With 2019 underway, digital marketing specialists are poised to make big changes in how we go about producing effective content. Just a few months ago, Google began tweaking its standards for the type of content it considers worthy of recognition. Since then, we’ve shifted our approach to ensure our content follows their new requirements for quality content.

After spending time crafting informative blogs, pages, and articles that satisfy these requirements, the next step is ensuring someone out there who needs the information stumbles upon it. A big part of having your content land in front of the eyes of potential clients is link building.

Think of it this way. As a business owner, you can agree that referrals are important at any stage of operating a business, right? Referrals are also crucial for your website. When you engage in link building, you participate in soliciting referrals from authoritative sites that can increase your website’s visibility and authority. These links are commonly known as “backlinks” in SEO-speak.

As a refresher, let’s dive into how linking building works and the role it plays in running a successful website.

What is link building?

Link building is the process by which you acquire backlinks or links to your site from other websites. These links play a key part in how users jump from one piece of information to the next when searching the internet. When a website links to your site, that creates a backlink. This is the online equivalent of being referred.

Ultimately, as a business owner, your priority when engaging in search engine optimization is for your website to rank higher on the SERPs or search engine results pages. A significant part of achieving a higher ranking is having quality backlinks. The more quality backlinks you have, the more of an authority Google perceives your website to be; which, in turn, helps your rank.

How does Google rate backlinks?

Once upon a time, web pages could achieve a high rank by having numerous backlinks, regardless of the quality of these links. Since then, times have changed, and the quality of links is more important than ever. Google heavily considers the quality of backlinks when determining whether the site they’re linked to should is an authoritative source of information.

Some questions that can help Google identify quality backlinks include:

  • Will the reader be interested in where he is being directed with this link?
  • Will the reader learn something from the link?
  • Is the information on the page being linked to useful?
  • Is the link necessary?

Ultimately, links to your own site must be viewed as useful for the reader of the original article. You should strive to obtain backlinks from organizations, businesses, and others in your general field of interest who already rank well so that Google will perceive the information you post on your website as credible, useful, and relevant.

Obtaining Quality Backlinks

You can get quality external websites to link to your site a few different ways. Overall, keep an open mind about reaching out to people who can help you out.

  • Creating and promoting compelling content
  • Acquiring reviews and mentions by reaching out to influencers about your product or service
  • People you know or work with
  • Submitting content to directories
  • Submitting press releases about newsworthy events

Generally, the more quality backlinks you obtain, the better. Google relies upon these links to know about your website.

Why is all this important?

The quality of your backlinks is a huge factor in determining your website’s rank. When link building within your own content, consider:

  • The trustworthiness and authority of linked pages
  • The SEO and content optimization of the sites you’re linking to
  • The anchor text of the links

Finally, obtaining backlinks from reputable sources can benefit your business by helping you build professional relationships, gain referrals, and build your brand.

Trust the Experts for Quality Link Building

In 2019, it’s vital to continue prioritizing creating quality content. You’ll have more success acquiring backlinks with content people want to read. Are you currently struggling to obtain quality backlinks? The SEO specialists at Market My Market are consistently ahead of Google algorithm updates and will know what to do to boost your SERP rank. Don’t be shy about reaching out for a free quote.