signal it used to be. About 70 percent of your links should just mention your brand, URL, or domain name. Only about 10 percent should focus on the exact keywords you are trying to rank for. The remaining 20 percent should use parts of the keyword mixed in with your brand name, broader terms, and other “partial match” anchor text.
- Don’t Use Mass Link Building Tactics: Almost any technique that can get you thousands of links in a short period of time is going to look suspicious to the algorithms. If it is the result of buying links or automation, there are almost certainly patterns that will be detected by the algorithms of today or the near future. The only legitimate way to get a massive amount of links in a short period of time is if they are the result of viral content, and this is the only case where you will be protected.
- Social Media: The search engines are using social data to improve their search results. Social sharing activity is an important signal, because it indicates that real human beings are enjoying your content enough to share it with their friends or followers. Approach content and outreach with an understanding of this influence.
- Monitor Your Link Profile: Be sure to periodically review your links in Google Webmaster Tools and Open Site Explorer, and keep a spreadsheet of your intentionally acquired links. Monitoring your links also gives you an opportunity to get in touch with people who are already linking to you and scale those relationships for even better results.
- Analyze Your Competitor’s Links: While you don’t want to copy everything that your competitors are doing, it is a good idea to take a look at their link profile for ideas. It will also help you get a broad idea of how much work it’s going to take to rank for a specific term, and whether or not it will be worth the effort. Again, don’t just copy your competitors. Think strategically.
- Build Relationships: Some of the best links are built by personal relationships. This is especially true of relationships that start in the real world. Go to seminars and places where you can expect to find people in your industry with a presence on the Web, and start building up your network. Focus on building real relationships in the beginning, not on the links. Keep business cards on you so that it’s more natural to bring up in a conversation.
Understanding the algorithm is an important part of Search Engine Optimization, but it’s important to recognize that the algorithm will change. Those who achieve the most success from search optimization are the ones who are skilled at building relationships and thinking about the direction of the Web as a whole.
