In spite of the rash of Google updates and other covert maneuvers, link-building is still necessary for search rankings. Google has made it crystal clear that high quality content is what it wants. But, Google is not quite so upfront about links. We do know that quality onsite and offsite content is just part of effective SEO. You still need to get those links. Link building tactics have changed and will continue to change in response to Google updates. Looks like another Google update is coming soon.
Link Building In Today’s SEO World
Building links properly is very important, because in today’s SEO world link penalties are the norm, however Google has become more and more aggressive when it comes to applying them. This seems to be the new phenomenon that happened after the Penguin updates. If you plan to actively acquire links, do not buy them. The sellers can easily be figured out and you will get penalized. If you feel things are suspicious, such as link servers share the same IP blocks or they sit on the same C Class, then stay away. If you found this information so will Google. This is not a smart way, or in our opinion, an ethical way to perform SEO.
One thing to consider, is to have a complete link audit done every year or even twice a year. This is for your protection and to make sure you haven’t acquired any links that you might not want. A person on your team could accidentally acquire some shady links and this will get you penalized according to Google’s guidelines. Even worse, a competitor could intentionally build links to your website which are known to be harmful.
Great Content Can Lead To Great Links and Powerful SEO
It is well known that content marketing is a great way to acquire links from reputable sources. It’s also a good way to show Google that you are an authority on a certain subject. There are rumors that Google will be giving boosts in the near future to sites that are authorities on subjects, which is known as the Google Authority Boost.
However, a website can take this too far. For example, you do not want to start writing content for contents sake. The fact is content marketing is not new and the benefit it provides to SEO is not new. However, the Panda update has made it clear that the content needs to provide some sort of value to the reader. When it comes down to it, content marketing is a positive SEO practice, but remember that quality always wins over quantity.
As you probably know, there is no magic formula to SEO. Link building is still very important and so is content marketing. But, don’t forget these are only 2 pieces of the SEO puzzle and there are 100s of other very important factors to keep in mind. Our advice is to produce quality content and have an SEO company build relevant links, which will keep you on Google’s good side. At the same, time don’t forget about the many other white hat SEO practices that will keep you busy everyday. If you would like help developing and executing an SEO campaign, please give Leap Clixx a call today at (314) 641-1000.
