What is the future of link building looking like? Fili Wiese, a former member of the Google Search Quality team discussed how link building is going to change over the next 12 months with a stronger focus on the consumer journey and less on page rank.
Don’t build links for the sake of page rankings – Google’s key statement about link building.
It’s key to check back links, disavow correctly and create good content that Google can discover through link building.
Without links we don’t have the web, so SEOs should rejig their thinking. Focus should be placed on why you are link building. Ranking high on Google should not be the only reason. It should be about driving traffic and conversions to encourage business. Links should be built to directly drive conversions.
How should we be building links?
- Don’t stay focused on page rank. If the link drives zero traffic, it isn’t a good link regardless of where it is located.
- Use rel=nofollow, as link building should not about page rank.
- Always be linking.
- Partner with similar businesses that are not competitors, it produces a long-term growth strategy.
Key takeaways:
- Clean up back link profile
- Don’t waste money on links that don’t drive traffic directly
- Focus on building convertible traffic links
