Why You Should Start Link-Building Now

Link-building is very effective to drive referral traffic and increase a brand’s online reputation.

One of the most basic marketing tactics in SEO is building links. It is that simple yet very complex to master. For business, links are sort of signals that told them they have earned Google’s recognition which made their websites worthy of citation. But what exactly are links?

Simply put, inbound links, also known as backlinks, are HTML hyperlinks that point from one website to another. Here’s what interesting: they literally translates to a business’ real-life reputation. Websites with more backlinks tend to earn higher rankings on Google’s results page. So? You know what it means. Higher ranks equal more exposure.

What is Link Building?

Link-building is an SEO tactic which involved strategic placement of links in other websites that link back to the brand’s website or page. Marketers love link-building strategy simply because it’s that effective to drive referral traffic and increase the brand’s online reputation.

Backlinks are a significant factor that influences the site/page ranking in search engine’s result page. Just think how Wikipedia almost always comes first on Google’s search result page whenever users typed into the query box. The formula is simple. The more popular and important a website is, the more weight the links from that site carry. That’s why by utilizing link-building strategy, brands can increase their traffic exponentially and improve their organic search rankings.

What are the benefits of Link Building?

There are various reasons to utilize link-building strategy in your marketing portfolio. Here are some of them.

Brand exposure

There is no doubt that today, the majority of internet users go to search engine page as their primary access to information. For businesses, this means finding the most effective strategy to utilize this particular channel to benefit them. Like I said, the rule is simple, more traffic equals more exposure hence, more profits. An effective link-building strategy consists of involving high-quality links that are considered expert, authoritative, and trustworthy.

There are quite a lot of possible implementations with link-building strategy. One of them is through embedded widgets like what TripAdvisor has done. Obviously for travel industry, rating and user reviews are a huge factor in influencing consumer’s purchasing decision. TripAdvisor realized this and established themselves as the biggest platform for reviewing properties in the travel industry. The company created widgets for property owners/managers to embed the ratings and number of reviews for the property on their websites. These widgets naturally link back to TripAdvisor’s website. Although not all embedded widgets will maintain the link back to their website, but ultimately, considering the volume of other potential links, TripAdvisor successfully earns massive exposure online.

Indicators of trust and credibility

Did you remember the times when you go to a random website for news and notice there is a link which directs you to another more “trustworthy” website, such as Entrepreneur or Forbes? Link-building lets you do that. When you had other websites linked back to you for reference, in some way, your reputation and credibility have increased in the eyes of your potential clients. After all, all businesses love good press.

One of the effective link-building strategies for establishing a stellar reputation is through editorial links. Editorial links is usually placed within the body of a content and works like a citation on the website. Editorial links signal search engines that the linked-content is offering high value and trustworthy. So when a website like Huffington Post or Inc links back to your website, they are essentially giving you an approval and that tells Google that yours is a trusted website. How do you secure editorial links? Value-packed content is the answer. Naturally, these links are not easy to earn. Huffington Post, for example, commissioned two types of writers that work on different assignment and schedules. One is journalists, who go for valuable news and constantly update the progress. Another type is contributors, who have longer deadlines and could include freelancers or content writers.

Long-term investment

Brands that have used paid-ad strategies know that although necessary, but the nature of paid-tactic is not sustainable for a long period. More specifically, with paid-ads, brands are paying for a temporary exposure. After the ads is over, chances are they are either stuck with a stagnant ranking or worse, experienced setbacks.

Unlike paid ads, investment in link-building strategy lasts as long as the link and the page remain active. Links give your brand a permanent placement on virtual world which will continue to send referral traffic for the duration of their lifetime.

Wrapping Up

Link-building is by no means the whole essence of SEO. It is, though, an indispensable part of SEO marketing strategy as it serves as the permanent bridge between your brand and your audience. The success of link-building strategy depends on how you approach the tactic, so long as you frame your links with good, valuable, and relevant content.

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