Link building is seen as one of the best strategies for increasing exposure online, particularly with regards to increasing traffic to a website. Yet, link building myths and misinformation can hamper a campaign and actually limit your opportunities. By dispelling these myths, you can make the most of link building strategies and improve your online marketing experience. Here are six popular link building myths and the truth behind them.
1. Backlinks Are A Key Factor In Google Rankings
One of the biggest link building myths started as a result of a Google Q&A. Andrey Lipattsev, a Google Search Quality Senior Strategist, stated that the top three ranking factors for Google were links, content and RankBrain. John Mueller tried to clarify this, explaining that Google’s ranking factors were dynamic. Yet, it’s still the case that numerous correlation studies have repeatedly shown that the top three results have a high number of backlinks.
Whether a page is high ranking because of its backlink profile, or whether its high ranking position results in increased backlinks is still up for debate. As such, it’s still a useful strategy to continue to utilize backlinks in your campaign.
2. Outbound Links Can Damage Search Engine Rankings
Similarly, some owners fear that high numbers of outbound links might lower their search engine rankings. If you have lots of irrelevant outbound links, then there’s a higher probability that you’ll be penalized. However, relevant, useful outbound links can actually enhance a link building campaign. Provided that the outbound links are useful to users and that they are linked to a relevant site, they can in fact help improve rankings.
3. Reciprocal Linking Should Be Avoided
If done properly and organically, reciprocal linking can actually be useful. It’s commonly accepted that asking someone for a link or exchanging links between sites is spammy and something to be avoided. However, if there is a worthwhile, relevant site that you think would be good to link to and useful to your users, you can still link to it, even if it already has an existing link to your own site. This type of reciprocal linking is organic and relevant for both sites. Rather than penalize you, provided that the two sites are relevant to one another, it can actually help to improve link building.
4. Guest Posting Is Undesirable
Many people seem to think that guest posting is dead. However, the true value of guest posting goes beyond just acquiring links. When guest posting, particularly on a highly trafficked and relevant publication, you are able to market your business to a wider audience. Similarly, even acquiring nofollowed links can provide a range of digital marketing benefits, including increasing your flow of traffic and increasing your brand visibility.
5. Links Are Permanent
Link building is a continuous process. No links should ever be considered “permanent” and therefore in no further need of development or review. In addition to continuously seeking to build new links, you also need to keep a close eye on existing ones. For example, websites can cease to exist and some links may become broken. Additionally, some site owners choose to remove them, so it’s important to regularly review existing links and either update them or change them entirely, where appropriate.
6. Link Building Is Only About Increasing The Volume Of Links On Your Site
Although link building does seem to impact your rankings, it’s also fundamentally about building relationships with other sites. Apart from acquiring links, manual link building with other appropriate sites can provide you with a good marketing opportunity.
Furthermore, successful link building can help to increase the traffic to your website, as well as increase your brand’s visibility. More importantly, it can highlight your brand’s value and authority and is an important aspect of a wider brand building strategy.
Conclusion
Follow best practices for link building, in order to make your link building campaign work successfully. Ensure that the strategies you employ are legit and that the links you use are useful and relevant to users. Avoid spam, but don’t be afraid to seize good opportunities, and remember that it’s an ongoing process. If your link building has secure foundations, your hard work will be rewarded.
Christina Lee is an experienced social media strategist at Urgent assignment help. She regularly writes articles about the latest marketing trends, innovations and strategies. Christina writes articles offering tips and advice to businesses of all sizes, helping them to improve their marketing strategies and increase sales. In her spare time, Christina enjoys attending conferences and hiking with friends.
