What is Link Building in SEO and How it works: A Complete Guide

Have you ever wondered how certain websites rank so highly in Search Engines like Google — even when their content isn’t as good as some lower-ranked sites?

Well, the secret lies in link-building.

Link building is an essential part of SEO. It involves acquiring backlinks from other websites to boost a site’s authority and rankings in search engines.

But what exactly is a backlink? And why does link building matter so much for high search engine rankings? This guide will break it all down for you.

What is a Link Building?

A link building is simply a link from one website that points to another website.

For example, if Website A includes a link to Website B anywhere on their content, that counts as a backlink for Website B. These are also sometimes referred to as inbound links or inbound citations.

There are a few different types of backlinks, including:

• Editorial backlinks: Organically placed links within a blog article, news story, or other piece of content
• Web 2.0 backlinks: Links from Web 2.0 sites like Medium, Tumblr, WordPress, etc.
• Forum profile backlinks: Links within a forum profile description.
• Infographic backlinks: Links placed within an infographic posted on another site

Backlinks differ from internal links, which connect pages within the same website rather than linking externally. Focusing on high-quality backlinks from other sites is key to SEO success.

Why are Backlinks Important for SEO?

Backlinks serve as votes of confidence. Essentially, they signal to Google and other Search Engines that a website provides value worthy of being linked to from an external source.

Websites with more quality backlinks tend to have higher domain authority and page authority scores. Link authority is one of the top ranking factors for Google, so the more solid backlinks you accumulate, the better chance your site has of ranking higher in organic search results.

How Backlinks Impact Search Engine Rankings

Google has specifically stated that backlinks are one of the clearest demonstrations that a site deserves a higher ranking position:

“A site with a good reputation and high trust will likely receive more links from a wider variety of sites. In most cases, this is the effect of creating content that becomes popular and trusted over time, which results in people linking to that content organically without encouragement.” — Google Quality Raters’ Guidelines.

While the exact link-building algorithm used by Google is proprietary, we know that backlink quantity, quality, and velocity all influence rankings.

More high-quality backlinks signal authority and trust. Link velocity examines how quickly new backlinks are acquired — faster growth can suggest rising popularity.

Difference Between Bad Links and Good Links

Not all backlinks impact SEO value equally.

High-Quality Backlinks Have the Following Qualities:

• Originate from topically relevant, reputable websites with solid domain authority.
• Located in niche-related, helpful content that offers value to readers.
• Have contextual anchor text rather than over-optimized anchor text.
• It happens organically rather than being artificially created or manipulated

Low-Quality & Potentially Risky Backlinks Display These Attributes:

• It comes from low-authority spam sites, sketchy forums, link farms, etc.
• Don’t have any relevancy or shared themes/topics with your site.
• It exists solely to manipulate search algorithms rather than provide value.
• Created through automated programs or compensated posting agreements

Understanding the difference between white and black hat link building is crucial for long-term SEO success. Manipulating backlinks or violating search engine guidelines could negatively impact your site’s rank or visibility.

Let’s explore some recommended link-building strategies next.

White Hat Link Building Techniques and Strategies

Many ethical, effective link-building techniques can drive organic growth and maximize your site’s discoverability:

Guest Post Outreach

One of the best ways to earn reputable, authoritative backlinks is to write guest posts for popular sites accepting contributor submissions within your niche. Ensure you provide valuable insights for their audience while including natural links back to relevant pages on your site.

Link Insertion and Roundup Mentions

Look for opportunities to include your site’s best content in link roundup posts and content curation pieces published across your industry. Reach out to relevant site owners and insert links where appropriate.

Develop and Promote Resource Pages

Creating detailed resource pages that aggregate helpful industry information, tools, tutorials, or data provides a ton of organic linkage potential. Promote your selfless value contribution across your social channels and nurture links wherever appropriate.

Leverage Competitor Backlink Profiles

Use SEO tools for backlink analysis to explore the type of domains linking to competitor websites within your space. Identify those similar sites not yet linking to you that may be strategic partnership opportunities. This is known as the skyscraper technique, building links from an even stronger foundation than rivals.

Fix Broken Link Building

Find website pages with broken backlinks pointing to missing, deactivated, or outdated content. Then, replace those dead links with working links connected to your site’s relevant pages. Many webmasters appreciate help fixing their broken links with substitute recommendations.

Infographic Outreach

Develop captivating infographics filled with relevant industry data and reach out to publishers who may be interested in featuring your visual asset — with a backlink — in exchange for adding value for our audience.

I’d be happy to expand upon many other white hat link-building strategies, including partnerships, influencer marketing outreach, giveaways, and more. The key is providing value rather than seeking links.

Let’s discuss certain risky black hat techniques you’ll want to avoid.

Black Hat Link Building Techniques to Avoid

While grey hat tactics attempt to push the limits without directly violating Google guidelines, outright black hat link building breaks the rules search engines have explicitly discouraged.

Here are some shady, toxic linking tactics that can seriously damage your site:

• Buying or selling links — Paying or accepting payment for backlinks violates Google’s Webmaster Guidelines.
• Private blog network (PBN) links — Networks of fake blogs and sites solely created to build artificial link juice are highly risky.
• Article spinning — Creating duplicate content like spun articles to showcase anchor text links should be avoided.
• Forum over-optimization — Briefly contributing to community forums to drop links without adding value is considered spam.

Stay far away from this tactic, no matter how tempting the perceived short-term gains may be. Getting caught by search engines can mean drastic loss of organic visibility or even permanent site bans if the violations are severe enough.

Important Link Metrics to Track Progress

Speaking of measuring progress, here are some of the key link-building metrics and SEO data points to monitor:

• Domain Authority — As mentioned earlier, sites with higher domain authority tend to rank better than lower authority sites. This Moz metric shows your overall progress.
• Page Authority — Like DA but specific to each page, great for tracking authority of key landing pages.
• Link Velocity — This shows the rate at which new backlinks are acquired from month to month. Speeding velocity reflects growth.
• Referring Domains — Total number of unique domain links originating from. Wider reach signals increased influence.
• Spam Score — Indicates risks of toxic link penalties based on sketchy linking domains or patterns.

Use this data to showcase rising authority and reshape link-building campaigns as needed to drive the best results.

Link Building Tips & Best Practices

• Create Awesome Content -Focus first on producing excellent content worth linking to at scale before turning to outreach. Establish your site as an authoritative site that readers want to visit and engage with content other sites want to reference.
• Prioritize Site Speed — By improving your site speed and technical foundations; your site will seem more reputable, making earned links more.

Here are some additional tips for effective link-building:

• Leverage Influencer Marketing — Identify key influencers within your industry and proactively reach out to explore creative partnership opportunities. Getting mentioned by an authoritative site can work wonders.
• Enhance Internal Linking — Make sure to interlink relevant pages within your site to share authority. This provides search engines with more signals about site structure.
• Diversify Backlink Types — Avoid overreliance on just one or two link-building tactics. Strive for diversity, including guest posts, resource links, brand mentions, etc.
• Automate Prospecting — Use SEO tools to identify and manage outreach opportunities at scale. It saves a ton of time!

The key is providing value to users at every stage while integrating organic links only where helpful and relevant. Avoid over-optimization. Patience and persistence pay off.

Common Link-Building Mistakes to Avoid

It’s just as important to discuss what not to do when designing your link-building campaign:

• Moving Too Fast — Don’t blast link requests without taking the time to understand sites first. Quality over quantity. Slow organic growth aligns with best practices.
• Neglecting Current Links — Monitor existing links to your site and nourish those relationships. Don’t take partnerships for granted.
• Irrelevant Outreach — Target websites closely aligned with your industry with contextual opportunities. Mass emailing random sites won’t move the needle.
• Violating Guidelines — As covered earlier, know Google’s guidelines and avoid tactics flagged as manipulative or deceptive. Safety first.
• Over-Optimization — While SEO matters, links should support user experience rather than distract. Embed organically without keyword stuffing.

Conclusion & Final Thoughts

After breaking down exactly what link building entails alongside dos and don’ts, hopefully, you will recognize that link building is an essential long game for sustainable search visibility and traffic growth.

When done right, leveraging ethical white hat tactics and a few investments of time and effort can rival the immense SEO upside from building a diverse network of high authority backlinks over time.

• What link-building strategies resonated most with you?
• What other questions do you have about maximizing content promotion?

Let me know in the comments section below! Follow me to stay on top of the latest tips for ranking higher.

Read More, check out these guides:

• [What is User Intent in SEO]
• [How to Do Keyword Research for SEO: A Beginner’s Guide]
• [How to Know Which Keywords Are the Best]

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you give link-building services?

Yes, as a professional SEO expert, I have good knowledge and proven link-building strategies. I provide link-building services such as guest posts, web 2.0, profile and business listing, blog commenting, forum posting, image/pdf submissions, directory submission, and more. Contact Me for more details.

How much does link building cost on average?

The price for link-building services can vary widely but generally starts around $300-$500/month for basic package plans that include outreach and reporting. Enterprise options run over $2,500+.

Is buying backlinks illegal, according to Google?

Yes, buying or selling backlinks strictly violates Google’s webmaster guidelines, carrying severe penalties if discovered, including potential Google blacklists banning sites completely from search visibility. Avoid any paid backlink offers.

How many backlinks per month is good?

There is no universal magic number for how many monthly backlinks to acquire across industries. Focus instead on link velocity growth trends and monitoring quality rather than arbitrary volume goals that can incentivize cutting corners. Slow and steady through ethical tactics wins the race.

Can I build links without content?

Creating excellent content that deserves links organically should be the first step before any link building. Promoting thin or mediocre content through excessive optimization doesn’t align with long-term SEO success principles. Shift mindset away from content as link bait to content worth ranking alone on merit.