Underrated Link Building Tactics That Still Pack a Punch in 2024

A strong online presence is crucial for any business hoping to succeed. While a well-designed website and engaging content are essential, they won’t do much good if your site is buried in search results. That’s where link building comes in.

What is Link Building?

Link building is the strategy of acquiring hyperlinks from other websites to your own. Search engines like Google see these links as votes of confidence, boosting your site’s credibility and authority. The more high-quality links you have, the higher your site will rank in search results, leading to increased visibility, traffic, and conversions.

Anatomy of a Link

Links are the building blocks of the internet, connecting pages and enabling users to navigate the vast web of information. But beyond their primary function, links are crucial in search engine optimization (SEO). Search engines use links to discover new content, understand the relationships between different websites, and determine the authority and relevance of web pages.

To understand how links contribute to SEO, let’s delve into the anatomy of a link, specifically the HTML anchor tag (<a>) that creates a hyperlink:

HTML

<a href="https://martech.zone/link-building-tactics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="Learn about effective link building">Link Building Tactics</a>

This seemingly simple line of code contains several attributes that influence a link’s functionality and SEO impact:

1. href Attribute: The Destination

• Purpose: This is the most crucial attribute, specifying the URL (web address) the link points to. It tells the browser where to take the user when clicking the link.
• Example: In the code above, href="https://martech.zone/link-building-tactics/" directs the user to a blog post about link-building strategies on the website www.example.com.

2. target Attribute: Opening Behavior

• Purpose: This attribute controls how the linked page opens.
  • target="_blank": Opens the link in a new tab or window, keeping the user on the current page.
  • target="_self": (Default) Opens the link in the same tab or window.
• Example:target="_blank" in our example ensures the linked page opens in a new tab.

3. rel Attribute: Link Relationship and SEO Implications

• Purpose: This attribute defines the relationships between the current and linked documents. It can have multiple values, providing valuable information to search engines.
  • noopener: A security attribute used target="_blank" to prevent the new tab from manipulating the original page.
  • sponsored: Indicates a paid link, such as an advertisement or sponsored content.
  • ugc: Stands for “user-generated content” and is used for links in comments, forum posts, and other user-created content.
  • nofollow: Tells search engines not to follow the link or pass link equity (ranking power) to the linked page.
• Example:rel="noopener" in our example enhances security. sponsored, ugc, and nofollow are optional and should be used based on the nature of the link.

4. title Attribute: Informative Tooltip

• Purpose: Provides additional information about the link that appears as a tooltip when the user hovers over the link.
• Example:title="Learn about effective link building" offers a brief description of the link’s destination.

5. Anchor Text: The Clickable Text

• Purpose: This is the visible, clickable text of the hyperlink. It should be relevant to the linked page and provide context to users and search engines.
• Example:Link Building Tactics is the anchor text in our example.

By understanding these attributes and how they work together, you can create effective links that enhance user experience, contribute to your SEO efforts, and help you build a strong online presence.

Backlink Quality Factors

Search engines are sophisticated and can assess a link based on many factors to determine its value and influence. Here’s a breakdown of the critical aspects that determine a link’s impact:

Relevance

• Niche Relevance: A link from a website within your industry or a closely related field carries more weight than a link from a completely unrelated site. For example, a link from a popular cooking blog would be highly relevant for a kitchenware e-commerce site.
• Content Relevance: The content surrounding the link should be relevant to the content on your page. For example, a link embedded in an article about healthy recipes would be more valuable for a page about organic ingredients than a link on a page about car maintenance.

Authority

• Domain Authority (DA): This metric, developed by Moz, predicts how well a website will rank on search engine result pages (SERPs). It’s calculated by evaluating various factors, including the number and quality of backlinks the website itself has. Links from websites with high DA are generally more valuable.
• Page Authority (PA): Similar to DA, PA measures the authority of a specific page on a website. A link from a high-PA page on a high-DA website is a powerful combination.

Trustworthiness

• Website Reputation: Search engines consider the reputation of the linking website. Links from well-established, trusted sources like government websites, educational institutions, or reputable news organizations carry more weight.
• User Signals: How users interact with the linking website can influence a link’s value. Factors like bounce rate, time on page, and click-through rates can indicate a website’s quality and trustworthiness.

Anchor Text

• Relevance: The anchor text, which is the clickable text of a hyperlink, should be relevant to the content on your page.
• Diversity: Avoid over-optimization by using a variety of anchor text. A natural link profile will include a mix of branded keywords, generic terms, and long-tail keywords.

Link Placement

• Visibility: Links placed within the main content of a page are generally more valuable than links in sidebars, footers, or comment sections.
• Context: The link should appear naturally within the flow of the content and provide value to the reader.

Link Attributes

• Follow vs. Nofollow:Follow links pass link equity (ranking power) to your site, while nofollow links do not. While both types of links are valuable, following links significantly impact your search rankings.
• Sponsored and UGC: These attributes help search engines understand the nature of the link. Sponsored indicates a paid link, while UGC signifies user-generated content.

Link Velocity

• Natural Growth: A sudden backlink surge can appear unnatural and raise red flags with search engines. Aim for steady, organic growth in your link profile.

Avoid Link Schemes and Buying Links

Search engines like Google have strict guidelines against manipulating search rankings through artificial link building. Engaging in practices like:

• Buying links: Paying for links to manipulate rankings.
• Participating in link exchanges: Agreeing to link to another website solely in exchange for a link back.
• Using automated link building software: Generating low-quality links from spammy websites.
• Creating private blog networks (PBNs): Building a network of websites solely for the purpose of linking to your main website.

These tactics can result in penalties, including a drop in rankings, removal from search results, or even a manual action against your website.

Best Practices for Effective Link Building

Following best practices that prioritize quality and adhere to search engine guidelines is essential to ensuring your efforts are rewarded with higher rankings and increased organic traffic.

• Focus on quality over quantity: A few links from authoritative sites are worth more than hundreds of links from low-quality sources.
• Build relationships: Connect with other website owners and bloggers in your niche. Guest blogging, online community participation, and social media engagement can help you build valuable connections.
• Create high-quality content: Content is king when it comes to link building. Develop informative, engaging, and shareable content to which others naturally want to link.
• Diversify your link profile: Aim for various link types, including editorial links, guest blog links, resource links, and directory links.

Adhering to these practices will help you avoid penalties and maximize the impact of your link-building efforts.

Underrated Link Building Strategies

While some link-building tactics are well-known, several underrated strategies can be just as effective:

• Reclamation: Find websites that have used your images or content without attribution and request a link back to your site.
• Resource page link building: Identify resource pages in your niche and contact the website owners to have your site included.
• Broken link building: Find broken links on relevant websites and offer your content as a replacement.
• Profile link building: Create profiles on high-quality directories and platforms in your industry, ensuring each profile includes a link back to your website.
• Guest blogging: Contribute high-quality content to other blogs in your niche, including a link to your site in your author bio or within the content itself.
• Internal linking: Strategically link to relevant pages within your website to improve user experience and distribute link equity.
• Ego bait link building: Mention and link to influencers or experts in your content; they may be more likely to share or link back to your site.
• Second-tier link building: Build links to the pages already linking to your site to strengthen your link profile further.
• Participating in or hosting media events: Events can generate links from listings, recaps, and media coverage.

Incorporating these underrated strategies into your link-building efforts can significantly improve your website’s visibility and search engine rankings. Remember to build genuine relationships and create high-quality content that provides value to your audience. With a consistent and strategic approach, you can reap the long-term benefits of a strong link profile and achieve lasting online success.