”We’ve detected that
some of the links pointing to your site are using techniques outside Google’s
Webmaster Guidelines….”
For enterprise SEOs,
receipt of this notification is usually followed by a deep, sinking feeling in
your chest.
You check your keyword
head-terms in the SERPs and realize that you can’t find your website
anywhere. A lump forms in your throat as the realization sets in — you’ve
been penalized by Google.
The Link Building Challenge
Google’s crackdown on
unnatural links over the past few years has raised the question within SEO
circles: “Is link building dead?”
The reason folks might
think it’s dead is because Google’s definition of what
constitutes an “unnatural” or “artificial” link seems a bit…broad:
“Any
links intended to manipulate a site’s ranking in Google search results may be
considered part of a link scheme.”
Not to mention the penalty
for “suspicious links” is quite severe. Whereas sports celebrities are fined or
suspended from a few games for breaking the rules, businesses whose websites
violate Google’s Webmaster Guidelines could find themselves losing a lot more.
Some good businesses have
taken major financial losses as a result of the infamous Google
Penalty. Estimates suggest that costs to big box retailers and enterprise
e-commerce companies could easily hit $5 million per month in lost natural
search revenue.
Smaller businesses facing
such penalties could end up ruined, having to close their doors. Yes,
Google can put you out of business — whether you deserve it or not.
The fear Google has
instilled into the hearts of SEOs over bad links is unparalleled. Is it
any wonder that so many are asking, “Is link building a dying art?”
Link Building Lives!
The answer to the above
question is an emphatic, “No!” Link building is not dead; in fact, link
building is alive and well. But you do need to be careful.
While all the recent
reports about Penguin 2.0 might lead conservative SEOs to advise against active
link building, the vast majority of page 1 rankings are on page 1 because of
their link profile.
Links are Google’s “weak
link” in the search industry. Google still remains heavily reliant on links as
its primary form of ranking websites within its search results pages.
So, how can enterprise SEOs
navigate link building without getting penalized for building links? How can
you rank organically, using good links, while avoiding penalties? Read on for
the high road to link building, according to three link experts.
1. Perform A Link Audit
This is, hands-down, your
first step. Conducting a link audit will require several phases and tools;
however, if you follow Chuck’s advice here, you’ll be able to get through it.
In How To Conduct a Link Audit, Chuck Price
does a great job walking readers through all the steps involved in a link
audit. Whether you plan to do any link building or not, I highly recommend you
do a link audit now — doing so may help you avoid potential issues down the
road.
Chuck explains how to
“Download Latest Links” from Google Webmaster Tools and how to get a complete
backlink profile. This will allow you to determine which links need to be
reviewed and considered for removal/disavowal, including:
- Links from a domain not indexed in Google
- Links from a website containing a malware or virus warning
- Links on the same page as spammy, unrelated links
- Links on a page with Google PageRank that is gray bar or zero
- Links coming from link networks
- Sitewide links – especially blogroll and footer links
- Paid links
2. Keep It Relevant
Your next important step is
to ensure relevancy. Ken Lyons wrote an excellent article on how to build
relevant links to your website.
Ken’s article, “Link Building: Get Relevant or Die Trying,” is a
fantastic read. He includes Authoritative Guides, Infographics, Industry
Spotlights, Group Interviews, Industry Awards, Guest Posts, and, yes…”Buying
Links” as a relevant link tactic. This is a must-read for all SEOs.
Ken describes link
relevancy as Google’s way to determine trust, decipher the topic or context of
a target document, deliver relevant information in the right context (i.e.,
relevant query results) and sort out link spam.
Speaking of relevancy, Ken also
provides tips on a few more relevant link tactics such as:
- In-Depth Reviews: noteworthy products or services
- Free Tools: prime targets for link outreach
- Curated Content: extensive articles and weekly round ups
- Broken Link Building: unearthing high-authority, relevant link opportunities
- Niche Microsites: dedicated to a specific topic or niche
3. Exploit PR Strategies
Lastly, I want to recommend
something not often elaborated upon: using PR to build links. Cassie Gillette,
Director Online Marketing at KoMarketing, has an excellent article written
recently, “5 PR Strategies You Can Use To Build Links Now.”
Cassie reviews PR-focused
tools that let you find content, post pitches and seek those looking for
sources — all great ways to “make connections and discover potential link
opportunities.”
She points out the fact
that reporters are using social media to source stories, which has given search
marketers, “a huge window of opportunity for link building.” She also offers
tools for creating segmented reporter lists and gathering data.
Another great source of
links can be event interviews. Cassie points out how there is always someone
looking to interview attendees before, during and after the show — at some
conferences, they’ll even set up interviews for you!
Lastly, she suggests
monitoring editorial opportunities, which can offer several outstanding methods
for building high quality inbound links to your website.
Thanks to these creative
professionals above (and there are many more), link building is alive and well.
Everyone knows that links are the bedrock for SEO results — so I encourage you
to consider these tactics.
This isn’t the end-all
answer to link building by any means; however, enterprise SEOs can’t go wrong
by including the above steps in their linking strategy: 1) perform your link
audit, 2) keep it relevant, and 3) exploit your PR strategies.
