Florian Fuehren

Imagine you’re a matchmaker in the digital marketing world, where instead of setting up a date, you’re on the hunt for a quality backlink. Yes, in the grand romance that is search engine optimization, link building is like sending a box of chocolates to your website’s crush, Google. But not just any gas station confections will do. Oh no, you have to bring the good stuff, the manual link building that makes search engines swoon.

Link building quality control is like having a keen eye on the quality of those sweet, sweet backlinks. You want to ensure that when your website flutters its digital eyelashes at Google, it’s not just batting spammy links. Think of it as your virtual wingman, ensuring that every guest post pointing back to your site is the cream of the digital crop — a surefire way to boost your visibility without the heartbreak of a Google penalty.

Just as in the quest for love, in your link building strategy, you can’t rush quality. Every suitor vying for the top spot on search results must pursue the finest connections, a process that demands creativity, persistence and a little content marketing charm. Remember, in the playful art of quality link building, it’s a slow dance to the top. So put on your best shoes and get ready to tango with Google Analytics!

Understanding Link Building: Can Backlinks Be Bad?

You might think a backlink is like a high five from the internet telling the search engines your page authority is the bee’s knees. But sometimes, that high five comes from the mischief maker of the web and ends up being more of a slap in the face of your business reputation.

High-quality backlinks, or links from other reputable websites that lead back to yours, are like the street cred of the digital world. Although not the only path to the top, authority links can make your next “Ultimate Guide” the popular kid on the search engine block. However, not all backlinks are created equal, and hoarding them is no longer a viable marketing strategy … if it ever was. If you get backlinks from sites that even your grandma wouldn’t count on, you might end up dealing with some trust issues of your own.

For example, imagine getting external links from a site peddling a dozen different questionable products — definitely spammy. This can make search engines raise their digital eyebrows at your site. The algorithm may not always fully grasp why an inbound link is spammy, but they’ll know something’s fishy, which is all the more reason to watch out for backlink quality and keep your spam score low.

Here’s the scoop on what can turn inbound links into bad news:

  • Low Quality or Irrelevant Sites: Getting recommended for the picturesque view from your hotel rooms is great, unless it comes from someone who still thinks the world is flat. If you do have control over it, you should try to get high-quality links from a relevant website.
  • Paid Links: While there are scenarios where a link building service works, it can feel like you’re bribing your way into the cool club. That’s because some people buy domains that used to be reputable and turn them into link farms. What looks like trustworthy SEO services at first glance soon turns out to be a scam.
  • Excessive Link Exchanges: Nothing wrong with saying, “I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine,” right? Actually, you can overdo it and end up with no skin left. Search engines are growing increasingly smart about patterns in exchanged links. Moderation is key here.

The way in which you get your link plays a role as well. After all, if you’re building links, you can actively control their quality. Here are some ways to do that:

Guest Blogging

Think of a busy site owner working their way through email No. 52. You only have a second to catch their attention. So, rather than asking for a favor while secretly thinking of your Google Search Console dashboard, what if you offered to take some of the workload off their back? You can even get some bonus points if you conduct keyword research to identify their content gaps and ensure your content will perform well.

Guest blogging is a great way to build relationships with other website owners, and it allows you to showcase your expertise to a new audience. Make sure to choose reputable blogs with high domain authority and avoid over-optimizing your anchor text or backlinks. If you behave, you might be invited back, and that’s worth even more.

Finding Broken Links

We get it. Broken link building sounds like a mix of haggling on the flea market and cleaning your room. But if you reach out to replace broken links on other blogs, it supports those website owners in improving their user experience. They may already be doing the same thing for their internal links. Helping them offer fresh quality content can go a long way in building a relationship.

The easy part? You can use a link building tool like Check My Links or Ahrefs’ Broken Link Checker to find broken links. The challenge is to craft a personalized outreach email that doesn’t come off as if you’re blaming the broken link on the website owner.

Content Outreach

If you don’t have any inbound links yet, you can reach out to relevant websites or influencers to promote your content and encourage them to link to it. 

We can’t emphasize those two ingredients enough, so let’s highlight them for all strategies: Personalize your messages to demonstrate why your content is relevant to their audience. Yes, you can offer to reciprocate or throw in additional backlink analysis, but that’s the cherry on top.

To stay on the up-and-up with the search engines, you want to aim for quality links from reputable sites, and they see impersonal templates asking for favors all day. And always remember, if a link feels as shady as a street vendor selling Rolex watches for ten bucks, steer clear. Don’t let bad backlinks rain on your search engine optimization parade, or worse, land you with penalties. Keep it clean, folks.

Building Links and Related Strategies

Once you’ve mastered outreach and guest blogging, it’s time to pat yourself on the back. But remember, link building isn’t an isolated endeavor but rather part of a broader strategy that encompasses digital PR and social media. Understanding how these components interconnect can supercharge your link building efforts and bolster your website’s authority.

Digital PR may involve leveraging online channels to improve your brand visibility, but link building is only one tiny part of the jigsaw puzzle. Think of digital PR as the attitude or strategy behind the scenes to cultivate relationships. It may result in link building; it may also call for press releases, guest contributions, influencer collaborations or monitoring media mentions.

And yes, a lot of those conversations increasingly happen on social media, which is why you need matching strategies for content distribution and audience engagement tailored to each community. You may consider all this a vanity metric, but remember that all those people getting riled up about your content could someday turn into customers. What better way to boost sales than to become the Steve Jobs of your industry and turn product announcements into rock concerts?

No matter how you mix and match digital PR, social media advertising and link building, your strategy needs to feel right for you. Don’t lose sight of the ultimate goal — fostering relationships — and you’ll soon define your own holistic approach to navigate the digital landscape.

What Goes Into Great Link Quality?

Ever tried to woo search engines into giving your site a second glance? Well, building a primo link is like crafting the perfect dating profile for your website — it has to look good and sound even better. Let’s dissect this online magnet, shall we?

First up, the heartthrob of your link: the anchor text. Just like a pick-up line, it better be catchy but not creepy. Your anchor text should be relevant to the page it’s linked to. “Click here” is the “Hi, how are you?” of the internet — overused and uninspiring. Get creative!

Next, let’s talk about where your link hangs out, and that establishment’s reputation — the domain rating. Think of sites with high domain ratings as the cool kids’ table. You want your links lunching there, flaunting a DA/DR score that’s hotter than a pepper sprout.

Let’s say you’re running an extreme ironing blog (yes, it’s a thing). Imagine three scenarios:

  • The world’s biggest extreme ironing blog linking to you.
  • The New York Times reporting about extreme ironing, naming you as an example.
  • Next door’s travel agency linking to you. 

What goes into these sites’ credibility and PageRank will ultimately determine how Google judges their outbound link to your content. Your niche’s biggest blog may not have the best PageRank, but it’s relevant to the world of extreme ironing and carries credibility. 

So does the New York Times, but only so far as it’s known for its thoroughness and reporting. It’s an honor to be named there, for sure, but you probably won’t see a lot of extreme ironers coming from that link. And finally, your neighbor may think they’re doing you a favor, but unless they’re selling special offer tours to the World Championships of Extreme Ironing, their link is almost useless.

Tools like Ahrefs, Moz and Google Search Console can help you analyze your backlink profile and the quality and domain rating of sites linking to your content. Always ask yourself if your content is truly relevant to another audience if you’re building links. 

We get it. You’re showing your brainchild to the world, and you’re incredibly proud. But please, don’t be the parent who makes every single conversation about their kids. Linking to unrelated content is just awkward and annoys readers, hurting your reputation. Keep it relevant and ensure your link isn’t the odd one out.

Nofollow vs. Dofollow Links: What You Need To Know

Finally, there’s the eternal battle between nofollow and dofollow links, which inevitably begs the question of which one’s better. Here’s the straight talk.

For the most part, you want dofollow links. They tell Google, “Hey, I trust this site and so should you,” giving you those extra points needed to climb the search rankings ladder.

That doesn’t mean you should dismiss those coy nofollows, though. These site owners might not be sharing the love directly, but they bring diversity to your backlink profile, keeping things natural and balanced. In short:

Dofollow Links

  • Pass on: SEO strength and credibility.
  • Google’s View: A thumbs-up for your backlink profile.

Nofollow Links

  • Refuse To Pass on: Authority (a.k.a. link juice).
  • Google’s View: The silent nod, acknowledging presence but not influence.

Build Your Backlink Profile Now!

If your backlink profile were an army, you’d want only the toughest recruits in your ranks. It’s best to start with a thorough audit to inspect each backlink and ensure it’s worthy of your cause. Only then would you march out to seek organic traffic.

We’ve given you the core ingredients of success. Now, it’s time to act. Get your industry talking and build some links!