A link (hyperlink) is an HTML object used to link (or connect) web-pages with each other. Links are present pretty much everywhere on the internet and can be attached to text, videos and images.

Links offer significant benefits to visitors as well as site owners.

For visitors, links facilitate their navigation through the internet by helping them jump from one page to another.

For site owners, links pointing to their site help them increase their online visibility by connecting their site with other related-topic-sites with high search traffic.

And having good visibility on the internet is the key to generate:

Search traffic
Leads
Revenue

…which is the ultimate goal of every site owner.

So, now that you know the importance of links let’s see exactly what link building is.

Link building is the SEO process of placing a link pointing to your website on other relevant websites.

Google sees each link as a ‘vote’…

The more links you have, the more trustworthy your site appears in the eyes of Google. And do you know what happens when Google trusts a site?

It sends more traffic and ranks it well in the SERPs.

And the best is:

If Google trusts your site, people will do too!

However, not all links are equal.

There are bad links (spammy, irrelevant and low quality), and there are good high authority links that hold much more sway.

And trust me, it’s crucial for the prosperity of your site to focus on building high-quality links- so you don’t put your site at risk.

2. What Makes A Strong Link?

So now the question is: what makes a link powerful?

Well, there are four elements to consider when it comes to building links…

Relevancy

The first thing that makes a link powerful is its relevance.

Your links need to be placed within content that is highly relevant to your target page.

For example, if you have an ecommerce site that sells pet’s products (food, toys, etc.), you want it to be connected to blogs that speak about pets, published content about pets and even promote products for pets.

By placing your links on related-topic websites, you are sure that people that see your links are interested in what you have to offer and Google will see this as good user experience.

Domain Strength

You should aim to get a link from sites that are well-known in your niche.

Why?

Because if you manage to get a link from an authoritative website back to your own, you’ll gain credibility as well as visibility. Using Ahrefs metrics (DR) is the best way to gauge a websites authority.

The more powerful the site, the more powerful the impact a link from it will have.

Page Strength

This completes the previous point.

You want your links to be placed on pages that have consistent search traffic.

Let me explain:

If your links are present on a popular page (with high search traffic), they’re going to be seen and exposed to a lot more people.

And the more people see/click your links, the better.

Anchor Text

The anchor text is surprisingly the forgotten factor. The anchor text is the text your link is attached to.

It is always best to have a range of anchor texts so your links appear natural. Make sure to include-

Target keywords
Topical
Branded
URL
Misc (click here)

…and when the time comes to fight for the top ranking spots, you can analyse your competitor’s anchors and see which of those categories Google prefers and adapt your strategy accordingly.

3. In House Vs Outsourcing Link Building

When it comes to link building, there are two ways you can go.

There are the ones that prefer building their links internally (by themselves or with an in-house team) and the ones that choose to hire a link building specialist to do the job.

Whatever option you choose, it is important to understand the pros and cons.

In House Link Building

In house link building is great because it gives you total control over the whole process: from the strategies used, the content quality and the negotiation of costs with publishers.

But don’t let that fool you. It’s a challenging task that requires:

Patience
Motivation
Skills

And money!

Many SEOs (newbies and professionals) think that building their own links will save them money.

But it is not always true.

Building links have a cost:

Between the wages, the content creation and the publication fees… they are plenty of expenses to take into account.

But if you feel like you (or your team) can handle it, go for it. I promise it’s worth it.

Link Building Services

The other solution is to outsource your link building by hiring a link building service.

Outsourcing is the right solution if you want to focus on other aspects of your business and don’t want to waste your time and energy with links.

But, be aware: there are many people who will sell you dodgy links disguised as high-quality links.

So, to avoid getting tricked, I’m going to give you some advice:

Stay away from cheap agencies
Avoid services that build links from sites with no traffic
Stay away from services that share site lists
Avoid services that build links from sites with “Write For Us” pages

And last but not least: avoid services that don’t demonstrate quality control.

If you follow these tips, you’ll stay out of trouble.

4. Link Building Strategies

For those who want to build their own links, I have a few strategies to share with you.

Guest Posting

Guest blogging is one of the most popular link building strategies out there.

The idea behind this technique is pretty straightforward.

Write a unique piece of content that includes a few links (at least one) pointing to your site and then get it published on someone else’s site.

To be honest with you, the hardest part is not the writing but finding a website that is willing to accept and publish your post.

But if you outreach the right people and have a great piece of content, it shouldn’t be too much of a struggle.

However, be aware: numerous sites are asking for publication fees:

So, pay attention to that and be prepared to have a publication budget.

Testimonial Link Building

Testimonial link building is another efficient but overlooked strategy. This link building technique is about reaching out and offering a positive testimonial for services or products you’re using.
If the testimonial is relevant and helpful, it will get published with a link back to your website.
It’s kind of a win-win situation:
You are happy because you get a link back to your website.
The other site is happy because their product/service is endorsed by someone else, making them more trustworthy in the eyes of their potential customers.

Link Round-Ups

Link round-ups are blog posts that include links to other people’s articles/sites.

These posts are usually themed.

For example, if the post’s theme is ‘SEO in 2021’, you’ll probably find links pointing to SEO blog posts written by experts that give their take about the new SEO tendencies in 2021.

Make sense?

If not, just take a look at this example from Matt Diggity’s Blog.

To get a link from link round-ups, it’s relatively easy.

All you have to do is find blogs in your niche that publish these kinds of articles and pitch them with your content.

If your content fits their themes, you’ll see your link published.

Resource Pages

Getting listed on ‘resources pages’ of popular blogs in your niche is a great opportunity.

It can give you higher visibility, credibility and help you increase your sales considerably.

How does it work?

You need to find blogs that offer ‘resource pages’ where they list all the tools, guides and articles that they use or have found useful.
Contact them, pitch your products/services/blog.

Pitching your content is the hardest part. You need to be convincing but not too pushy.

And if everything goes well and smoothly, you will get your link published.

Internal Linking

Internal link building is (unfortunately) an under-utilised strategy. Unlike the strategies above, internal links help people to navigate through your website.

Internal links will move your visitors from one page to another one- within your site.

This technique is great because you have total control over those links. You can choose which pages you’re going to connect- based on your goals.

Overall, you can use internal link building to:

Flow authority from one page to another
Generate traffic to new/old pages
Offer complementary content/products to your visitors
Boost sales & increase revenue

No wonder it’s Amazon’s favourite strategy:

See how they use internal links to push people to buy more products?

To be honest, this is probably my favourite strategy because it’s free to do, easy to implement and generates excellent results!

Wrapping Up

There you have it: everything you need to know to start your link building journey.

And remember: it’s not the number of links you build that count but the quality.

So make sure you build (or receive) only high-quality links that respect the principles we covered in this article.

And if you decide to hire someone to help you out, do your research and make sure you are receiving a good quality service!

link building search engine optimisation SEO

Mike Ncube

I'm a Certified Google Ads Expert and Marketing Author and in this blog I share my latest tips and secrets on how to promote your business successfully on the web and increase customer loyalty, retention and advocacy on Google Ads.

1. What Is Link Building & Why You Need It?