The SEO PowerSuite conducted a survey of 628 SEOs to determine what still works in link building. The results were consistent for veterans and new players. Here are the highlights:
- 72% said backlinks are important when it comes to ranking factors
- 24% thought backlinks were somewhat important due to the many other factors in the ranking algorithm
- 4% think backlinks barely influence rankings
The majority of SEO companies obviously take backlinks into consideration when creating campaigns for clients.
“Market research helps to see which keywords are searched for most often and what the competition is for each. This allows us to focus on the most relevant and beneficial keywords that should be implemented in your SEO strategy,” according to SEO firm Ed Kent Media.
What is backlinking?
A backlink, or inbound link, is a link on another site that points to an organization’s site. An outbound link is a link on an organization’s page that leads to another site. It is important to know the difference. Backlinks are an important part of search engine ranking algorithms. They show relevance and help establish domain authority (DA) which helps a site appear on the first page of a search result, which is the ultimate goal of all SEO-related efforts.
Can a website rank without backlinks?
The general consensus (it’s still a guess because none of the search engines publish their algorithms) is that a website can’t rank without inbound links. This is due to the fact:
- links are the main ranking factor of Google
- multiple backlinks indicate you have great content
- Google has confirmed that search results for unlinked sites will be anomalies
What are Google’s rules for link building?
Building a successful link campaign is tricky. Connecting with the wrong websites can lower a site’s ranking instead of improving it. In general, if companies build connections that benefit their customers, they can’t really be wrong. This type of link building keeps a company’s site relevant for years to come and helps build mutually beneficial relationships with related but non-competing entities.
Once a business has secured links on important sites that link back to their site, it’s time to keep delivering good content. The reason is simple. Once customers know about the site, it’s important to give them reasons to keep coming back. Also, if a site publishes a page full of fluff, it’s easy for Google to conclude that it’s manipulating the search algorithm — and that definitely won’t be good for rankings.