As an Internet marketer, you know that Google considers links, along with content, as the most important factors for page rankings, which generate traffic and new buyers.
Google understands inbound links as a virtual form of voting for the web page quality, relevance, and usefulness to its users.
Being an SEO search engine specialist know getting quality links can be tricky, expensive and complicated for many site owners. So I am glad to share my inside knowledge of the best link building tips, proven to work, with my readers.
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Recommended 2018 Link Building Techniques
Wear a White Hat Always
Resolve to ONLY use the white hat, Google legal, link building techniques in 2018. Since the 2012 visit from Google Penguin, nobody can easily buy page rankings with a low quality link from PBN – Private Blog Network – anymore. This spam filter is now a part of Google’s core algorithm forever. Live with it.
Avoid Bad Link Neighborhoods
Your site’s Back Link Profile is becoming more significant as a measure of your site’s authority for top rankings. This means that links from low-quality sites will hurt your chances of high rankings in 2018. According to industry leader Ahrefs, Page backlink factors include:
- URL Rank (UR) – The most critical
- Referring domains
- Referring Pages
- Backlinks
Build Cornerstone Content to Naturally Earn Links
With search engines increased focus on quality content, original research has become one of the most effective link building methods in 2018. There is no more valuable currency than unpublished industry insights, such as research, data, and case studies.
These cornerstone assets can be linked from many other types of content, such as videos, infographics, blog posts, and social media.
To profit from this type of link building:
- Select a topic based on your reader’s interests
- Do your research independently and publish your findings
- Make complementary content about your case study, to build traffic and industry awareness such as tweetable stats, videos, podcasts, blog post series, and infographics.
- Promote your discoveries. Outreach to bloggers, reporters, and influencers to share your data.
Use Social Media as a Content Sharing Platform
Social media continues to have great value as a link building and traffic boosting tool, both in content sharing and links from your social media profiles. So that my clients don’t become overwhelmed with daily posting, I suggest they hire an affordable social media service like 99 dollar social.
Here’s how to link build on social media successfully:
- Find Popularity and Patterns – Use digital analysis tools, such as Buzz Sumo, to determine content that your audience finds most engaging by studying shares, likes, and comments. Then create more of that material by type (video, article, etc.) and topic.
- Listen to Your Audience – Use social media listening tools to determine which platforms are most used by your target customer. Focus your attention on these social media sites initially and most heavily.
- Recycle your content – Don’t just publish your content one time. 2018 social media is busier than ever and your readers may miss your first post. Continue to use it by reposting, retweeting and sharing on other social media, and Web 2.0 sites for the first week. Then post 1 or 2 times more the following week.
Videos are Link Building Powerhouses
Link building with videos continues to be very useful, both on YouTube and across social media. Don’t be deterred by the fact that Google owns YouTube. In fact, that works to your advantage, because there is nothing that Google loves more than Google!
How to build great links back to your site with videos:
- Self-host your videos – Then share and promote them on all your social media channels
- Reclaim Your Youtube Links – Did you know that you can find out which websites have embedded your video in YouTube analytics? It’s easy. Login to YouTube Analytics> Traffic Sources. Review the list to see if these sites have a link back to your website. If not, then reach out to them and requested a backlink.
Guest Posting is Great
There has been much confusion in the Internet marketing industry about guest posting. Google officials have criticized, and penalized, spammy guest post networks.
However, high quality, informative articles published on sites relevant to your niche are more valuable than ever. In addition to receiving high-quality backlinks, you will build qualified traffic and leads to your site.
In conclusion, 2018 is the year that Content was crowned King and Relevancy was made Queen. Build great content that engages your audience, connect and contribute to relevant sites and your backlink profile will be golden.
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