Link Building for Beginners: Complete Guide to Get Backlinks

Summary

This tutorial delves into the intricacies of link building, a pivotal yet challenging aspect of SEO. It clarifies misconceptions, emphasizing link building's relational nature and its significance in enhancing search rankings. The script outlines Google's PageRank system, highlighting the impact of backlinks on page value. It distinguishes between creating, buying, and earning backlinks, advocating the latter for its SEO benefits. The video also explores factors that contribute to a link's quality, such as relevance and authoritativeness, and discusses the anatomy of a hyperlink. Strategies like guest blogging, resource page link building, and broken link building are presented as effective methods to earn high-quality backlinks, while also emphasizing the importance of creating valuable, non-commercial content to attract links.

Takeaways

• 🤔 Link building is considered a challenging aspect of SEO that requires technical skills, creativity, and persistence.
• 🔗 The definition of link building involves getting other websites to link back to a page on your website, which are known as backlinks.
• 💡 Link building is about building relationships with relevant site owners who will link to your content because it adds value to theirs.
• ✅ Backlinks are important for search engine rankings, as evidenced by Google's PageRank algorithm introduced in 1998.
• 📈 A study found a clear correlation between organic traffic and backlinks from unique websites, emphasizing their importance for competitive ranking.
• 🚫 Avoid the misconception that high-quality content alone will attract links; proactive link building is necessary.
• 💰 There are three ways to get backlinks: create them, buy them, or earn them, with earning them being the most valuable and recommended method.
• 🔑 The quality of a backlink is determined by its relevance and authoritativeness, which impact how much 'link power' or PageRank it can pass on.
• 🌐 The anatomy of a hyperlink includes the destination URL, anchor text, and the 'rel' attribute, all of which have implications for SEO.
• 📝 Creating linkable content involves producing non-commercial, helpful resources that people want to link to, such as informative blog posts, tools, and data studies.
• 📧 The creative aspect of link building includes crafting personalized email pitches to website owners and editors with a clear value proposition.

Q & A

What is link building in the context of SEO?

Link building is the process of getting other websites to link to a page on your website. These hyperlinks are known as backlinks and are used by search engines like Google to help rank web pages.

Why is link building considered challenging and what does it require?

Link building is challenging because it requires technical skills, a creative approach, and persistence. It is not just about getting backlinks, but also about building relationships with relevant site owners who will link to your content because it adds value to theirs.

What is the difference between the two dominant views on link building?

One view holds that link building is crucial for SEO success, while the other considers it a spammy tactic. The effectiveness and legitimacy of link building often depend on the methods used and the intent behind them.

How does Google's PageRank system relate to link building?

PageRank is a mathematical formula used by Google since 1998 to judge the value of a page based on the quantity and quality of other pages that link to it. It implies that backlinks are a significant factor in how search engines rank web pages.

What is the correlation found between organic traffic and backlinks?

A study of over one billion web pages found a clear correlation between organic traffic and backlinks from unique websites, indicating that acquiring backlinks is critical for driving traffic and improving search rankings.

What are the three ways to get backlinks according to the script?

The three ways to get backlinks are by creating them, buying them, or earning them. Creating involves manual actions like adding your site to directories. Buying involves paying for links, which is against Google's guidelines. Earning is done through outreach and providing value.

Why is buying backlinks not recommended and what are the potential consequences?

Buying backlinks is against Google's Webmaster Guidelines and can result in penalties ranging from lost rankings to removal from Google's search index. Additionally, it can be costly, with an average cost of nearly $353 per link according to the script.

What are the two main categories to consider when evaluating the quality of a backlink?

The two main categories to consider are relevance and authoritativeness. Relevance means getting backlinks from websites and pages related to your content. Authoritativeness refers to the 'link power' a web page has, which is associated with its ability to pass on PageRank.

How does the anchor text of a hyperlink impact SEO?

The anchor text, which is the clickable word or phrase in a hyperlink, helps Google understand what a page is about and what terms it should rank for. However, over-optimizing anchor texts with keywords can look unnatural and may lead to penalties.

What are the different 'rel' attribute values that can be associated with a hyperlink and their significance?

The 'rel' attribute values include 'nofollow', 'UGC' (user-generated content), and 'sponsored'. Historically, 'nofollow' links told Google not to transfer authority through them. 'UGC' and 'sponsored' are newer values that Google may use as hints to pass value at their discretion. A link without these attributes is a 'followed' link, which can pass PageRank and boost rankings.

What is the importance of link placement in terms of SEO?

Prominent links are more likely to be clicked, and it's believed that Google considers this when determining the authority a link transfers. An editorial link, for example, is more likely to be clicked and thus may carry more weight than a link in the footer.

What are some examples of non-commercial, helpful content that tends to attract backlinks?

Examples include well-researched blog posts with factual information, calculators and tools, data studies, and case studies. Content that serves as a helpful resource or supports arguments with stats or facts is more likely to earn backlinks.

Can you explain the concept of a 'pitch' in the context of link building?

A 'pitch' in link building is the approach you use to reach out to authors and editors to ask them to link to your content. It should provide a good reason for the contact, be personalized, and ideally offer some form of value exchange to increase the chances of getting a link.

What are some proven link building strategies mentioned in the script?

Some proven strategies include guest blogging, where you create content for another site in exchange for a link; resource page link building, where you get included on pages that curate industry resources; broken link building, where you replace dead links with your content; and using HARO to connect with journalists for potential backlinks.