Link-building practices can either be poor or effective. Today we will talk about the impacts of both link-building practices and how their consequences can be observed in search engine rankings.
Ethical link building practices
Improved crawlability and indexing
Search engines rely on two crucial functions to deliver search results: crawling and indexing. Crawling involves automated programs, often referred to as spiders or bots, traversing the web by following links on existing pages. These bots gather information about the content and structure of each discovered page.
Subsequently, indexing takes over, storing and organizing the retrieved information within a massive database known as the search engine’s index.
When other websites link to your content, you’re essentially inviting crawlers to follow those links and discover your pages. The more backlinks you have, the more likely crawlers are to find your website.
Strategic link building often involves creating a well-organized internal linking structure. This means linking relevant pages within your website, making it easier for crawlers to navigate and understand the relationships between different pages. This comprehensive internal linking helps crawlers discover all your valuable content, not just the homepage.
Increased user traffic
When other websites link to your content, they’re essentially sending their audience your way. Ahrefs studies show a direct correlation between the number of backlinks a webpage has and the amount of organic traffic it receives.
Link building can also increase user traffic to a website by helping search engines understand that the site’s content is relevant and valuable. This can lead to higher search rankings, which can then drive more organic traffic to the site.
Topic relevance
Search engines constantly strive to connect users with the most relevant and authoritative information for their queries. One of the ways they achieve this is by analyzing the connections between websites through backlinks.
By building backlinks from topically relevant websites, you’re essentially telling search engines you’re a valuable resource for specific keywords.
Moz research suggests that backlinks from websites with similar domain authority (DA) in your niche carry more weight than links from high DA websites outside your topic area. This emphasizes the importance of focusing on backlinks from relevant industry leaders.
Impact on search algorithm
Backlinko research by SEO expert Brian Dean suggests that backlinks are one of the top two factors considered by Google’s PageRank algorithm, a core component of their ranking system
While the exact inner workings of search engine algorithms remain a closely guarded secret, backlinks are widely considered one of the top factors influencing website ranking.
Search engines don’t just crawl websites; they also monitor user behavior on those websites. Backlinks can indirectly influence user engagement metrics like click-through rates (CTR) and time spent on page. If users find the content behind backlinks valuable, they’re more likely to spend more time on your website, which can be a positive ranking factor for search engines.
Improved website’s E-E-A-T
Google’s search algorithms prioritize websites that demonstrate strong expertise, experience, authority, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T). This evaluation often includes examining external signals, such as customer reviews and feedback on third-party platforms, to identify potential issues and ensure positive user experiences.
A robust backlink profile with high-quality, contextually relevant links can significantly boost your site’s authority and credibility within its niche, signaling search engines that your content is trustworthy and valuable. Conversely, a site with low E-E-A-T can experience reduced visibility in search results, even if it ranks well on-page for relevant keywords. Focusing on E-E-A-T strengthens search performance and builds lasting trust with your audience, aligning your site with Google’s standards for high-quality, user-centered content.
How poor link building hurts rankings
Not all aspects of backlinks are beneficial. Inappropriate incoming links can negatively impact your ranking and reputation. Let’s explore how your link-building campaign could potentially harm your website:
Links from unreputable sources
The importance of acquiring backlinks from reputable sources is well-established. While avoiding disreputable websites seems straightforward during link building, it’s not always achievable.
Blog commenting exemplifies this challenge. A comment containing a casual link to your website might seem acceptable initially. However, the blog might later flag the comment as spam. This can negatively impact user perception of the entire page, potentially deterring clicks on all links, including yours.
Mass link building techniques
Mass link building tactics employing generic outreach emails can be detrimental. These automated programs target website owners with numerous requests for various clients. This practice can irritate website owners, potentially leading to public exposure of the agency or blacklisting by spam filters.
Spam directories
Web directory submissions can influence search engine rankings, but quality is paramount. Spammy directories offer minimal SEO benefit and can negatively impact website authority in search engine algorithms. Carefully evaluate directory relevance and reputation before submission to avoid potential ranking devaluation.
Forum spam
Online forums can be valuable for brand building, but engagement must be genuine. Repetitive posting of identical comments across forums solely to generate backlinks can trigger spam filters and damage your online reputation. Focus on providing valuable insights and participating authentically within forum communities.
To wrap up
A well-defined link building strategy is essential to avoid negative SEO penalties from low-quality backlinks. Focus on acquiring high-authority, topically relevant links that demonstrably improve organic search ranking.
Consulting with a professional link-building agency can provide valuable expertise for crafting a comprehensive strategy.
