Skip to content

Are Any Link Building Techniques Really Outdated?

Link building is one of many ways that you can optimise your website in order to increase its ranking in search engine results and boost traffic and conversions. But because SEO policies are regularly changing, you need to keep up with the latest rules, especially when it comes to what link buildingLink building is a…
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Link building is one of many ways that you can optimise your website in order to increase its ranking in search engine results and boost traffic and conversions. But because SEO policies are regularly changing, you need to keep up with the latest rules, especially when it comes to what link building techniques you choose to use. So if you are still using the same old techniques that you have been using for years, they may very well be outdated, and they could be doing more harm than good to your website.

Are you still using the following outdated link building techniques? If so, it is time to update your SEO strategy.

Posting a Lot of Blog Comments

The majority of blogs will contain a section for comments at the bottom, and website owners have been using these comment boxes as an opportunity to leave a link back to their websites on relevant blogs.

But because Google now monitors the anchor text that contains a hyperlink in a comment, you have to be cautious. Commenting on blogs could end up distorting the anchor text and forcing you to leave behind a backlink with identical anchors, and this could alert Google.

Submitting to a Bunch of Directories

A directory is basically a list of websites that are categorised by their subject matter, topic, or industry. There are still many directories that you can find in just about every niche that you can come up with, and most of them will let you submit your website to them for free. This provides you with a totally free and easy backlink to your site and potentially a good boost in traffic.

So what’s the problem with submitting your site to one or more directories? Well, consider how often people use directories today. Just like the phonebook, online directories provide redundant information that can easily be found elsewhere, and with search engines providing better, more accurate results in seconds, most people simply do a search and leave it at that. Plus, because Google no longer recognises directory sites as having any value for SEO, you could be penalised for submitting your site to too many directories.

Using Content Farms

By submitting articles to content farm websites like Squidoo and Hubpages, you could potentially get a lot of backlinks to your website. And this worked for a while, but not anymore.

Panda is Google’s new algorithm that identifies and gets rid of the SEO value of content farms, which tend to be filled with a lot of low-value articles filled with spammy content. Google now drops these content farms from its rankings, thereby devaluing the backlinks found on their pages.

To improve your website’s SEO, make sure you always stay on top of the latest rules, especially when it comes to link building strategies, as many of them are now outdated. This will ensure that the strategies you implement actually help your site, rather than hinder it, when it comes to where it ranks in search engine results.

James Owen, Co-Founder & Head Of Search

James has been involved in SEO and digital marketing projects since 2007. James has led many SEO projects for well-known brands in Travel, Gaming and Retail such as Jackpotjoy, Marriott, Intercontinental Hotels, Hotels.com, Expedia, Betway, Gumtree, 888, Ax Paris, Ebyuer, Ebay, Hotels combined, Smyths toys, love honey and Pearson to name a few. James has also been a speaker at SEO and digital marketing conferences and events such as Brighton SEO.

View all Downloads

Downloads

The cover image of our e-book titled 'Content Marketing How-To Guide', portraying an individual typing on a laptop.

Content Marketing – How-to Guide

What is Content Marketing? Download Our How-To Guide Today!

Download

Private Blog Network

When building links what are PBN's and why are they dangerous!

Download
download

The Ultimate Guide To Selling Products Online

We’re going to take a look at how you can turn your eCommerce dream into a reality.

Download
View the Blog

You may also be interested in...

Why Personas Are Essential for Modern SEO and AI-Driven Search

For years, SEO has been driven by a relatively simple formula: identify the right keywords,…

How AI Search Is Presenting Your Brand (And How Click Insights Helps You Track It)

The introduction of the internet forever changed how brands experienced visibility, and, with its updates…

How Content Hubs and Entity Clusters Drive AI SEO Performance

Search is getting smarter by the day, and the way we create content needs to…

From Search Engines to AI Engines: Choosing SEO That Performs Everywhere

For years, success equated to being highly ranked in Google’s organic search results, but the…

Editorial Links: Why They Matter for AI SEO

When it comes to succeeding with modern SEO, there are many avenues to explore, but…

Google March 2026 Spam Update: What It Means for Your SEO Strategy

On March 24, 2026, Google announced that it was rolling out its latest spam update…

How to Get LLMs to Mention Your Brand

Simply appearing on a search page isn’t enough anymore, not in today’s world driven by…

Follow vs. Nofollow: Why Your AI Search Strategy Needs Both to Succeed

Follow vs nofollow links have been debated in digital marketing for years. Questions are often…

View all Guides

Online Guides

Best PR Link Building Agencies
View guide
Best UK PR Link Building Agencies
View guide
Best UK Brand Mentions Agencies
View guide
The Ultimate SEO & AI Search Strategy Guide for Car Dealers
View guide
Brand Mentions SEO & AI Search Strategy Guide
View guide
The Ultimate Backlinking Strategy Guide
View guide
Manual Outreach SEO & AI Search Strategy Guide
View guide
10 Best US Consulting Agencies
View guide
Back To Top