Why Is Link Building Important?

Intro

Today, we’re delving into the pivotal world of link building—a cornerstone of SEO that’s often shrouded in mystery. I’m here to unravel the complexities and shed light on why is link building important and absolutely indispensable for your SEO success.

It’s not merely about accumulating a vast number of links; the true power lies in the quality of those links. I’ll guide you through the intricacies of crafting high-quality content that magnetises valuable backlinks, enhancing your site’s authority and propelling your page rank to new heights.

So, let’s embark on this journey together and unlock the potential of strategic link building to boost your site’s visibility and search engine prowess.

Why Is Link Building Important

Links Can Increase Your Domain Authority

When you secure high-quality backlinks from reputable, high-authority websites, it’s far more beneficial than having a multitude of links from low-quality sites. These reputable sites are seen by search engines as trustworthy sources, and when they link to your content, it’s like receiving a vote of confidence.

This vote, in essence, is a signal to search engines that your website is also a credible and authoritative source in your industry.

As these high-quality sites pass on some of their authority to you through links, your own domain authority starts to rise.

Domain authority is a metric that predicts how well a website will rank on search engine result pages (SERPs). The higher your domain authority, the more likely you are to have a strong search presence.

This increase in domain authority due to high-quality backlinks can lead to better rankings for your website. Search engines, like Google, take these links as indications that your content is valuable and should be ranked highly for relevant search queries.

This is because these links are seen as a form of endorsement or recommendation from one site to another, adding to your site’s trustworthiness and credibility.

Links To Specific Pages Will Increase Page Rank

When individual pages on your website are linked to by other sites, especially if those sites themselves are considered authoritative and trustworthy, it sends a clear message to search engines that your content is of high value.

This is because backlinks are essentially seen as votes of confidence from one site to another. Each link tells search engines that someone else has found your content not only useful but also important enough to share with their audience.

This endorsement helps increase the ‘PageRank’ of those specific pages—a term originally coined by Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, which refers to the algorithm used by Google to rank web pages in their search engine results.

Although the exact workings of PageRank are not public, the principle is that a page that is linked to by many pages with high PageRank receives a high rank itself.

Therefore, the more high-quality backlinks a page on your site receives, the more likely it is that its PageRank will increase, which can lead to a higher position in search engine results.

This is why focusing on building links to specific pages that you want to rank is a strategic approach to SEO. It’s not just about getting any links, but about getting the right links to the right pages to signal their value and relevance to search engines.

You Can Funnel Your Link Juice To Other Pages On Your Site

Internal link building is a strategic method to distribute ‘link juice’ or ‘link equity’ throughout your website. By using tier 1 links, which are the internal links from your most authoritative pages, you can direct this valuable equity to other pages within your site that you wish to boost, such as sales pages or key content pieces.

The process works by taking the authority gained from external backlinks to your high-performing pages (those with tier 2 and tier 3 links) and using internal links to pass some of that authority to other pages that might not have as many external links.

This is similar to having a highly respected figure in a community vouching for someone else within that community, thereby raising their status.

For example, if you have an article that has garnered 50 high-quality external links (tier 2 and tier 3), you can create internal links (tier 1) from that article to other pages on your site.

This helps to naturally guide users and search engine crawlers to your other important pages, effectively funnelling the link juice through your site’s internal structure.

By carefully crafting this internal link architecture, you ensure that the SEO value is not just concentrated on a few pages but is spread across your site, helping to improve the overall rankings of multiple pages.

It’s a powerful technique that leverages your existing link equity to enhance the visibility and performance of your entire website in search engine results.

It’s A Good Signal To Google From Other Web Users

Backlinks are essentially the internet’s way of using peer recommendations to determine the value of your content.

When other web users link to your content, they’re signalling to Google and other search engines that they deem your information to be credible, authoritative, and valuable. This is a crucial aspect of how search engines assess and rank web pages.

Think of each backlink as a thumbs-up from another user or website. The more thumbs-up your content receives, the more search engines take notice. This is because search engines aim to provide users with the most relevant and high-quality results for their queries.

When your content is frequently linked, it suggests that your site is a reliable source of information or services, which can lead to improved visibility in search results.

However, it’s not just about the number of backlinks; the quality of the linking sites is also paramount. Links from established, high-authority sites can have a more significant impact on your site’s visibility than those from lesser-known, low-authority sites.

By focusing on garnering high-quality backlinks, you’re sending strong, positive signals to search engines about the relevance and usefulness of your content.

Top Ranking Pages All Have High Number Of Links

The correlation between top-ranking pages and a high number of backlinks is a well-documented observation in the SEO community.

Essentially, when you look at the first 10 results on a search engine’s homepage, there’s a noticeable trend: the higher the position of the page, the more backlinks it usually has.

This pattern is a strong indicator of the significance of link building in the quest for top rankings.

The presence of a high number of backlinks on these top-ranking pages suggests that these pages are being frequently cited, referenced, and recommended across the web.

This is a clear signal to search engines that the content on these pages is considered authoritative and valuable by other site owners and content creators.

Moreover, it’s not just the quantity of these links that’s important, but also the quality. A closer look at the link profiles of these top-ranking pages often reveals that a significant percentage, at least 20%, of these links come from ultra high-authority sites.

These authoritative sites are talking about the same topic and are backed by tier 3 links of equal quality, creating a network of high-value recommendations.

This shared ‘link juice’ across multiple high-authority sites amplifies the SEO benefits, further reinforcing the page’s position in search results.

It’s a clear demonstration of why link building remains one of the top ranking factors and why it’s a practice that you should diligently pursue to enhance your website’s visibility and search engine rankings.

You May Struggle To Rank Effectively Without Links

In the competitive realm of SEO, links are similar to the currency of the internet. They are a fundamental aspect of how search engines, like Google, determine the relevance and authority of your website. Without a robust link-building strategy, you may find it exceedingly difficult to climb the search engine rankings.

Search engines use links to discover new web pages and to help determine how well a page should rank in their results. Each link to your website is like a vote of confidence in the eyes of search engines, suggesting that your content is worth noting.

However, not all votes are equal. Links from high-authority and relevant websites carry more weight and can significantly impact your site’s performance.

If your website lacks these valuable backlinks, it’s likely to struggle against competitors who have invested in building a strong backlink profile. In essence, without links, your site may become invisible to search engines, no matter how good your content may be.

Therefore, prioritising link building is not just a good practice; it’s an essential strategy if you aim to rank effectively and enhance your online presence.

Conclusion

In wrapping up, it’s clear that link building is a cornerstone of SEO success. The emphasis, however, should be on the quality of the links rather than just amassing a large number.

High-quality backlinks from reputable and authoritative websites are invaluable as they significantly contribute to the perceived trustworthiness and expertise of your site.

By dedicating efforts to craft high-quality content that naturally attracts these valuable backlinks, you’re not only enhancing your site’s authority but also its potential to climb up the search engine rankings.

This approach to link building ensures that each backlink serves as a robust endorsement of your content, signalling to search engines that your website is a credible source of information or services.

Remember, a strategic link-building campaign is about fostering relationships, understanding the nuances of your industry, and consistently delivering content that others find worth linking to.

It’s a long-term commitment, but when done correctly, it can yield substantial rewards in terms of your site’s visibility and search engine performance.

About Author: George Panayides is the Manager Director of The Digital xx focusing on SEO, Google ads, Social media marketing, website development and link building. He’s looking to help other freelancers or business owners become a master in their industry and move towards a better, more successful future.