Welcome to our blog post on the Link-Building Techniques That Work in 2023. As we enter a new era of Google’s E-A-T algorithm, it’s clear that link building has evolved to become more about authority than quantity. The impact of backlinks has decreased over time, but they are still crucial in highly competitive niches where they remain the primary ranking factor. This is evident in Forbes’ ranking, which ranks second for the “best truck tires” keyword purely due to backlink authority, despite not having topically related content nor high-quality content. But how can you differentiate high-quality backlinks from low-quality ones? This video will help you:
In this article, we will discuss the different perspectives on link-building and how they impact SEO rankings in 2023. Our expert contributors will share their insights on factors like citation relevance, trustworthiness, social signals, and link velocity, which will help you evaluate link quality. By the end of this article, you will have a better understanding of the best link-building practices and how they can work for your website in 2023.
Do backlinks have less impact today than in the past?
A1: With the new E-EAT algorithm Google is using the authority part has become more relevant. However, link building has to do more with authority rather than quantity. #serpstat_chat
Joey Trend
I believe so. But I don’t think it’s just “links provide less value”, I think G have made several alterations (since approx. 2016/2017?), where they constrain the influence by type of link, topicality etc.
Darth Autocrat (Lyndon NA)
A1: According to Google, backlinks DO have less impact today than they did in the past: https://searchenginejournal.com/google-link-signal-impact/… This, however, does not necessarily make backlinks any less important. When it comes to competitive niches, backlinks are still the primary ranking factor. If everyone has great content, a fast website, and amazing UX, backlinks are going to be what determines whether you rank #1 or #10. A good testament to the power of backlinks in 2023 is this: Forbes ranked #2 for “best truck tires” keyword PURELY due to backlink authority: https://seerinteractive.com/insights/helpful-content-google-algorithm-update… Forbes does NOT have topically related content (i.e. no topical authority), and their content is mid-tier at best. They even admit that they don’t actually try out the products they review.
Nick Zviadadze
Do no-follow backlinks impact your rankings?
A2: In my opinion that depends on a few factors. I think any citation that is industry relevant passes authority. #serpstat_chat
Joey Trend
I don’t think they do. I know G made changes in preparation, and were ready to ignore the attribute value (if they deemed it worthy of passing value through the link), but I don’t know if they ever implemented the change?
Darth Autocrat (Lyndon NA)
A2 No-follow backlinks can indirectly impact your rankings by driving traffic to your site. Also, they can still help search engines understand the context and relevance of your site #serpstat_chat
Olena Prokhoda
Does DA/DR matter for link-building?
A3) they are just one of many metrics to consider. I’d say the most important metrics for link building are: – Relevance – Trust
Jonas Sickler
I think it’s a decent way to measure authority of a web page. The higher the DA/DR the more authority it has. #serpstat_chat
Joey Trend
A3: Yes and no. These days, it’s almost common knowledge that DA/DR are third-party metrics and Google does NOT consider them when evaluating how to rank your website. It’s also true that DA/DR can easily be faked. There are services on Fiverr that will raise your DA by 30+ overnight. This will NOT impact your rankings positively. That said, DA/DR is a good birdseye indicator of whether or not a certain backlink is of high quality. A backlink from a DA 50+ site (i.e. it hasn’t been artificially boosted) is going to be significantly better than a link from a DA 15 site.
Nick Zviadadze
Do social signals impact SEO?
A4 no they do not, they do if your page talks just about social media only, better seo does #serpstat_chat
Jaroslaw Pidburskyj – #SEO
A4: Most people miss the mark on this. Social signals help get your pages indexed faster. They are also a reference of authority if connected to Google my business and YouTube. #serpstat_chat
Joey Trend
A4 Social signals can influence search engine algorithms, but their impact is minor compared to other ranking factors. I’d say, they are more useful for improving user engagement and building relationships with your audience than for improving SEO.
Olena Prokhoda
Can high link velocity get you penalized?
A5: That depends on the quality of the links you are obtaining. If they are relevant and look authoritative you will not be penalized. #serpstat_chat
Joey Trend
A5: Potentially, yes. If, for example, you build 20+ backlinks to a SINGLE page in one month, and use a direct-match anchor text for most of the backlinks, Google will be able to tell that you’re doing something sketchy. If you build 20+ links to different pages, though, and use a variety of different anchor texts, then you’re a lot more likely to be safe. Overall, there’s nothing wrong with high link velocity. If a single article goes viral, it’s common to generate dozens if not hundreds of backlinks. No reason for Google to punish you for your content doing TOO well. #serpstat_chat
Nick Zviadadze
A5: Absolutely. Google can definitely tell when it’s organic. If backlinks are being built but there is no trend for the domain on social media or in the news to accompany it, probably not organic. #serpstat_chat
Sweepsify
How do you evaluate the quality of a backlink?
A6: My personal checklist for evaluating link quality is as follows: 1. Website topical relevance. Is the site topically related to yours? 2. Page topical relevance. Is the page you’re building a link from topically related to the page you’re linking to? 3. DA/DR. Third-party metric and inaccurate, but gives a good top-down view of a backlink’s strengths. 4. Website traffic & rankings. If a site is performing well on Google, that means that its backlinks will be worth more. 5. Traffic trends. Has the site been recently penalized / lost a lot of traffic? 6. Page metrics. Does the page you’re building a link from have its own backlinks? 7. Do-follow/no-follow. Is the link do-follow? 8. If the site is a backlink farm. Backlink farms have a high DA but low real impact. #serpstat_chat
Nick Zviadadze
I check, 1. Relevancy 2. # of Referring domains (you can call it DA). 3. Quality of those domains. 4. Traffic on that domain The rest doesn’t matter to me. No matter what platform that is.
Sturdy Business
A6.1 1. Authority of the linking domain 2. Relevance of the linking page #serpstat_chat
Olena Prokhoda
Can you get penalized for paying for backlinks?
A7: If you’re not being careful, yes. Bad example: you pay for 20 backlinks to a single page with a direct match anchor Good example: you pay for 20 backlinks to different pages with a variety of anchor texts Buying backlinks is OK, heck, it’s even the only way to win in certain niches. The key is to do it in a way that makes your link profile look organic.
Nick Zviadadze
If you get caught, and the link(s) pass value (aren’t nofollowed/passed through a blocked URL etc.), Yes! If the links are neutered, no. If you aren’t stupid enough to get low value, spammy links, and make private arrangements, with quality sites … usually ok
Darth Autocrat (Lyndon NA)
A7 It’s against Google’s Webmaster Guidelines and can result in a penalty. Google can detect paid links and penalize websites engaged in this practice
Olena Prokhoda
How can you avoid paying sponsorship fees for backlinks?
A8.1 – Focus on building relationships with other websites in your industry through networking and social media. – Create high-quality content that is useful and relevant to your target audience, which can attract natural backlinks.
Olena Prokhoda
A8: In some niches, a lot of your outreach prospects will ask for a direct sponsorship fee in exchange for a backlink. Fortunately, there are some ways to avoid this: 1. Provide a really quality guest post based on YOUR experience. None of those 500-word AI-generated posts. 2. Provide a guest post targeting THEIR target keyword(s). This way, they actually get some value out of the guest post. 3. Offer something else in exchange. E.g. a backlink from a future guest post on a third-party blog.
Nick Zviadadze
A8: Instead of attempting to avoid paying for backlinks, concentrate on developing high-quality content that gets backlinks from other websites naturally. #serpstat_chat
VirtuDesk
Link building remains an essential component of SEO strategies in 2023, as backlinks are still the primary ranking factor in competitive niches. While Google’s E-A-T algorithm has made the authority part more relevant, link building’s importance lies more in authority than quantity. However, it’s crucial to note that Google has made several alterations to how it constrains the influence by the type of link and topicality, among other factors. While backlinks have less impact today than they did in the past, it doesn’t make them any less important, and they can still indirectly impact your rankings by driving traffic to your site.
When evaluating link quality, it’s crucial to consider relevance, trust, DA/DR, and website traffic and rankings. Social signals can influence search engine algorithms, but their impact is minor compared to other ranking factors. when building backlinks, it’s important to ensure that they are relevant, authoritative, and organic, as Google can tell when backlinks are not being built organically.
Jeremy’s Take: Link Building Is Really a Distribution Problem
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Distribution is the only remaining moat when execution becomes infinite.
Nick Eubanks, Unscripted SEO Podcast
Links are distribution in disguise. Nick Eubanks on the moats that still matter in his Unscripted SEO episode.
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