Link Building Do’s and Don’ts for 2022

If you’ve been in business for a while, you may remember a time when SEO was easy. Back then, all you had to do to get links was post a URL in a comment section or ask a blogger nicely to include a link to your site. Nowadays, though, Google is much less forgiving of businesses that try to manipulate its algorithm. As a result, building backlinks without incurring penalties has become a real challenge.

If you’re unfamiliar with link-building, it’s the process of getting other websites to link back to your website. This is important because the more links you have pointing to your website, the higher your site will rank in search engine results pages (SERPs). Of course, not all links are created equal. A link from a high-authority website (like the New York Times) will carry more weight than a link from a low-authority website (like a personal blog).

There are two main ways to build links: white hat and black hat.

White hat link building is the practice of building links in a way that is aligned with Google’s guidelines. This generally involves creating high-quality content that other websites will want to link to.

On the other hand, black hat link building is the practice of building links in a way that violates Google’s guidelines. This might involve buying links, participating in link schemes, or using automated tools to generate links.

Before we get into the do’s and don’ts of link building, let’s look closely at what makes good content.

What Makes a Good Linkable Asset?

A good linkable asset is, simply put, a piece of content that other people will want to link to. But what makes a piece of content link-worthy?

Here are a few characteristics:

• It’s original: In an age with so much content, it can be hard to create something truly unique. But if you can find a way to offer a new perspective on a topic or share an original story, you’ll be more likely to get links.
• It’s well-researched: People are more likely to link to a piece of content that’s backed up by data and research. If you can cite reputable sources in your article, you’ll be more likely to earn links.
• It’s visually appealing: Aesthetics are important in link building. People are more likely to link to a piece of content that’s easy on the eyes. If your article is well-designed and visually appealing, it’ll be more likely to earn links.
• It’s helpful: People are more likely to link to a piece of content that’s truly helpful. If your article provides valuable information or solves a problem for your reader, it’s more likely to earn links.

Now that you know what makes a good linkable asset let’s take a look at some link-building to-dos and don’ts.

Link Building Do’s

Link building can be a time-consuming and challenging process. But if you do it right, the rewards can be well worth the effort. Here are a few link building do’s to keep in mind:

Focus On Producing Quality Content

SEO and content marketing go hand-in-hand. The better your content is, the easier it will be to earn links. So, to improve your link-building efforts, start by producing quality content.

Remember, a good linkable asset is original, well-researched, visually appealing, and helpful. So if you can create content that meets all of those criteria, you’ll be in good shape.

There’s no magic formula for creating quality content. But if you keep those four characteristics in mind, you’ll be on the right track. For instance, if you’re writing an article about the best hiking trails in the area, make sure to do your research, provide detailed information about each trail, and include helpful tips for hikers.

If you can produce truly valuable content, you’ll be more likely to earn links.

Use a Variety of Anchor Texts

Anchor text is the clickable text that contains your link. Google uses anchor texts to understand the context of the link better. Anchor texts should contain or be closely associated with the keyword phrases for which you want to boost your site’s rank.

But that doesn’t mean you should use the same anchor texts repeatedly. It’s far too easy to over-optimize if you focus on a single keyword phrase and neglect to vary your anchor texts. Over-optimization will thwart all other efforts to improve your ranking.

So, what’s the best way to use anchor text? The key is to vary your anchor texts. Don’t use the same keyword phrase over and over again. Instead, try to use a variety of different keyword phrases. And don’t be afraid to experiment. The more you vary your anchor text, the better your chance of earning links.

For example, if you’re trying to rank for the keyword phrase “white label link building,” you might use a variety of different anchor texts, such as “white label link building services,” “white label link building software,” or “white label link building tools.” By varying your anchor text, you’ll be more likely to earn links.

Use Long Tail Keywords

Long tail keywords are specific, niche-oriented keyword phrases. They’re usually three or more words long and are often very specific to a particular product, service, or industry.

Long tail keywords are a great way to target your link-building efforts. That’s because they’re usually much easier to rank than short, general keywords. And since they’re less competitive, you’ll have a better chance of earning links.

For example, if you’re a white label link building service, you might target the long tail keyword “white label link building services.” This keyword is specific and less competitive than the short, general keyword “white label link building.” By targeting a long-tail keyword, you’ll have a better chance of earning links.

Take Advantage of Knowledgeable SEOs

If you want to improve your link-building efforts, it’s important to take advantage of knowledgeable SEOs. These people know the ins and outs of link building and can help you avoid common mistakes.

There are a few ways to find knowledgeable SEOs. One is to join an SEO forum or online community. This will give you access to experienced SEOs who can answer your questions and offer advice.

Another way to find knowledgeable SEOs is to read SEO blogs. These are a great source of information and can help you stay up-to-date on the latest link-building trends.

Finally, you can also find knowledgeable SEOs by attending SEO conferences and events. These are great opportunities to network with other SEOs and learn from the best in the business.

You can also check out our link-building services. We are a white label SEO company with over 15 years of industry experience. We know how to build links the right way. We can help you boost your ranking and earn more traffic. Contact us today to learn more.

Focus On Increasing Social Visibility

It’s no secret that social media is a powerful tool for link building. In fact, social media can be a great way to increase the visibility of your links.

The best way to take advantage of social media is to focus on increasing social visibility. This means making sure that your links are visible on all of the major social media platforms.

One way to increase social visibility is to add social share buttons to your pages. This will make it easy for visitors to share your links with friends and followers. Another way to increase social visibility is to post your links on social media sites. This will help ensure that a large audience sees your links.

Link Building Don’ts

Let’s take a look at some of the things you should avoid if you want your links to be successful.

Avoid Linking (Exclusively) to Your Homepage

One of the biggest mistakes you can make when link building is to only link to your homepage. This is a common mistake, but it can hurt your link-building efforts.

The problem with linking only to your homepage is that it doesn’t give web users a way to develop a relationship with your business. Instead, they’re taken to your homepage, which is probably full of links to other pages on your site.

If you want to earn links, it’s important to link to internal pages, especially those with content that your audience will find valuable. This will give web users a reason to click your links and a way to develop a relationship with your business.

Take Wikipedia, for example. It ranks for almost any keyword phrase out there, but only 1 percent of its 606 million backlinks point to its homepage. The rest of its links point to internal pages, which give web users a way to learn more about the topics they’re interested in.

By linking to internal pages, you’ll be able to increase the visibility of your links and give web users a reason to click them.

Don’t Aim For Infinite Links

It is one thing to want a lot of links, but it’s another thing to want an infinite number of links. Unfortunately, many businesses make the mistake of trying to earn an infinite number of links.

The problem with this approach is that it’s not sustainable. At some point, you’re going to reach a point where you can’t earn any more links. And when that happens, your link-building efforts will come to a screeching halt.

Instead of trying to earn an infinite number of links, you should focus on earning a set number of links. This will help you create a sustainable link-building strategy that you can maintain over time.

Don’t Use Low-Quality Linking Tactics

There are a lot of low-quality link-building tactics out there. And while these tactics might help you earn a few more links in the short term, they’ll hurt your link-building efforts in the long run.

Low-quality link-building tactics include link buying, link farms, and link directories. These tactics will not only hurt your link-building efforts, but they can also get you penalized by Google.

To build a successful link-building strategy, you need to avoid these low-quality tactics. Instead, focus on earning high-quality links from authoritative websites.

Avoid Using Automated Link Building Tools

Another mistake you should avoid when link building is using automated link-building tools. These tools promise to help you build links quickly and easily. But in reality, they’re more likely to hurt your link-building efforts than help them.

That’s because most automated link-building tools use low-quality linking tactics. As we’ve already discussed, these tactics can hurt your link-building efforts in the long run.

If you want to build a successful link-building strategy, you need to stay away from automated link-building tools. Instead, focus on earning high-quality links from authoritative websites.

Don’t Overdo It With Anchor Text

Anchor text is the text that appears on a page that links to another page. When link building, it’s important to use anchor text that is relevant to the page you’re linking to.

However, you should avoid using too much anchor text. This is because Google looks at the anchor text to determine a page’s topic. So if you use too much anchor text, you run the risk of Google thinking your page is about something it’s not. Instead of using too much anchor text, focus on using a variety of relevant anchor text. This will help you avoid any penalties from Google and make your links more valuable to web users.

Avoid Sponsored or Purchased Links

A sponsored link is a link that a business pays for. And while there’s nothing wrong with paying for links, you should avoid using these links for link building. That’s because Google specifically states that businesses should not pay for links that are meant to increase their PageRank.

If you use sponsored links for link building, you risk getting penalized by Google. So if you want to build a successful link-building strategy, you must avoid using these links.

Don’t Take Your Competitor Analysis Lightly

One of the most important aspects of link building is competitor analysis. This involves researching your competitors to see what they’re doing to earn links.

You can use this information to guide your own link-building efforts. For example, if you see that your competitor is earning links from a certain type of website, you can focus your efforts on earning links from that same type of website. Competitor analysis is an essential part of link building. So if you want to build a successful link-building strategy, you must take your competitor analysis seriously.

These are just a few of the many mistakes you should avoid when link building. By avoiding these mistakes, you can create a link-building strategy that will help you earn high-quality links and improve your PageRank.

Take note that SEO mistakes are easy to make but hard to recover from, so it’s best to avoid them altogether. If you want your link-building strategy to be successful, focus on earning high-quality links from authoritative websites. And finally, don’t forget to take your competitor analysis seriously. Do all these, and you’ll be well on improving your PageRank.