What is the future of link building?

What is the future of link building?

Link building is something of a staple when it comes to SEO, but it’s often misunderstood. There’s a lot of talk about it being dead, about how it’s no longer necessary for websites to rank or how content that’s good enough will build links organically. But link building services still have a place within the SEO mix. Let’s take a look at where this particular aspect of marketing is heading.

Before quality control

In the early days, it was all about the quantity of links you could attain. These could be from anywhere – preferably sites with a good page rank or domain authority, but you could go after the lower quality ones too. This led to hundreds upon hundreds of directory submissions, paid links, link farming and more, all of which hampered Google’s ability from listing relevant results.

Penguin

And so, in 2012, Penguin arrived. Suddenly the risk of using paid for or spammy links was too great and the penalty too high. Some websites dropped promptly and noticeably from the search engine results.

A series of refinements followed, which neutralised the impact slightly and limited the detrimental effect of spammy links. You can still get caught out, but the approach is more measured.

Post-penguin

Now, of course, those engaging in SEO link building know that not all links are equal. If you can get a ‘follow’ link from the likes of the Guardian, it’s going to go a lot further than one from the local football team’s site. Links are also a critical part of a good on-site user experience. They aid navigation through the levels of a site and connect up relevant content.

It seems unlikely, then, that links are going anywhere. There are other important factors in ranking, such as social signals, user experience, site load speed, but links are at the heart of Google’s algorithm, so will still have a definite part to play.

So what now?

SEO services in the present day should neither focus on links or ignore them altogether. SEO is about bringing a multitude of disciplines into the mix, from great copy, PR and conversion rate optimisation to user experience, design and thoughtful, strategic link building. Neglecting any of these elements could affect a site’s ability to rank, and as every SEO knows – the job is never done. Improvements can always be made.

Looking ahead into 2019, SEO will be about keeping the big picture in mind as opposed to focusing on small components in isolation. As the demand for customised content grows, tailoring the experience to what different audiences and subsets are looking for via personalisation is key, and this extends across a range of touch points and activities. Finally, as voice and visual search increases and develops, SEO providers will need to think about optimising for this too.

If you are struggling to understand SEO link building for your business, you can contact Digital Carrera today to find out more about our link building services.

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