What is linkbuilding in Digital Marketing and how can it boost your digital strategy?

Linkbuilding constitutes an essential pillar in the field of Digital Marketing. In an environment where online visibility is crucial, understanding and effectively applying link-building strategies can make the difference between success and stagnation on the web. In this article, we will attempt to answer what linkbuilding is, followed by some tips on how to carry out this strategy correctly.

What is Linkbuilding?

Linkbuilding, also known as link construction, is a strategy that involves obtaining quality links pointing to a website from other Internet pages.

These links are not only connections between different parts of the web but also act as votes of confidence that search engines like Google use to evaluate the relevance, authority, and quality of a website.

To fully understand the nature and impact of linkbuilding, it is essential to explore the various aspects that make up this strategy. From its origins to the latest techniques and tools available.

Brief history of Linkbuilding

The evolution of linkbuilding reflects the constant change and development of the digital landscape. Previously, in the early stages of the Internet and search engines, the number of links pointing to a website was considered an indicator of its importance and relevance. At that time, webmasters and SEO agencies focused on obtaining as many links as possible, without paying much attention to the quality or relevance of these. 

However, with the advancement of algorithms and the increasing sophistication of search engines like Google, the perspective on linkbuilding has undergone a significant change. Nowadays, the quality and relevance of links are crucial aspects that directly influence the effectiveness of a link building strategy.

Google and other search engines have implemented increasingly sophisticated algorithms capable of evaluating the quality and relevance of links more accurately. Instead of simply counting the number of links, these algorithms consider a variety of factors, such as the authority of the linking site, the relevance of the linked content, and the diversity of sources pointing to the site.

This evolution has led to a change in the mentality and strategies of linkbuilding. Now, SEO and digital marketing professionals focus on creating high-quality and relevant links, rather than simply pursuing quantity. This involves establishing relationships with other relevant websites, creating valuable and engaging content that generates organic links, and ensuring that the links are natural and relevant within the context of the content.

What types of Linkbuilding exist?

Now that you know what link building is and how it has evolved over the years, it’s time to take it a step further. But before we can move forward, we need to define the different types of link building that exist.

Currently, there are two main types of link building: internal and external, each with its own advantages and associated strategies:

1. Internal Linkbuilding:

Internal linkbuilding focuses on creating links within your own website. These links connect different pages and sections within your domain. The main purpose of internal linkbuilding is to strengthen the structure of the site and improve the user experience by providing smoother and more coherent navigation.

How does internal linkbuilding work?

• Improves navigation: Internal links make it easier for users to find and navigate different sections and pages of your website.

• Distributes authority: Internal links can distribute page authority among different sections, which can benefit search engine rankings.

• Increases user retention: By directing users to relevant content within your own site, you increase the chances of retaining their attention and time on your platform.

2. External Linkbuilding:

On the other hand, external linkbuilding involves obtaining links from other websites that point to yours, this is the type of link building we will focus on in this article. As mentioned earlier, these external links are votes of trust and relevance for search engines, which can increase the authority and visibility of your website online.

How does external linkbuilding work?

• Increases domain authority: Linkbuilding is essential for any effective digital marketing strategy. It helps to improve domain authority and, ultimately, search engine ranking. External links from relevant and quality websites can increase your domain authority, which can improve your positioning in search results. For example, B2B companies can greatly benefit by using B2B ecommerce portal to gain relevant and authoritative backlinks. This can be extremely useful if you want to promote your website organically.

• Generates qualified traffic: External links from sites with similar audiences can drive qualified traffic to your website, which can increase not only the number of users visiting your page but also conversions and interaction.

• Builds relationships: External linkbuilding can also help you establish relationships with other websites and professionals in your industry, which can open up future collaboration and promotion opportunities.

In summary, both internal and external linkbuilding are fundamental components of an effective SEO strategy. Combining both approaches in a balanced way can help strengthen your website’s structure, improve its online visibility, and increase its authority in search engines.

What is linkbuilding for?: Objectives and Importance

Now that you know what link building is and what types exist, it’s time to understand what it’s for. Linkbuilding plays a fundamental role in the success of a Digital Marketing strategy.

Its objectives and importance are multifaceted and range from positioning in search engines to building online authority, something we won’t tire of repeating in this article, or ever. And, to leave no doubt, below we detail the main purposes and relevance of this strategy:

Improves your ranking in search engines:

Search engines, like Google, use complex algorithms to rank and present the most relevant search results to users. Quality links are one of the most important factors that search engines consider when determining the relevance and authority of a website.

Links from other websites to yours are interpreted as votes of trust and relevance. The more quality links point to your site, the more likely search engines will consider it relevant and rank it higher in search results.

Increases traffic to your website:

Links from other websites can be an important source of traffic to your own site. When other websites link to relevant content on your page, they are providing their own users with a direct path to your site.

In short, links from related and authoritative websites can direct interested and qualified users to your page. As a result, these visitors are more likely to become potential customers or interact with your content.

Builds domain authority:

Domain authority is a measure of the credibility and reliability of a website as a whole. Links from trusted and high-quality sites can improve the perception of your website as a reliable source of information.

When other websites link to your content, they are implicitly endorsing the quality and relevance of your content. This can contribute to building a positive reputation and perception of your site as an authority in your niche or industry.

What types of linkbuilding techniques exist?

Linkbuilding encompasses a variety of techniques and approaches that can be used to obtain quality links to a website. Below, we share in detail the main types of linkbuilding techniques:

MD Tip: don’t forget that any of these techniques involve a risk. Google controls everything (from search history to selected results in the SERP) and does not view link exchange for money or any other service favorably. That’s why it’s always advisable to have an alternative when developing a linkbuilding strategy.

Link exchange:

Link exchange involves collaborating with other website owners to (as the name suggests) exchange links. This method results in both parties linking to each other to improve the authority and visibility of their websites.

Guest posting:

Guest posting involves writing and publishing content on relevant blogs or websites within your industry or niche. By contributing valuable and relevant content, you can obtain links to your own website from the author bio or within the content itself.

Sponsored links:

Sponsored links involve paying other websites to include links to your site. This technique can be effective for obtaining links from relevant and authoritative sites, but it is important to ensure that sponsored links comply with search engine guidelines.

In the words of our SEO Manager, Luciano Truck, when it comes to sponsored links:

“It is very important to verify that the sites from which we are going to link have a healthy domain. This means that we must analyze both the quality of links and the quality of content on this site. In case we detect irregular development in organic traffic performance or in its backlinking profile, we refine our analysis to detect possible negative SEO strategies on the site, which would make us discard that domain as a valid option.

On the other hand, it is important that the theme of the site is related to the industry of the page we are working on. The link is more natural if the sites deal with similar topics and is less suspicious for search engines.

Finally, it is important to control with which anchor text the link will be made. Always using the keyword for which we are optimizing our content can make Google suspicious of this practice and penalize us. We recommend always using different anchor texts and long tails (hiding the keyword among other complementary terms).”

Luciano Truck, SEO Manager en MD Marketing Digital

Social profiles, directories, and forums:

Actively participating in relevant social profiles, directories, and forums can help you obtain links to your website. By completing profiles and participating in discussions, you can establish profile links that can be beneficial for your link building strategy.

To carry out this task, at our Digital Marketing agency, we have the help of SEO Specialist Javier Osorio, who collaborates with the link building strategies of our clients. When creating links in directories and discussion forums, Javi recommends us:

“Directories are not only part of a link building strategy, they also contribute to Local SEO. This is why it is key to complete profiles in local and professional directories in detail, not only the NAP (Name, Address & Phone), but also the products or services offered.

In the case of forums and social profiles, it is important to actively participate in the conversation and be attentive to mentions of the brand or queries in which our product or service could be a solution. Several platforms have moderators to prevent posts with the sole purpose of self-promotion, but they allow joining a thread or conversation and including a comment with the link if it adds value to users.”

Javier Osorio, SEO Analyst at MD Marketing Digital

Comments:

Interacting on blogs and related websites through relevant and helpful comments can be another way to obtain links to your site. It is important to leave meaningful and relevant comments that add value to the conversation.

Regarding this practice, Javi gives us some extra tips:

“One of the best tools for this strategy is Disqus, a comment system used in most blogs and news sites. Its main advantage is that by using the footprint “powered by Disqus” we can find publications related to our topic to post a valuable comment that includes a link.

As a recommendation: it is convenient to change Disqus accounts periodically because in case of being penalized, we do not lose all the links made.”

Javier Osorio, SEO Analyst at MD Marketing Digital

Linkbuilding Black Hat

Just as in real life, in the digital world there are also more cunning people. Black Hat linkbuilding, on the other hand, comprises practices that could be considered controversial and questionable, sometimes prohibited by search engines. This includes techniques such as mass link buying, creating backlinks from low-quality websites, or participating in manipulated link schemes. These practices can result in penalties from search engines and damage the reputation of your website in the long run.

There are different types of penalties (algorithmic penalty, manual penalty, per page, per site, among others) and they can range from a decrease in search ranking to complete removal from the search index, which can have devastating consequences for the visibility and online reputation of a website in the long term.

Black Hat linkbuilding is a discouraged strategy since it not only contravenes search engine policies but also compromises the integrity and credibility of the online ecosystem as a whole. Likewise, if you decide to opt for this strategy, keep in mind that you do so at your own risk and consider the possible repercussions for your website or that of your clients.

It is important to remember that an SEO specialist always walks on the edge of the abyss, without becoming black or white (let’s not forget Amanda Chicago Lewis‘ words) and many times we find solutions in unconventional alternatives. The secret is to do it in the best possible way, without falling into discouraged and risky practices.

Tips for carrying out an effective linkbuilding strategy

We have already seen what types of linkbuilding strategies exist (both good and risky). Next, we are going to share with you a series of fundamental tips to carry out an effective linkbuilding strategy, regardless of the type you choose:

1. Create valuable content:

Our CEO, Claudio Heilborn, repeats it tirelessly: 

“In this new paradigm, content has become king, and quality and authenticity have become fundamental. Google’s new updates have created content creators with true value.”

Claudio Heilborn, CEO and lead SEO at MD Digital Marketing

Creating useful, relevant, and high-quality content, focused on the user, is essential to attract natural links from other websites. Make sure your content is interesting, informative, and answers the needs and questions of your target audience. Don’t just repeat what someone else said about a certain topic like a parrot, but create your own content, providing your point of view and opinion on it.

2. Quality over quantity:

It is preferable to have a few quality links than many low-quality links. Look for relevant and authoritative websites in your industry to obtain links that truly enhance the reputation and visibility of your site.

3. Link from high PageRank websites:

PageRank is an algorithm used by Google to rank the importance of web pages. Prioritize links from well-ranked and high-authority websites, as these links have a greater impact on your site’s search engine positioning.

4. Use natural and varied Anchor text:

The anchor text is the visible text in a hyperlink. As Luciano Truck advises, use relevant and natural words or phrases as anchor text instead of overusing keywords. Variety in anchor text helps maintain the naturalness of your links and avoids appearing spammy.

5. Look for links on domains related to your theme:

Links from websites related to your topic or industry carry more weight and relevance. Look for link opportunities on blogs, forums, and websites that share interests and audience with your own site.

MD Tip: Avoid links that are unrelated to your topic. For example, if your website is about extreme sports, do not look for links on a cooking recipe website.

6. Get your backlinks gradually:

Avoid aggressive link building strategies that try to obtain a large number of links in a short time. Google and other search engines pay special attention to websites that use unnatural link building tactics, resulting in penalties. Instead, build your links organically and gradually over time.

By following these tips, you can develop a solid and ethical linkbuilding strategy that contributes to the long-term success and visibility of your website. Always remember that, both in life and in SEO, patience and consistency are key factors in the link building process.

Tools for Link Building

There are several useful tools that can facilitate the link building process and help you identify link opportunities, perform competitive analysis, and track the progress of your link building strategy. We share some of the most popular tools we use in our SEO agency:

Ahrefs:

Ahrefs is one of the most comprehensive backlink analysis and keyword research tools in our SEO agency. It allows you to explore your competitors’ links, identify link opportunities, perform content analysis, and much more.

SEMrush:

SEMrush is another powerful tool that provides detailed data on backlinks, as well as information on keywords, organic traffic, and competitive analysis. It helps you identify link opportunities and monitor the progress of your link building strategy.

These are just some of the many tools available for link building. Depending on your specific needs and budget, you can choose the one that best suits your link building strategy and goals.

Need help with Linkbuilding?

Link building is the key to improving your online visibility and standing out in the competitive world of Digital Marketing. But many times it’s not as simple as we make it seem. The key is to be in the right place at the right time.

By working with specialists in link building strategies, you can leverage their experience and knowledge to develop and execute a personalized backlink strategy that aligns with your business and marketing goals. In addition, having their support allows you to dedicate more time and resources to other areas of your business, knowing that your link building strategy is in good hands.

If you are looking for tangible results and a personalized approach to boost your web presence, at MD Digital Marketing we have exactly what you were looking for. Our team of experts in link building and SEO is here to help you build quality links, improve your ranking in search engines, and increase traffic to your website.

Get in touch with us now for an evaluation of your link building strategy and find out how we can help you achieve your business goals. Let our specialists guide you on the path to online success. Don’t let your competition outshine you, it’s time to stand out!