The best way of building links to create SEO-friendly content is not very clear at times, but not following sensible rules will lead to frustration. The thing is, rules do not really exist and this can leave us wondering how to best attract viewers and clients. This post aims to demystify some of the strongest link building myths.
Avoid obtaining links from sites whose domain authority is lower than your own
Domain authority takes all metrics into consideration, and establishes a correlation. Domain authority is a sorting function that helps in link building in the same way spam score does.
Authoritative inks are usually very good; for instance, links ranging from 80 to 90 and above. Some links will possess a spam score; sub-10 or 20, and this makes them very low merit. Make sure you connect with quality sites whose authority will not harm your own.
Don't obtain links from directories
Google penalizes sites and directories, and links to certain kinds of sites. These include SEO-focused directories, paid directories and low-quality directories. Authentic sites are the best places to obtain your links.
You shouldn't get fast links, or you will suffer penalties
This does not mean you literally suffer penalties for obtaining many links in a short period of time. It means Google scrutinizes links that show consist amounts of spam, or whose quality is low. Therefore, the site profile of those links, or practices attached to them, attract penalties.
There is no penalty attached to individuals who practice link building recommended anywhere on Google - just make sure the source of your links is good, without worrying about the pace you obtain them.
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Don't link to other websites - it leads to leaking of link equity, PageRank, and link juice
This myth is old school. Google does not use PageRank as the only trait of standardizing algorithmic quality. There are other traits present in Google's system they use to standardize it, but there is no prohibition to outside linking because of close relations to higher rankings.
Precise proportional variations are mandatory for anchor texts
Another crazy idea is that there is a constant for the number - or percentage - of keywords in your anchor texts, or that branding or partial branding is necessary for anchor phrases. Same goes for links for keywords, and anchor phrases you are ranking for.
Google is likely to check out your anchor text if rough forms characterize the content you are creating. For instance, the Google engine will pay even closer attention to your work if it discovers your content only focuses on matching your keywords, and not branding. Alternatively, Google might tell you, “Hey, there’s a problem, and we have to run a manual revision of your site.”
Therefore, it is imperative you are careful about how your anchor texts look, if you decide to do business the black/grey way. We also offer you some great advice on how to write attractive, SEO-friendly content here at freelancer.com.
If you directly ask for links, you risk suffering penalties
This is understandable, given that some organizations or individuals email their customers with something like “hey, please link to this site to continue enjoying our regular updates,” or, “hey, linking to our site will let you enjoy unbelievable discounts.” People get irritated by this kind of direct approach.
But some instances are exceptional. For example, where the media publishes something about you without linking to you. Asking for a link under such circumstances is absolutely not a bad thing. Another instance might be if you opened a business, and called the organization in charge of maintaining a relevant directory so they can add your address to their list. Again, there is nothing wrong with this, because it is not against any rules - in fact, they are doing the advertising for you.
This means there are many ways of directly asking for links. Put simply: bribery or manipulation - bad; helpful advertising - good!
It is useless involving multiple links from one website
Most people believe domain linking diversity is part of the focal metrics of link building. However, you will realize that sites using unique domains outshine their peers even with few linking sites. This is still applicable even under circumstances where many individual site pages provide the links.
If a site is likely to offer huge, quality traffic, you have no reason keeping it off. The links are there for you to invest in by directing traffic towards your site, not only for SEO purposes.
Non-related site links won't boost your ranking
This myth is rooted in the belief that Google is watching, lying in wait to say, “hey, can we see the rationale behind site B linking to site A?” However, Googlebot is more likely to count editorial links that go beyond, “it looks as if you are trying to improve your rankings via an SEO ploy.”
You should not be scared of links that do not directly relate to your site, because such links are often very useful. Your competitors will find it difficult to find them because they are often editorial; especially those earned, and not bought, manipulated or cajoled. Nothing is wrong with them, and you should not be worried when intending to use them.
With these facts put straight, you should be able to build effective SEO links without losing too much sleep. Avoid falling for these myths, because they could hold you back from exploring your full potential in this field.
Did you find this post useful? Do you have any other myths or old-school methods of link building you want to share with us? Drop us your suggestion or comment here, because we would love to hear from you.
