So - Linkbuilding - is it still worth it?

[KidsBeeHappy]

Hey there

I have put a couple of sites live in the past few weeks, 2 of the most important being shopify sites.

Now I am quite a fan of the google updates focusing on semantics, language, content and all that gubbins, so my question, is with all of this shifting focus, is it still worth doing the old linkbuilding thing?

Or would I be better off spending my time on Social Media?

All opinions welcomed. ( Particularly Oldwelshguy who I still see here )

Thanks

 

[ZeroDouble]

If you've got 2 sites why not run a test?

Build links to one of them, just do social media etc. to the other, and see which one ranks first.

 

[KidsBeeHappy]

Different markets. But also, am 1 man band here in the office, and don't want to waste time if there is a more effective way to use it.

 

[zigojacko]

Depends on how you perceive link building...

If you're thinking creative, content marketing and link acquisition as part of your strategy, then sure, this is more powerful than ever before. I'd recommend reading this to get a good understanding of how this should be approached properly and effectively.

 

[ZeroDouble]

Sorry, was a rhetorical question.

The straight answer is, if you want to rank in the SERPs build links (concentrate on quality and relevance over quantity), but the other stuff can still have its place in a good marketing mix.

 

[Annoying Donkey]

IMHO you'll more likely get customers in the short term if you focus on good quality link building. Emphasis on good quality...

 

[KidsBeeHappy]

So how does facebook fit into linkbuilding - Is facebook indexed?

 

[zigojacko]

So how does facebook fit into linkbuilding - Is facebook indexed?

Facebook doesn't fit into link building.

Facebook should be about developing relationships with your target audience and engaging with your customers.

 

[simonk2l]

Yes. Dont read this nonesense about link building being dead. Google (or any other search engine for that matter) will never discredit valid links coming into your website, purely for the reason they will have had to be approved by a human. The owner of that website (if its a valid website and not an article or web directory) is not going to allow poor or spammy links on their website.

People within SEO that are saying Link Building is dead are just scare mongers, who are annoyed they actually have to look for quality and relevant links now.

Link Building is alive and kicking... and probably more important than ever. There is just a push now for quality link builders instead of spammy link builders

 

[KidsBeeHappy]

Facebook doesn't fit into link building.

Facebook should be about developing relationships with your target audience and engaging with your customers.

Aye, I know that, but at the same time, there are hundreds of links going on there......

 

[simonk2l]

With the new Hummingbird Algorithm update Social Media sites are now indexed for content and links.

You need to be putting relevant information on all your scial media platforms using keyword rich text and links back to your website. Google also looks now at the umber of likes, followers, +1's you have and this will also affect your SERP ranking.

Google plus is very important now in the world of SEO so definietly look to grow your following on there.

 

[KidsBeeHappy]

Urghhhhh Google Plus - why's it such hard work

 

[zigojacko]

Aye, I know that, but at the same time, there are hundreds of links going on there......

No, not in the way you think. A lot of Facebook isn't indexable and they do plenty of funky stuff with the linking/ajax/javascript loaded content.

I'll advise it again. Forget Facebook for any kind of links that pass value. Certainly link to content for usability and for the benefit of your customers / driving traffic though.

 

[fisicx]

Aye, I know that, but at the same time, there are hundreds of links going on there......

All of no value whatsoever (they are all no-follow).

You might get some refferal traffic but that's about it.

 

[simonk2l]

This is the problem with people working in SEO. They think that they can make easy moeny with hardly doing any work!

Google has realised this and implemented some very integral and granular algorithms to separate the weak from the chaff.

Personally i welcomed all the changes so lazy SEO people will no longer get away with their black hat tactics.

 

[a1exn1987]

As long as the links are on good quality websites, and as fisicx mentioned they are not no-follow, there's nothing wrong with links.

Spammy links from content farms are a problem, although you can disavow them I believe - avoid those as they're ineffective and really don't reflect well on your busines anyway.

A good bet is content marketing. You could try and write some whitepapers or articles relevant to your sector, make sure they're really high quality, and submit them to some industry hubs.

Also, if there's an influential industry blog you like (you could do some research) relevant to your sector you could approach them with a guest post. People like free content and if you can get a link in it somewhere then that's great, even if you don't it's still good to develop relationships with influential bloggers.

You could also register, if possible, with any accredited directories you may be eligible for. This is a completely random example, but if you were an accredited psychiatrist you could register with the Institute of Psychiatry for example and add your practice to their directory. Official sites like that have a high-authority, so a link from those kinds of places can have real SEO value.

 

[krishparmar83]

Yes its worth doing link building..best way i found out is create web 2.0 high pr link to your main website and then create thousands of backlinks to your web 2.0 links that you generated. so it will be second tier link building.

 

[That Bates Girl]

Yes its worth doing link building..best way i found out is create web 2.0 high pr link to your main website and then create thousands of backlinks to your web 2.0 links that you generated. so it will be second tier link building.

Brillliant! Google will never catch on to that cunning plan!

 

[krishparmar83]

Brillliant! Google will never catch on to that cunning plan!

Google is way ahead then what we can think. but there is always ways to try n test the different method. I tried many methods and this one worked for me. my one website was not even in 100 list now its on 2nd page of google and expecting to get first page in 15-30 days time.

 

[zigojacko]

Google is way ahead then what we can think. but there is always ways to try n test the different method. I tried many methods and this one worked for me. my one website was not even in 100 list now its on 2nd page of google and expecting to get first page in 15-30 days time.

We'll make sure we send anyone looking for an SEO guru your way.

 

[Michael Nguyen]

Link building works with the right industry.

For one niche, all I did was link building and it got us to #1 in Google. This keyword has a CPC of £15-25 which means on the SEO front it's really competitive but this took 13 months though.

An insurance keyword I worked on, moved it to position #8 from page 3 in Google but we stopped the campaign for various reasons.

Fact is, if you're in a tough market, links is what will get you ranking highly. Now whether you create the link through viral content, good content marketing, guest posting or blatantly buying the link, understand that there is always going to be a cost to it. E.g if you can buy a powerful link and make it look natural, on a legitimate looking website, then do it because time is money.

You can try and go the "natural route" and hope your work gains link naturally but most likely you'll will fail unless you have an amazing product that no one knows about.

Great SEO campaigns requires:

1. Competent SEO
2. Healthy budget
3. Time (ideally 12 months + for large sites in general)
4. Patience - yourself
5. Patience - customer
6. Trust

Of all the clients I've worked with, only a handful had met the criteria and the others just quit even though we were managing expectations.

Depending on the industry, some niches just require links . If you're in the three P's niche ie
pills, porn, poker, its all about links. I know this because a friend works for one of the major poker site in the UK and has unlimited budget to test.

Even with my experience and knowledge of SEO, I'm getting tired of it.

 

[zigojacko]

With the new Hummingbird Algorithm update Social Media sites are now indexed for content and links.

You need to be putting relevant information on all your scial media platforms using keyword rich text and links back to your website. Google also looks now at the umber of likes, followers, +1's you have and this will also affect your SERP ranking.

Google plus is very important now in the world of SEO so definietly look to grow your following on there.

This is complete rubbish and really poor advice.

 

[alwayslearning]

Google is way ahead then what we can think. but there is always ways to try n test the different method. I tried many methods and this one worked for me. my one website was not even in 100 list now its on 2nd page of google and expecting to get first page in 15-30 days time.

And then the google ban slips in...

 

[BGjohn]

Well after google updates and algorithm, link building is effected in the sense of spamming not in proper manner. Backlink is most important factor to get rank in search engine so if you do link building according to Google parameter then it should be beneficial for a site.

 

[zigojacko]

Well after google updates and algorithm, link building is effected in the sense of spamming not in proper manner. Backlink is most important factor to get rank in search engine so if you do link building according to Google parameter then it should be beneficial for a site.

Forget about Google.

Everything you do should be for the end user, your customer! If they're happy, Google's happy. And backlinks aren't the most important factor to rank in Google, the content on your website and the state it is in is.

 

[doctorlife]

Yes, link building is not too much helpful these days, however if you are doing relevant link building slowly it will work because you are working for end users.

Most of the works should be centred around on-page optimization and content creation I will say.

 

[Joelle Wyser-Pratte]

The old ways of building links are still effective but take note, it should always be in high quality. All Google updates are for SPAMMY links, content and everything that is black hat.

 

[That Bates Girl]

It looks like it might be worth reminding people what google actually says about link building (from https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/66356?hl=en)

Any links intended to manipulate PageRank or a site's ranking in Google search results may be considered part of a link scheme and a violation of Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. This includes any behavior that manipulates links to your site or outgoing links from your site.

Additionally, creating links that weren’t editorially placed or vouched for by the site’s owner on a page, otherwise known as unnatural links, can be considered a violation of our guidelines.

So, that's pretty much any link building activity that is done to improve your ranking in the search engine results.

Google loves links, because links indicate that a site is good, or popular, or relevant. However - much like in the rest of the world - Google is much more likely to 'believe' a link from someone else saying that your site is good/popular/relevant than a link (or 4,000 links) from you saying the same thing.

No-one actually believes that bloke in the office with the colourful tie is 'a bit wacky', no matter how often he says it.

Lyds

 

[Chris Ashdown]

People talk of Link Building and many other ways to get rated by Google, but never mention the vast amount of data Google have on every site

They are aware of all ISP's going to and from your site, what search engine or not was used, what time you have no hits and when you do get most, what country they come from, what updates you make to your site how often, how much your customers spend on the site in a lot of cases

Now realistically what would they get from the number of links that makes it more reliable than their other proven resources

SEO on your site using their guidelines should give a better rating, but trying to second guess probably hundreds of Google's brainiest staff and using such a poor, flawed and Easily corrupted set of data is rather a optimistic point of view

 

[Annoying Donkey]

They are aware of all ISP's going to and from your site, what search engine or not was used, what time you have no hits and when you do get most, what country they come from, what updates you make to your site how often, how much your customers spend on the site in a lot of cases

While G is one big snooper, I wonder how you think G can tell where non google traffic comes from...? How G would know how much someone spends on your site?

Links are something that G can easily count. The difficulty (for G) is how to decide if these links are natural or not.

 

[ZeroDouble]

Links are something that G can easily count. The difficulty (for G) is how to decide if these links are natural or not.

Glad somebody mentioned it - In this thread there seems to be quite a bit of misinformation, and misunderstanding of how link building works, and how effective Google actually are at policing it.

Links still rank sites, and a good link builder will build them in such a way that they leave no footprints, and are practically impossible for Google to detect as being un-natural.

 

[That Bates Girl]

Links still rank sites, and a good link builder will build them in such a way that they leave no footprints, and are practically impossible for Google to detect as being un-natural.

Until it becomes possible, and your site disappears, of course.

Out of interest - How does a business owner distinguish between a 'good' link builder and a 'bad' one?

Lyds

 

[PaulThompson]

Glad somebody mentioned it - In this thread there seems to be quite a bit of misinformation, and misunderstanding of how link building works, and how effective Google actually are at policing it.

Links still rank sites, and a good link builder will build them in such a way that they leave no footprints, and are practically impossible for Google to detect as being un-natural.

So how do us mere mortals tell the difference between a good one and a bad one?

 

[PaulThompson]

Until it becomes possible, and your site disappears, of course.

Out of interest - How does a business owner distinguish between a 'good' link builder and a 'bad' one?

Lyds

JINX!


got you!!

Paul

 

[ZeroDouble]

Out of interest - How does a business owner distinguish between a 'good' link builder and a 'bad' one?

Lyds

So how do us mere mortals tell the difference between a good one and a bad one?

The same way that you would distinguish between a good plumber and a bad one, or a good electrician, or a good web designer, etc.

 

[That Bates Girl]

The same way that you would distinguish between a good plumber and a bad one, or a good electrician, or a good web designer, etc.

Plumbers and electricians have to pass qualifications and have insurance - what exams do linkbuilders have to pass? Who insures link builders against the damage they might do to a site through bad practice or error?

A good web-designer can show you a portfolio of real live examples of their work - How can a linkbuilder, who claims to be operating under the radar of google, do anything like that?


Lyds

 

[ZeroDouble]

Plumbers and electricians have to pass qualifications and have insurance - what exams do linkbuilders have to pass? Who insures link builders against the damage they might do to a site through bad practice or error?

A good web-designer can show you a portfolio of real live examples of their work - How can a linkbuilder, who claims to be operating under the radar of google, do anything like that?


Lyds

You're just arguing for the sake of arguing.

I'm not sure how others go about their business, but If I want to employ someone who is 'good' at something, then I'd just ask someone else who has used their services before, whatever profession they are in.

 

[zigojacko]

but If I want to employ someone who is 'good' at something, then I'd just ask someone else who has used their services before, whatever profession they are in.

How does a business know whether ethical link building has been carried out or not? Most won't, most businesses won't be able to determine the ethicalness or correctness of any work in the digital industries even if it looks amazing. The bottom line is ROI but even spammy link building can deliver that for a short period until Google catches up with them.

 

[That Bates Girl]

You're just arguing for the sake of arguing.

I'm really not, I'm just trying to get clarification. My "arguing for the sake of arguing" posts tend to crop up towards the end of the week

I'm not sure how others go about their business, but If I want to employ someone who is 'good' at something, then I'd just ask someone else who has used their services before, whatever profession they are in.

How is the person who has previously used their services supposed to know? Is it just the fact that their website hasn't been penalised by Google yet?

Lyds

 

[ZeroDouble]

Is it just the fact that their website hasn't been penalised by Google yet?

Just because you build links to a website doesn't mean that it will automatically get penalised by google, as you are suggesting.

Unless of course you believe everything that Matt Cutts says, and follow the Google guidelines to the letter, in which case your site might as well be penalised, as you will most likely never rank for anything anyway.