Keep a strong backlink profile
A site’s backlink profile is still the most reliable indicator of its eventual rankings. Another study shows that without backlinks, it is nearly impossible to rank well, even if you have great content.
What has changed is the way you must build backlinks if you want good results. Low-quality links that are easily spammed (blog comments, paid links), don’t seem to work anymore and can actively harm your site.
Links that are earned through high-quality content, outreach and influencer marketing, on the other hand, are safe and extremely effective.
These high-quality backlinks are tagged with a “follow” link, which essentially highlights their goodness to Google. Backlinking is all about quality over quantity. See our article on Follow vs No-Follow links to explain this.
A reputable agency, such as Webbage an SEO company in Norwich, will have extensive knowledge of building a strong backlink profile.
Off-Page SEO campaign
Many people think they can’t control factors that aren’t on their own websites, but this isn’t true.
There are two important things you can do to ensure your off-page SEO is as effective as possible:
- Make sure to seek backlinks from relevant sites.
- Make sure to control your anchor text.
Keep it relevant
A relevant backlink is one that comes from a page that discusses something that is on-topic for your niche. If you’re in the golf niche, you would want to seek backlinks from pages about golf. While almost any backlink is valuable, those that come from relevant pages are much more so.
Controlling anchor text
Anchor text is the text that is used to link from one web page to another. If you were going to create a link to Google, your anchor text would probably be “Google”.
The code would look like this:
<a href=”http://www.google.com”>Google</a>
If your page is targeting the keyword “buy golf clubs” that would probably be the keyword you would want to use for most of the anchor text linking to that page. Notice I said, “most” of the anchor text linking to that page.
You definitely do not want to use the exact same text as your anchor text 100% of the time. This would look unnatural and potentially get your site penalised by Google. Instead, use your main keyword phrase about 50-75% of the time, and use another two similar phrases (such as “purchase golf clubs”) the rest of the time. This will look much more natural.
Use local directories
Search high authority website that displays a directory of businesses in your surrounding areas. The connections and links locally (even with a “No Follow” link) can boost your ranking in the search engine rankings.
Finding these type so backlinks should be the main focus of your local SEO marketing strategy. These links tend to be classed as more organic, due to the relevancy to your local area.
For example, if you are based in Norwich – listing in an Edinburgh based directory could harm your website. A Norwich based directory with an emphasis on this location will do wonders for your SEO.
Try to incorporate your location into your homepage keywords where possible. Directories tend to link only to the homepage of your website.