Link Building Methods that Still Work in 2018

It’s 2018, and link building is still considered critical in the world of digital marketing, especially when it comes to getting your website to rank highly in the SERPs organically. Yet there are still many businesses who are either using out of date practises or who aren’t link buildingLink building is a process of acquiring…

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Of course, backlinks are, admittedly, only one of a hundred different ways to improve your ranking on Google, however, using backlinks is still considered one of the crucial ranking factors in SEO. While Google’s algorithm continues to evolve, changing the course of SEO, backlinks are still highly regarded by Google, with Google’s bots using backlinks as their number one ranking factor when measuring a site’s trustworthiness and authority.

With that said, though, backlinks have adapted over the years. Gone are the days when quantity over quality was all that mattered, and instead Google is now looking for quality link building methods as opposed to a high volume of ‘spammy’ linksHyperlinks, also known as links, are the connection points on a webpage that take you to other webpages.. Nowadays link building takes more time and effort, but the final payoff is still worth all this extra effort.

For those who are either struggling with their current link building strategy (perhaps it once worked but is now starting to suffer), looking to refresh their methods, start their first SEO campaign, or are simply looking to better their knowledge on the subject, here are the link building methods that still continue to work in 2018.

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Reciprocal Linking

Paying for links is bad practice when it’s done so in excess, as in excessive link exchangeA Link Exchange (also called a Link Swap) is an arrangement in which two webmasters agree to exchange links on their sites., for example, “you link to me and I’ll link to you.” However, as long as reciprocal linking is on topic, relevant and doesn’t come across as a form of manipulation, you can ask someone to either review or link to your website if it’s a legitimate claim. After all, links are all about quality and user focus, and so your links need to be offering something of substance. If your reciprocal linking makes sense and doesn’t come across as forced, then link exchange is a valid method of backlinking to your website.

Be 100% Natural with Your Anchor Texts

Over-optimised anchor textAnchor text is the text highlighted by a hyperlink. The words highlighted are crucial for SEO, informing Google’s crawling bots about the content of the site linked to. can spell trouble for your website’s integrity, and so you need to take the time to study the best anchor texts for the job. While there are many anchor texts out there to choose from, if you select one that comes across as too forced (because you want a certain phrase), then Google will penalise you.

In the past, anchor texts could be short and choppy: if you were a London-based clothing store that specialised in petite sizing, then you could have the phrase petite dresses London dotted throughout a paid-for article without many repercussions. Nowadays, though, this would raise many red flags for your website, damaging your site’s integrity. Instead, more descriptive anchor text with proper punctuation would fare better; for instance, petite dresses for women in London.

While ‘Branded’ and ‘Naked’ anchor texts still have a place, you need to be more mindful in how your place them; if they do not fit the whole context of the article, then your backlinks will do more damage than good.

Paying for High-Quality Content

Investing in high-quality content and then using the content to promote your website is still an ethical and great means of creating a wealth of backlinks to your website. Whereas before you could buy a bunch of bad links and have them distributed in vast volumes, paying for well-written and interesting content that overflows with information and relevancy makes your website and business more trustworthy – which is ideal, considering the younger generations look for legitimacy when doing business.

Great content must be:

Legitimate headlines (clickbait has finally died out).
Be actionable.
Be accurate.
Provide answers.

Furthermore, you shouldn’t treat a blog post lightly. If you’re writing it yourself, then make sure to spend time and energy on the content; it also needs to be grammatically correct. If you’re paying for content, then be sure to find the best content marketing company for you, and preferably one that deals in white-hat SEO practices.

Although proper link building is no easy feat, backlinks are greatly important when it comes to raising your website’s visibility online. Google uses backlinks as a means to measure your website’s integrity, and so you need to invest in the best white-hat SEO techniques out there. Consider the above and implement the strategies that are still remaining strong in 2018, and you’ll find that 2018 could be your best business year yet! Just be sure to remember that it’s quality over quantity.