What is Link building?
First things first, a hyperlink is basically just any link that forms a bridge from one page to another on the internet. The process of putting up these hyperlinks on the pages of your website is called link building. Search engine’s radars usually scan for these links to see how well they connect various pages on a website or how they link up the website to another external website.
Link building can be accomplished in a number of ways and according to recent statics, it is the hardest part of search engine optimization. As a result many spend a lot of time tweaking this aspect in a bid to stay head and shoulders above the competition and other SEOs. If that is your goal as well, then it’s important that you learn the ropes of building top-notch links.
The importance of link building for SEO
1) It can boost your Google rankings
Links are considered an essentially ranking aspect by Google’s search engine as it usually taken to depict the quality of a website. The thinking behind this is that when another third party decides to put their links on a certain webpage, it is basically a measure of the confidence they have in the website; akin to how a good restaurant will get a lot of referrals. Going by that logic, a website embedded with considerable hyperlinks will therefore fare much better on the Google ranking scale.
However, the manner in which you acquire such links is of the essence as many have found a way around the ranking algorithm to tip the scales in their favor. Consequently, Google has singled out certain methods of adding links- e.g. link building through web directory submissions- terming them as over-optimization so if you want to stay within their good books, its best to go the way of white hat SEO optimization techniques.
2) Builds rapport with other parties
Often industry stakeholders will reach out to related websites who they think are best placed to push their product or service forward in accordance with a specialized niche. If you produce good content related to what these players in the industry are looking for, then you are bound to interact with some of the big names and forge essential long-term relationships that therefore speak volumes about your business’ credibility.
3) An upturn in referral traffic
A link from a more established website is great news for a struggling or up and coming website as it could be the lending hand it needs to push it into its own stride. If the website providing your links gets massive traffic and your content is somewhat related to theirs, then you’ll also get a significant spillover of traffic from your link provider which will increase your traffic and this is essentially the primary goal of SEO.
4) Brand building
Honest link building methods like creating quality content can help cement your brand as a reputable one. If, for instance, you obtain some industry data and use to make a niche-related publishing, then you are bound to be recognized for a job well done. Moreover, reaching out to other websites indicates your level of expertise in the matter which will go a long in putting in a good word for your brand.
And that’s the lowdown on linking building and its relevance to SEO in a nutshell.