Since Google was created it has relied on links as one of the main ways to determine rank. Link building is simply building links to a website to help influence the rank.
Remember writing academic papers? You were required to provide the sources of your research to make your essay more trustworthy. It’s likely that your teacher highly discouraged you to use user-edited sites, as this information wasn’t as reliable as scholarly articles.
This validation strategy is the same for websites today, except search engines are the ones needing proof of reliability. They want to see that your site has a third party, genuine sources (aka backlinks) willing to validate your brand.
Search engines are smarter than most of us realize. Google’s complete algorithm is somewhat of a mystery, as it’s deemed as the company’s “secret sauce.” What we do know is that they use link earning to determine how it lists certain pages over others on search results pages.
In the late 1990s, link building was an integral part of marketers’ SEO strategy, and they did so with spammy approaches. But times have changed, and Google wants sites to be as authentic as possible. That’s why strategists at an Atlanta link building agency have to stay on top of SEO best practices for their site to stay relevant.
Google discourages marketers to start link building to help with their search engine rankings. Google feels that backlinks should happen naturally and are analogous to reviews. However, like reviews, very few people will link to something, even if they like it!
Here’s the way Blueprint approaches link building.
Furthermore, every link obtained is measured for quality. When a client engages Blueprint as their link building company of choice, they get a team of SEO professionals that are looking at not only how to boost their site’s ranking but ensuring that the backlinks that are pointing to the clients site are all “white hat” or good. When you use link building software or other tools to build links cheaply (like Fiverr) you can build toxic links or “Black Hat” links that Google sees as “cheating.”
When we obtain a link from another website we want to make sure the backlink from a site has the following.
Having other relevant, reliable sites link to your website requires a bit of networking and outreach. That is unless influencers or sites organically link to your site without being asked. Having a dedicated team of experts at an Atlanta link building agency like Blueprint enables you to focus on your business, not on influencer networking.
How often do you click on the 2nd page when you’re searching for something? Probably rarely. The same goes for your potential customers. They want to get an answer quickly in as few clicks as possible. That’s why it’s important to impress the search engines. They care about your links, and you should, too. If other trustworthy sites are linking to you, Google will reward you and help you rise to the top, literally.
Whether you earn links organically or through influencers, you’re gaining site traffic. One important thing to note is that more visitors does not guarantee more sales. That responsibility falls on the shoulders of the website’s design and user experience. Fewer clicks for your customers results in more sales for you.
The more links you have, the higher your exposure, especially if the links are from noteworthy brands. For example, if the Atlanta Journal-Constitution references your site, your brand awareness can grow to a widespread audience. On the other hand, if a smaller but related blogger mentions your brand, you increase awareness, but you’ll have the attention of your target audience. Don’t discount the impact of the little guys!
When you consider link earning, you’ll soon realize you need a big-picture view of your marketing plan. You’ll have to identify who will take on this task and what resources are required to be successful. Once that’s established, your entire marketing strategy for link earning will revolve around discovering your audience, value delivered, and distribution methods.
At Blueprint, we believe in earning links that positively reflect our company and our clients, ensuring that every link is worth the effort as well as the reward.
Our link building experts begin by analyzing the value of your company’s website and determining an appropriate content strategy. Then, we work with you to create high-quality content that will attract and engage your audience.
Finally, we find and establish relationships with qualified, credible businesses. Through this third-party outreach, we can offer engaging, customizable digital content that can be shared on websites and leveraged for viral marketing.
These efforts result in earned links that enhance your site’s authority, improve search result rankings and increase awareness with potential customers.
