3 Ways to Make Sure You’re Building the Right Kinds of Links

In the wake of the Google Penguin update I’ve spoken with several site owners that were so nervous about getting the “wrong” kind of links that their entire link building campaign had come to standstill. While I can understand why some site owners would be nervous after hearing the horror stories from other sites that had gotten whacked with an algorithmic penalty, link building is still a crucial component of any SEO campaign and sites can’t be so afraid of making a mistake with their link building that they don’t do it at all. The “quality” of link can sometimes be open for debate but for the most part a good link and bad link are going to be very different from each other. Here are 3 ways site owners can make sure they are building the right kind of links:

1. Could this link drive targeted traffic to your site?

Imagine Google vanished off the face of the Earth tomorrow. How would people go about finding your website—through the hundreds and thousands of links you’ve built to it of course! Each link becomes a gateway into your website and has the potential to drive a handful of visitors over to your site.  In my opinion, the best links are the ones that could send actual human visitors your way. Even 5 extra visitors per link adds up over time. These kinds of links typically come from highly trusted and relevant sites, making them valuable backlinks from an SEO perspective as well.

2. Does this link come from a site you would link out to?

Not that you have to link out to every site that links back to you, but if you wouldn’t be willing to link to that site in some way, shape or form do you really want them linking to you? If it’s not the kind of site you’d want to refer your visitors to it is probably not the kind of site you want listed in your link profile.

3. Did you have to earn the link?

Not always, but in many cases the harder it is to get a link from a site the more valuable it is. For instance, some industry sites may require some kind of application before they will list you as a member. Top blogs usually require a writing sample of some kind before you can become a guest blogger or columnist. High profile news sites and journalists don’t take notice of every press release or brief that comes their way; it has to be something remarkable. If you really had to earn that link chances are it’s a good one to have gone after.

These are just three questions that site owners should ask themselves as they go about their link building. These are by no means the only qualities that a “good” link would have but they are a good place to start. My advice has always been this—if you have to start justifying a link to either yourself or someone in your organization and are scrounging around to come up with a real reason why it’s a good idea it’s probably not the best kind of link for your site. Keep in mind, one bad link isn’t going to undermine the rest of your link building campaign but you have to think of it like a seesaw. The more low-quality links you have cluttering up your link profile the less impact the valuable links will have. Don’t think you have to get every link that comes your way and make sure it’s worth it!