Link Building and How It Works

Without a doubt, links continue to be a crucial ranking factor. One of the main ways search engine algorithms assess the importance of a web page is through links. Simply put, a website’s content is useful if it attracts a lot of links (also called backlinks).

Google makes it clear that sites can benefit hugely from organic traffic if they increase the number of “high-quality links” from other reputable sites. For these links to be considered high-quality, Google looks at the link’s popularity and how trustworthy the referring websites are. Of course, this is just a cursory look at what link building entails.

In this piece, we define, in detail, what link building is all about, and how it works to help websites rank in search engines like Google.

What Is Link Building?

In simple terms, link building is the process of obtaining backlinks from other sites to your own. A link (also called a “hyperlink”) allows users to move between different internet pages. Links connect website to website and web pages within a website. This process also enables search engines to crawl the web.

SEO link building is a focused search engine optimization strategy that ensures that a website gets as many quality backlinks as possible in an effort to boost the site’s ranking. However, not every link is created with SEO in mind. Sites can gain backlinks, for instance, if they feature a very technical blog post which other websites refer to as their source.

Ultimately, the goal of every website is to attract links which they didn’t ask for. These are called ‘Natural links’, and typically occur when readers come across a website, like its content, and include a link from the site on their website without being asked.

Now you know what link building is all about, but why build links in the first place?

Why Is SEO Link Building So Important?

In recent times, more and more people are turning their attention online for entertainment, shopping, communication, and lots more. Smart brands see this as an opportunity and are pitching their tents online to get massive exposure.

Unfortunately, the online environment is brimming with competition, and only brands with the best SEO strategies get seen by potential customers on search engine result pages (SERP).

In the end, how websites rank all comes down to how search engines work. To determine which websites show up for specific terms, search engines like Google make use of sophisticated algorithms that consider a variety of ranking factors. And, without doubt, links are one of the most important factors for a site’s search rankings.

Link building is truly indispensable; it basically tells search engines that your website is a reliable source deserving of citations. As a result, websites with more backlinks typically achieve higher SERP performance. Site owners build links through a number of ethical link-building techniques, such as guest posting, broken link building strategies, and outreach campaigns on social media.

How Links Work In SEO

Search engines can be likened to spiders on the web. Their job is to crawl the web in search of useful web pages that satisfactorily meet the user’s needs. If, for instance, you want to find the latest men’s fashion wear, a search engine will crawl all its indexed web pages and bring you the pages that most accurately meet your need.

They will crawl both the links between your website’s individual pages (internal linking) and the links between different websites (external linking). Building links should be a goal for all business owners and marketers who want to enhance referral traffic and the authority of their websites.

Search engines are constantly crawling, and they use links in two main ways:

1. To find fresh web pages so they can incorporate them into their search results.
2. To decide how high a page should appear on the search result page.

In light of this, it is easy to see why perfectly optimized content on a web page may still not rank: because search engines not only consider the content’s quality but also its trustworthiness if it is to rank highly. Search engines see backlinks as a vote of confidence, so the more reputable websites link to your page, the more probable it is that it will appear high in search results. That is why link building for SEO is so important.

Nobody knows for sure the exact ranking factors Google uses – part of the company’s secret recipe. But It is generally accepted among SEO circles that the quality and volume of links pointing to a web page can significantly affect its rankings.

What May Be Preventing My Website from Ranking on Search?

If you have a physical business or provide a service, chances are that you already own a website promoting your brand. But creating a functional website is only half the battle; if it doesn’t rank well, then it’s no good. Even more worrying, research shows that 91% of active websites don’t get a single visitor. If your website is not getting the attention it deserves, any (or a combination) of these four factors could be the problem:

1. The website is not indexed.
2. Unresolved (on-site) technical issues.
3. Linking Issues (internal or external).
4. Unoptimized website content.

Of all these, linking issues are the hardest to resolve because link building is a slow and deliberate process. A well-defined site structure as well as quality links improve a search engine’s understanding of your website. So, even if your content is brilliantly written and well-optimized, your chances of ranking well are low if your internal and external link-building campaign is weak.

Link building can be quite challenging. It requires a mix of marketing, sales, copywriting, subject matter authority, technical SEO, and sometimes even coding. Fortunately, you can let Aussie SEO manage all of that while you focus on running your business.