”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 typically
followed by a deep, sinking feeling in your chest.
You check your keyword head-terms in the SERPs and understand
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 its dead is because Google’s
definition of what constitutes an “unnatural” or “artificial” link seems a
bit…broad:
“Any links intended to influence a site’s ranking in Google
search results may be considered part of a link scheme.”
Not to talk about 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’sWebmaster Guidelines could find themselves losing a lot more.
Some good businesses have taken main financial losses as a
result of the infamous Google Penalty. Estimates suggest that costs to big box
retailers and enterprise e-commerce companies might 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 traditional
SEOs to advice 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 dependent 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 need 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 concerned 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 possible 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 decide 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 significant 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 applicable 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 exact 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 outstanding 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 enormous 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 quite a few 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 persuade you to consider these tactics.
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