Over 4 Million Backlinks Built With This Simple Process - Module 05 - Lesson 1 - SEO Unlocked

Summary

In this SEO Unlocked episode, Neil Patel emphasizes the importance of link building for enhancing organic search rankings. He explains that while quantity matters, quality and relevance are paramount, comparing link value to a voting system where authority counts. Patel introduces tools like Ubersuggest for finding links and Mailshake for outreach. He also provides a Link Building Score Card to evaluate link quality, highlighting factors like referring domains, do follow vs. nofollow links, and anchor text. The video concludes with common link building mistakes to avoid and urges viewers to download the scorecard from neilpatel.com/training for practical application.

Takeaways

• 🔗 **Importance of Links**: Links are crucial for improving a website's organic search rankings as they act like votes of confidence from other sites.
• 📈 **Link Building Defined**: It's the process of acquiring new inbound links from external websites, which is not just about quantity but also the quality and relevance of those links.
• 🏆 **Quality Over Quantity**: Having a few high-quality links from authoritative sources is more valuable than many low-quality links, similar to the influence of an expert's recommendation.
• 📊 **Link as a Voting System**: Links function like votes, where a link from a respected source carries more weight and positively impacts search engine rankings.
• 🌐 **Relevance of Referring Domains**: The diversity of referring domains is key; multiple links from different sites are better than numerous links from a single source.
• 🔍 **Do Follow vs. No Follow**: While do follow links pass SEO value, no follow links from high-authority sites can still drive traffic and contribute to a site's success.
• 📈 **Traffic and Authority**: Links from sites with high traffic and domain authority can significantly boost a site's visibility and potential for conversion.
• 📝 **Anchor Text Significance**: The text used in a link (anchor text) can signal to search engines the content and relevance of the linked page, influencing search rankings.
• 🚫 **Avoiding Link Building Mistakes**: Overusing exact match anchors, neglecting semantic keywords, and buying links are practices to avoid as they can harm a site's SEO efforts.
• 📚 **Link Building Resources**: Tools like Ubersuggest and Mailshake can assist in finding and acquiring valuable links, while the Link Building Score Card helps in evaluating link quality.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the SEO Unlocked series presented by Neil Patel?

The main focus of the SEO Unlocked series is link building, which is essential for improving a website's organic search rankings.

Why are links important for a website's search engine ranking?

Links are important because they act as a voting system where external websites voting for your site by linking to it can boost its search engine rankings over time.

What is the difference between 'do follow' and 'nofollow' links?

Do follow links pass search engine 'juice' or authority, which can help a site rank higher, while nofollow links do not pass this authority but can still drive traffic and revenue.

How does the number of referring domains affect a site's SEO?

Having a higher number of unique referring domains is more beneficial than having many links from the same domain, as it signals a broader range of endorsement and authority.

What is the significance of anchor text in link building?

Anchor text is significant because it helps search engines understand the relevance of the linked content to specific keywords, potentially influencing search rankings for those terms.

Why is it important to have a mix of different types of anchor texts in your backlinks?

Having a mix of different anchor texts, including exact match, semantic keywords, and brand mentions, is important to avoid looking unnatural or manipulated to search engines.

What tools does Neil Patel recommend for link building?

Neil Patel recommends using Ubersuggest to find links and Mailshake for outbound link acquisition.

How long does it typically take for links to start impacting a website's search rankings?

According to research, it can take anywhere from three to six months for a link to significantly impact search rankings.

What are some common link building mistakes that should be avoided?

Common mistakes include using too many exact match anchors, not having enough semantic keyword anchors, a lack of natural 'junk' anchors, and buying or reciprocally exchanging links.

What is the Link Building Score Card and where can it be found?

The Link Building Score Card is a tool provided by Neil Patel to help rate and identify quality links. It can be found on his website at neilpatel.com/training under SEO Unlocked, module five, lesson one.

How does Neil Patel suggest using the Link Building Score Card?

Neil Patel suggests downloading the Link Building Score Card, filling it out, and using it to assess and improve link building strategies.

Outlines

00:00

🔗 The Importance of Link Building in SEO

Neil Patel introduces the concept of link building, emphasizing its significance in boosting a website's organic search rankings. He explains that while content quality is crucial, the quantity and quality of inbound links are equally important. Link building is likened to a voting system where the relevance and authority of the linking site matter more than the sheer number of links. Neil discusses the example of 'The Penny Hoarder' outperforming 'Get Rich Slowly' in traffic despite having fewer links, illustrating the importance of quality over quantity. He also introduces tools like Ubersuggest and Mailshake for finding and acquiring links, and provides a Link Building Score Card for assessing link quality.

05:01

📊 Understanding Link Metrics and Their Impact

This section delves into the various metrics that define a link's value, starting with the importance of referring domains, which measures the number of unique websites linking to a site. Neil explains the difference between do-follow and no-follow links, highlighting that while do-follow links pass 'search engine juice,' no-follow links from high-authority sites can still drive significant traffic. The discussion continues with the significance of domain and page scores, which indicate the authority of the linking site, and anchor text, which influences how search engines perceive the relevance of the linked content. Neil also touches on the optional aspects of link building, such as link placement and relevancy, and the importance of not obsessing over perfect metrics but focusing on overall strategy.

10:04

⏱ Link Building Timeline and Common Mistakes

Neil addresses the timeline for seeing the effects of link building, citing research that suggests it can take anywhere from three to six months for links to significantly impact search rankings. He advises patience and persistence, emphasizing the need for continuous effort beyond the initial three months. The paragraph concludes with common link building mistakes, such as overusing exact match anchors, lacking semantic keyword anchors, and neglecting brand mentions. Neil warns against buying links and engaging in reciprocal link building for manipulative purposes, suggesting that natural link acquisition is the best approach. He encourages viewers to download and utilize the Link Building Score Card to guide their link building efforts.

Keywords

💡Link Building

Link building refers to the process of acquiring new inbound links from external websites to one's own website. It is a crucial aspect of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) because it helps to improve a site's visibility and ranking on search engine results pages. In the script, Neil Patel emphasizes that link building is not just about the quantity of links but also their quality and relevance, which aligns with the idea that links act as 'votes' of credibility from other sites.

💡Organic Search Results

Organic search results are the listings on a search engine results page that appear as a result of the search engine's algorithm, as opposed to paid advertisements. The script mentions that ranking highly in organic search results is essential for driving traffic, as these results are more trusted by users and typically receive more clicks.

💡Referring Domains

Referring domains are external websites that link to a particular website. The script highlights that having a diverse range of referring domains is more valuable than having many links from a single domain, as it signals broader recognition and trustworthiness to search engines.

💡Do Follow and No Follow

Do follow and no follow are types of HTML attribute values used to instruct search engines whether to follow a hyperlink or not. 'Do follow' links pass on link equity, potentially helping with SEO, while 'no follow' links do not. However, the script points out that even 'no follow' links from high-authority sites can be valuable due to the traffic they might send.

💡Anchor Text

Anchor text is the visible text in a hyperlink. It is important for SEO because it provides search engines with an indication of the content on the page the link is pointing to. The script advises that a natural mix of anchor texts, including exact match, semantic keywords, and brand mentions, is healthier than overusing a single keyword.

💡Domain Score

Domain score, often calculated using metrics like Domain Authority (DA) or similar, is a measure of a website's overall trustworthiness and authority. A higher domain score indicates a more authoritative site, which the script suggests can lend more weight to the links it provides.

💡Page Score

Page score is a metric similar to domain score but applies to individual pages within a website. It reflects the authority and relevance of that specific page. The script implies that links from pages with higher scores can be more beneficial for SEO.

💡Relevancy

Relevancy in the context of link building refers to the degree to which the content of linking pages is related to the content on the page being linked to. The script notes that while relevancy is important, it's not always possible to control, and some non-relevant links can still provide value.

💡Link Placement

Link placement is the position of a link on a webpage. In-bound links placed within the content of a page are often considered more valuable than those in footers or sidebars. The script suggests that in-content links are preferable, but other placements can still be beneficial.

💡Link Building Score Card

The Link Building Score Card mentioned in the script is a tool or checklist that helps in evaluating and strategizing link building efforts. It includes factors like referring domains, anchor text, and link placement, guiding users to build a more effective link profile.

Highlights

Link building is essential for high organic search rankings as it's like a voting system for websites.

The quantity of links is not as important as their quality; relevance and authority matter more.

A single link from an authoritative source can be more valuable than many from less credible sites.

Neil Patel's experience shows that millions of links can be built over time with the right strategies.

Link building is not just for SEO; it also drives referral traffic and potential customers.

Ubersuggest and Mailshake are tools recommended for finding and acquiring quality links.

The Link Building Score Card is a valuable resource for evaluating and rating the effectiveness of links.

Referring domains are crucial; multiple links from a single domain are less valuable than from various sources.

Do follow and nofollow links both have their merits, with nofollow links still driving traffic and authority.

Domain and page scores indicate the authority of the linking site, affecting the link's value.

Anchor text is important as it signals to search engines the relevance of the linked page to certain keywords.

Natural link building results in varied anchor text, which is healthier for SEO than overly optimized links.

Link placement within content is ideal but not the only factor; footer and sidebar links also have value.

Relevancy of the linking site to your niche is important but not always controllable or necessary.

Link building strategies can be developed by analyzing competitors' backlinks using Ubersuggest.

According to Moz research, it takes around 10 weeks to see ranking improvements from links.

Avoid common link building mistakes such as too many exact match anchors and buying links.

Social signals like shares on Facebook and Twitter also contribute to a website's authority.

Reciprocal link building can be harmful if done to manipulate search engine rankings.

Neil Patel encourages downloading the Link Building Score Card and starting your link building journey.

Transcripts

- [Neil] Hey, everyone, it's Neil Patel,

and today is another day of SEO Unlocked.

And this week, we're going to be going over link building.

"No matter how useful your content may be,

"a site without links is far less likely

"to rank highly in the organic search results."

And that's why we're going to be going over link building

for the whole week.

Now, of course, if you want to rank in the organic section,

which isn't roughly in the middle,

at the top you always see ads whenever you do

a Google search, but the organic search results

is what gets the most traffic.

You need the magical thing which is links.

And I'll end up breaking down how you can build them

throughout this lesson.

But first, what is link building?

Well, link building is about acquiring new inbound links

to a website from external websites.

That's like another website linking to yours.

You know when you click on those blue links

or orange links or whatever color a website has them

and it goes and sends you to another website?

That's a link, and it's a proven tactic

that boosts search engine rankings over time.

But it's not always about quantity.

Years and years ago, there was this site called

Get Rich Slowly that got bought out by a lot of money,

and there was this new website,

now this website isn't new anymore,

called The Penny Hoarder.

And The Penny Hoarder was getting way more traffic

than Get Rich Slowly, but yet, they had

a lot less links, and it shows you

that quantity isn't everything.

See, a link isn't as simple as

the more you have, the better off you are.

It's more like a voting system.

And here's what I mean by that.

Let's say there's two people.

If President Obama, who was a old President

of the United States,

and me, Neil Patel, a marketing guru,

if I tell you to vote for someone

for a political election,

or President Obama tells you to vote for someone,

who do you think carries more weight?

If you think Obama carries more weight, you're right.

And it's because he's a expert within that subject matter.

Now, on the flip side, if a well-known doctor said,

"Hey, vote for this company when it comes to marketing,"

or if me, Neil Patel, who's known for marketing tells you,

"Hey, vote for this other company

"when it comes to marketing,"

who do you think carries more weight?

And it's me, and the reason being is,

my expertise is marketing.

So the way links goes is

the more right links you get

from relevant, authoritative sources,

the better off you are.

And here's some of my sites over the years.

You know neilpatel.com,

QuickSprout, which I no longer own, Crazy Egg.

In essence, if you look at all my sites

and you combine them, I built literally

millions and millions of links over the years.

Now here's the beautiful part.

If you do things right and you're following

all the previous lessons and modules,

you'll start naturally getting links over time.

But at the beginning, you're going to have to kick start it.

You're going to have to go out there and find quality links.

And you can do this using two tools.

Ubersuggest, which will help you find the links;

and then Mailshake, you can use to do Outbound

to go and get the links.

I also have attachment, the Link Building Score Card.

Make sure you download this,

because this will allow you to rate

the links that you're getting

and find the right ones.

And if you're watching this video on YouTube

or somewhere else, you can go to neilpatel.com/training,

click on SEO Unlocked,

and when you go to module five, lesson one,

you will end up seeing the file of

the Link Building Score Card.

But let's go over the central items

in the Link Building Score Card

and the optional ones.

So, the first essential thing is referring domains.

This is the most important part about link building,

in which everyone thinks

the more links you have, the better.

It's not about getting one site to link to you 1000 times.

That isn't the same as 1000 different sites linking to you.

So the key is to get as many unique sites

linking to you as possible versus getting the same site

linking to you over and over again.

Another one is do follow versus nofollow.

Everyone's like, "Oh, do follow,"

which is telling the search engine

pass search engine juice,

so it helps them rank higher.

No follow's saying, "Hey, don't pass search engine juice."

Everyone believes, "Oh, you only want do follow links."

And although that's true, there's a lot of nofollow sites

that have a lot of traffic.

They have a lot of authority.

And they can drive you revenue as well.

See, link building isn't just about

ranking higher on Google.

Link building's also getting that referring traffic

from other websites and converting some of those visitors

into customers, as well.

You can go to Ubersuggest, the tool,

and in the side where you can click on backlinks,

and any URL you put in,

whether you put in your own or your competitors',

you can see the nofollow links and the do follow.

All you do is just click on that button.

And you can also see how popular a site is.

So the more traffic a website drives, the better.

So if you're thinking about getting a link

from someone like neilpatel.com, which is my site,

you can go to the Top Pages report in Ubersuggest,

put in my domain or someone else's,

and you can see how many visits

they're gettin' to popular pages.

The more popular pages linking to your site,

the better you are because

the more traffic it's going to drive,

which in theory, has a better shot of driving you

leads, or sales, or conversions.

Then there's domain score and page score.

The higher this number's from zero to 100 and more so,

one to 100, but the higher you go up,

the better off you are.

Like the super authoritative sites like Wikipedia,

Google, they're going to be up there.

They're going to be 100 or close to it.

Smaller sites are going to be lower on the scale.

The higher up you go, the better off you are.

because in theory, the more authoritative the site,

the more effect, the more power that link holds.

This is like Obama telling you to vote for

a political candidate versus Neil Patel.

Obama carries much more weight

because he's in the political arena.

Another essential is anchor text.

This is the keyword that you click on in the link.

So the keyword may end up being

dog food or it could be the word marketing

or whatever your business is.

If the link contains a lot of keywords,

that tells Google, "Hey, this page

"that we're linking to is relevant for these keywords,

"so maybe you should rank them higher for those keywords."

And when you go over to Ubersuggest,

and you look up a link in the Link Report

or Top Pages or any section,

and you click on the backlinks and you're trying to see,

"All right, who are all the pages linking to this URL?"

It'll show you the anchor text.

And the anchor text will vary.

Sometimes, it'll say

the brand name or

www.yourdomain.com

or it could be your site name all one word

or it could say some keywords.

It'll vary a lot.

And that's natural, and you want that.

If all your links say a keyword,

Google will know that you're manipulating them

and that's not natural.

So, when you're naturally building links

and earning them because you created good content,

you have a great website,

that means your link text is going to be all over the board

and that's okay.

Some of the optional things are link placement.

Ideally, in-content links are better.

Footer links not as great.

Sidebar links not as great.

What you'll find is editorial links,

the ones you earn and go after,

they tend to be within the content.

But don't obsess over where a link is placed,

because some people, they'll naturally link to you

from a resources page, and although that's not as ideal

as them linking within their content,

something is better than nothing.

Relevancy, it's also important.

The reason I say this is optional

is because you can't always control relevancy either.

So if

Facebook links to you and even if it's nofollowed

from a fan page,

do you really care if Facebook is a social network,

and they talk about everything,

but your page linking to you,

even though it's on that social network,

it could drive you business.

So that's okay if they're not all 100 percent relevant.

Now of course, if your website is about

dental and teeth implants,

you wouldn't want a

site on

Mars, a website about outer space and Mars

to link to you because that just wouldn't make sense.

But you will see somewhat irrelevant links

like social profiles and social sites linking to you

and that's okay and that's common.

Another one, strategy, this is optional.

When you go into the Ubersuggest report for backlinks,

you'll see that larger competitors have links.

You may come up with a strategy

on how you can get all those people to link to you

and you

could do well with that strategy,

but it's optional because

there's formulas that you can follow

that'll get you links, and I'll show you that

over the next few lessons as well.

So now that you know the fundamentals of link building,

you probably have some questions,

and I want to address them.

First is, how long does it take to work?

Well, according to Moz research,

it takes around 10 weeks to improve your

rankings from the link.

We usually see that it takes anywhere from

three to six months for a link to really kick in.

And you can also see that on the graph,

so we have very similar findings on our end.

And if you're working with a agency,

you'll find that they can get ramped up within a month

to a few months, same with the in-house builder.

It could take a few weeks for strategy, as well.

You're going to have to do a lot of outreaching,

and when you go through this whole process,

what you'll find is

from day one

to month three,

that's when you'll start seeing a lot of the links.

And then give it another three months,

and then you'll start seeing those links kick in.

So, give it three months to really build and ramp up

your link building, and then give it

another three months for the links to kick in,

but you don't want to stop after the first three months.

You want to keep pushing and pushing and pushing.

So before we wrap up this lesson,

I want to end this off with going over

some link building mistakes.

The first one is too many exact match anchors.

So if you're trying to rank for the keyword dog food,

all your links shouldn't say dog food.

That would be unnatural.

The second one is not enough semantic keyword anchors.

So if your keyword is dog food, it may be dog food,

food for pets, food for puppies.

Those are all variations of dog food that's natural

that people may link to you.

The third mistake, you don't have enough junk anchors.

Some of the people linking to you

will be saying like, www.yourdomain.com

or click here or the fourth mistake

is not having brand mentions.

That's another one of junk,

someone just put your brand name, which is common.

You also want to make sure you have social signals

going to your websites, so this is the Facebook shares,

the Twitter shares, Pinterest, it all helps.

You also want to avoid buying links.

It's a bad thing, and of course,

you don't want to exchange links with other websites.

That's reciprocal link building.

I link to you; you link back.

Now if you naturally do that, that's fine,

but you don't want to do it to manipulate or game Google.

So the last thing I have for you before we move on

to the next lesson, I want you to

go to neilpatel.com/training

and download the Link Building Score Card

and fill that out and start working on it.

Thank you for watching.