SEO, a dynamic field like all digital marketing strategies, is in a constant state of evolution. This evolution is a result of the ever-changing internet ecosystem and the deliberate secrecy maintained by search engine companies about their search algorithms.
Keeping in mind the need for secrecy, SEO professionals have had to devise numerous SEO strategies over the last two decades through trial and error, research, and experimentation. Some strategies are evergreen; however, many have become obsolete, and many strategies need to be modified with every new algorithm update.
During the early days of the internet, the primary focus was on keywords. Therefore, website owners can increase their ratings and generate organic visitors by incorporating as many relevant keywords as possible into their sites. This led to web developers stuffing their web pages with lots of keywords and low-quality content. As a result, low-quality websites often reached the top position on Search engines, and Search engines had to modify their algorithm to give more emphasis to authoritative links and quality content.
History of Link Building
The BackRub search engine, a predecessor to Google, was the first to use backlinks for organic search ranking in 1996. Backrub later evolved into the well-known search engine Google, which made backlinks one of the core components of its search ranking factors. Since then, link building has been one of the most important strategies used by SEO professionals.
While backlinks remain important, the focus has shifted to the quality of content and user experience. These elements are now considered more critical in the current SEO landscape.
Link building remains one of the most crucial SEO strategies today. It’s because the more relevant backlinks a website has, the higher it ranks on Google and receives more traffic. Link building, along with content and user experience, can’t be overlooked in an effective SEO plan for long-term results.
It Is Not the Early Days Anymore
The Internet has been the fastest evolving technology in human history, and Search engine algorithms are growing at the same pace to offer the best search results. For example, recent modifications to algorithms have focused on natural language processing (NLP), making it easier to identify fraudulent connections and promoting websites with high-quality, relevant links in search rankings.
What Is Link Building Today?
Simply put, link building is getting publishers and other websites to include a link to your website on their web pages. The objective of a backlink is to provide more information to the reader of the content. Contextual backlinks, which are backlinks that are embedded within the text of the content and are relevant to the topic, are given very high value by search engines.
A backlink from a niche-relevant website leads to these benefits:
- It increases website traffic.
- Website moves up in search rankings.
- Grows business/website credibility.
- Increases visibility and brings new visitors.
- Grows Sales and revenue.
Like any digital marketing strategy, link building today demands a professional approach. With the right content and outreach, you can develop an authoritative link profile for your website and reap the benefits.
Importance of Link Building
We have witnessed the development of new link building techniques and tools, which have reinforced the importance of backlinks for SEO.
The goal is to think creatively to rank high on search results while adhering to the most recent changes in the ranking algorithm. For Google, link building is crucial, and it is even considered a ranking factor. Here is a list of reasons why you should deal with link building and backlinks in particular:
Build Business Credibility
Backlinks serve as a measure of your website’s authority and credibility. Focus your link building strategy on web pages that have good domain authority, such as reputable industry blogs or news sites. Through high-quality links like these, you can improve the authority and credibility of your website.
Grow Website Traffic
By targeting relevant websites and audiences for acquiring backlinks, you increase traffic from external sources. Quality traffic is the most crucial indicator of your website’s performance.
Build New Relationships
Link building improves your relationships with other members of your business sector. This can create new opportunities for you in terms of business partnerships.
Boost Brand Visibility
Link building improves visibility and brand awareness. Creating a link network with businesses from a new geographic area, for example, will help you establish a presence in that region and quickly build trust as a reputable brand.
Reduce Bounce Rate
Bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who navigate away from your site after viewing only one page. Internal link building, which is creating links between the related internal pages of your website, is one of the best ways to reduce this rate. By making it easier for Google and your visitors to navigate between your different pages, you can quickly find more informative content, and stay longer on your website.
Attract More Backlinks
Backlinks tend to attract more backlinks naturally. If you already have high-quality backlinks on web pages that generate a lot of traffic, a percentage of visitors to those web pages will simply point to your site in their content without you having to ask for it.
Establish Expertise
By acquiring backlinks from influential websites, forums, or blogs within your industry through the sharing of your expertise, you establish yourself as an authority figure in your business sector and gain the trust of potential customers.
Final Words
As we now know, link building is one of the most crucial marketing strategies for increasing your website’s visibility and driving traffic. To achieve effective SEO campaigns, you must allocate time and resources to link building.
Link building remains an essential component of Google’s ranking algorithm. Therefore, when combined with other elements of search engine optimization, it can significantly boost your website ranking and traffic.


