The effectiveness of SEO should not be underestimated, and one of the components of website optimization and promotion is link building. Essentially, it involves placing links to your site on popular portals. It's not just about generating traffic when people click on those links. Having links to your site on other resources increases your link profile and enhances your reputation in the eyes of search engine algorithms.
The principle is simple: the more high-quality websites link to you, the higher your website's rankings in Google and Yandex search results. Of course, link building is not the only tool for developing your resources. However, it cannot be ignored.
Paid and free links
Nothing is done for free. Even if you are not asked for money for publishing content with a link on any resource, it still requires effort to prepare. You need to write material that will motivate users to visit your website. If you place a link for free, the content must be high-quality and useful for the audience of the donor portal. Otherwise, its owners will refuse to publish your links and posts as they won't see any benefit for themselves.
Paid placements, on the one hand, guarantee a certain level of quality from the donor site. By being featured on such sites, you can gain a significant increase in link equity and a boost in search engine rankings. However, the challenge is that you need a considerable number of links, so it's worth preparing a budget in advance.
It's important to note that you can leave links not only within posts and content but also engage in spamming them in comments. While this method can be effective, your messages may be deleted by the owners of the donor sites, and users tend to perceive them poorly.
It's important to note that you can leave links not only within posts and content but also engage in spamming them in comments. While this method can be effective, your messages may be deleted by the owners of the donor sites, and users tend to perceive them poorly.
Analyzing competitors
How to determine what link building strategy your competitors are using? To do this, you need to look at the websites where they place their links and how frequently they do so. One important condition for successful promotion through link building is the even distribution of links across various platforms. Otherwise, search engine algorithms may detect manipulation and penalize the site's rankings.
How to analyze the backlink profile of competitors?
Enter your target keyword in Google or Yandex and look at the websites in the top 5 search results.
Compile a list of competitors that rank higher than you (or lower, to gather additional potential donor sites for building your link profile).
Check which websites are linking to your competitors.
Performing such analysis manually is practically impossible. Therefore, you will need to use third-party tools. The following tools are suitable for this purpose:
Yes, these services may require payment. However, some offer trial access, allowing you to assess their functionality and find the one that suits you best.
Essentially, you need to gather the links pointing to your competitors' websites and upload them to the chosen service for analysis.
Enter your target keyword in Google or Yandex and look at the websites in the top 5 search results.
Compile a list of competitors that rank higher than you (or lower, to gather additional potential donor sites for building your link profile).
Check which websites are linking to your competitors.
Performing such analysis manually is practically impossible. Therefore, you will need to use third-party tools. The following tools are suitable for this purpose:
- Ahrefs.com
- Majestic SEO
- Open Site Explorer
- SeoLib
- Serpstat
- App.neilpatel.com
Yes, these services may require payment. However, some offer trial access, allowing you to assess their functionality and find the one that suits you best.
Essentially, you need to gather the links pointing to your competitors' websites and upload them to the chosen service for analysis.
Let's take the example of App.neilpatel. Select the "Backlinks" tab and enter the website address in the search bar. Click on "Search".
After that, the service will show you the dynamics of placements and link acquisitions for the website on external resources on a monthly basis, backlink statistics, and information about the donor sites. Pay attention to where your competitors are frequently placed: this will help you choose donors that can provide the most link equity.
After that, the service will show you the dynamics of placements and link acquisitions for the website on external resources on a monthly basis, backlink statistics, and information about the donor sites. Pay attention to where your competitors are frequently placed: this will help you choose donors that can provide the most link equity.
How to choose a donor for link building?
The best donor is a website with a large number of pages and high-quality content. However, there are several specific parameters to consider when making a selection.
Domain age: "Mature" sites are preferred. The older the domain, the better, as search engines consider it more authoritative.
Content update frequency: Pay attention to how often new content or posts are published. Old domains with no fresh content won't benefit you.
Domain quality metrics: Check the site's Yandex Index of Quality (IKS), Domain Rating (DR), and Domain Authority (DA). You'll need to use specialized tools to gather this data. The higher these metrics, the better.
Site relevance: While in theory you can place links on any site, it's best to choose donors that are relevant to your niche. So, for example, it's not advisable to publish links to a gambling website on portals dedicated to cryptocurrencies or online education. However, here's a little hack: if the donor site is different from your niche but has relevant pages (or discussion threads in forums), you can still use it. The key is that the relevance of the donor page matters more than the overall site.
Geographic targeting: Choose donors that are relevant to your target audience. This not only helps generate clicks but also improves your rankings in specific countries or regions.
Indexing: The more frequently and quickly the donor site gets indexed by search engine bots, the better.
Traffic: High traffic is beneficial, but it's important to assess behavioral factors such as page depth, content consumption, and click-through rates within articles.
Design and usability: This indirect parameter directly influences how visitors interact with donor site pages. Optimal choices are fast-loading sites with user-friendly interfaces.
Content: It's simple: the better and higher-quality the content on the site, the more positively users will respond to it. And the more link equity you'll gain from placing links on it.
Content update frequency: Pay attention to how often new content or posts are published. Old domains with no fresh content won't benefit you.
Domain quality metrics: Check the site's Yandex Index of Quality (IKS), Domain Rating (DR), and Domain Authority (DA). You'll need to use specialized tools to gather this data. The higher these metrics, the better.
Site relevance: While in theory you can place links on any site, it's best to choose donors that are relevant to your niche. So, for example, it's not advisable to publish links to a gambling website on portals dedicated to cryptocurrencies or online education. However, here's a little hack: if the donor site is different from your niche but has relevant pages (or discussion threads in forums), you can still use it. The key is that the relevance of the donor page matters more than the overall site.
Geographic targeting: Choose donors that are relevant to your target audience. This not only helps generate clicks but also improves your rankings in specific countries or regions.
Indexing: The more frequently and quickly the donor site gets indexed by search engine bots, the better.
Traffic: High traffic is beneficial, but it's important to assess behavioral factors such as page depth, content consumption, and click-through rates within articles.
Design and usability: This indirect parameter directly influences how visitors interact with donor site pages. Optimal choices are fast-loading sites with user-friendly interfaces.
Content: It's simple: the better and higher-quality the content on the site, the more positively users will respond to it. And the more link equity you'll gain from placing links on it.
Planning to purchase backlinks
Planning to purchase backlinks. After analyzing competitors and collecting donor sites, it is necessary to plan the number of monthly placements. Here are some simple tips to avoid search engine penalties:
Start purchasing backlinks gradually. The growth should be gradual and consistent.
Don't decrease the number of backlinks abruptly. If you have been purchasing 50-100 links per month for 2-3 months, avoid drastically reducing their quantity (at least while focusing on your website's development). A sudden decrease can negatively impact your search engine rankings.
Start purchasing backlinks gradually. The growth should be gradual and consistent.
Don't decrease the number of backlinks abruptly. If you have been purchasing 50-100 links per month for 2-3 months, avoid drastically reducing their quantity (at least while focusing on your website's development). A sudden decrease can negatively impact your search engine rankings.
Anchor and non-anchor links
Anchor (derived from the word "anchor") is the text placed within a link. In this case, the user sees words or phrases with a link embedded in them. The simplest example is using keywords you are targeting. Creating anchor lists is an essential part of link building because search engines not only look at the link itself but also the embedded key within it. However, it's important to note that directly stuffing anchor texts with keywords can lead to penalization. Therefore, it is crucial to use logically justified and readable anchor texts that align with the content's topic.
Is it possible to work without anchors? In general, yes. Non-anchor links refer to brand mentions (for example, writing "ZorbasMedia" and attaching a hyperlink), using generic phrases ("Read more," "Click here," etc.), or using image links.
When analyzing competitors, pay attention to both anchor and non-anchor links they use. This will help you evaluate their strategy and understand the appropriate balance between such types of links.
Is it possible to work without anchors? In general, yes. Non-anchor links refer to brand mentions (for example, writing "ZorbasMedia" and attaching a hyperlink), using generic phrases ("Read more," "Click here," etc.), or using image links.
When analyzing competitors, pay attention to both anchor and non-anchor links they use. This will help you evaluate their strategy and understand the appropriate balance between such types of links.
Where can you place your links?
There are different types of links. Link building involves not only placement on large portals with quality content but also various other techniques. What can you use?
In-content links: This requires effort in preparing high-quality content that will be interesting to users. Forums: This is part of crowd marketing. You can publish comments, start discussion threads, etc. The main goal is to attract audience attention and showcase your link. Submissions: These are websites that allow you to submit user-generated information. Examples include Yandex.Maps, review aggregators for bonuses, discounts, etc. Presentations: Surprisingly, Google and Yandex favor PDF files. If you create any educational materials (e.g., working with offers in online education), you can and should include a link to your website within them. Review sites: It is possible to include links in reviews. However, avoid excessive use. Allocate around 10% of your overall link building strategy to this approach. It can help generate user clicks and additional link equity. However, ensure that the comments are "live" and "natural." Avoid overusing such tactics, as it may result in penalties for your website.
In-content links: This requires effort in preparing high-quality content that will be interesting to users. Forums: This is part of crowd marketing. You can publish comments, start discussion threads, etc. The main goal is to attract audience attention and showcase your link. Submissions: These are websites that allow you to submit user-generated information. Examples include Yandex.Maps, review aggregators for bonuses, discounts, etc. Presentations: Surprisingly, Google and Yandex favor PDF files. If you create any educational materials (e.g., working with offers in online education), you can and should include a link to your website within them. Review sites: It is possible to include links in reviews. However, avoid excessive use. Allocate around 10% of your overall link building strategy to this approach. It can help generate user clicks and additional link equity. However, ensure that the comments are "live" and "natural." Avoid overusing such tactics, as it may result in penalties for your website.
Conclusion
Link building is important, and it is crucial for every website you plan to work with in the long term. It is always possible to manipulate behavioral factors, keyword stuffing, and other tactics to artificially boost a website temporarily. However, such a site will not sustain success for long. That's why a well-planned approach to link acquisition and gradual growth of your link profile will help you achieve top rankings, maintain them, and generate profit from the traffic you attract.