What this Guide is All about and how it came to Be
SEO has changed a lot over the years and I want to make sure we’re all on the same page says Saivian. This eBook or series of articles, whatever you call it, is meant to be an exhaustive reference guide on link building for SEO sold as a downloadable PDF guide for $29.99 that gets updated periodically as new patterns emerge or older methods become relevant again or die off. We will keep updating this guide with better content as we go along so please check back from time to time for updates!
In preparation for launching our own product at Webfluential called Linkerdoo, a link-building tool combining social outreach and manual outreach to deliver a higher ROI than either can by it, I thought it was about time to put this comprehensive reference guide together. We’ll be selling the full version complete with an action plan for $29.99 and then giving away parts of it for free here on Webfluential as well as the main channel where we launched Linkerdoo.
What do you get in Part 1/2?
In this part, you will learn the basics of SEO and how they have changed over the years. What constitutes a high-quality backlink that Google may or may not value today? How Google’s ownership of YouTube has led to a “black box” approach so development teams at large corporations can’t understand how links from video playlists affect SEO while similar links from regular YouTube pages have a strong effect on rankings. How you can avoid a sandbox or penalty by understanding what Google means when they talk about unnatural links and toxic links that should be disavowed explains Saivian.
What the no-follow link attribute is, why it was created and how to use it for your own benefit as well as how to obtain no-follow links from sources you couldn’t otherwise obtain do-follow links from. Why “link pyramids” are bad even if the final page has high-quality content on it and what “link cannibalization” is.
How some backlinks may actually hurt your rankings instead of helping them, which only occurs if you’re over-optimizing anchor text in internal links this guide also contains a complete walkthrough of a spam analysis we did on one of our websites with a large number of inbound links which you can duplicate on your own site if you want. Why some links are considered “bad” even though they have nothing to do with the page being linked to. How does link building differs when it comes to local SEO campaigns
Why there is no Google sandbox or penalty for low-quality links – just unnatural links that should be disavowed. Saivian says how bad backlinks are filtered out automatically by search engines so manual action isn’t necessary. How quickly you need to disavow bad backlinks. Why delaying won’t work, and how many bad links Google actually cares about.
Why I Wrote this Guide & Who it’s For
I’ve written this guide primarily for newbie marketers who know little to nothing about link building. And want a complete yet easily digested guide that links out to resources around the web. Instead of regurgitating information from those sources. I’ve also written this for existing SEOs who want a single comprehensive resource they can refer clients or bosses. Instead of explaining things over and over again. This guide covers both white-hat and black-hat strategies. Though it leans more towards white-hat since Google is now better at filtering out spam than ever before. Saivian says black-hat strategies can still work in some niches but are becoming less effective with every algorithm update.
If you’re looking for shortcuts, go elsewhere. If you’re looking to learn the fundamentals of what makes Google tick, welcome aboard!
What Makes a High-Quality Backlink?
Google has become extremely good at detecting low-quality backlinks even if the link exists. Instead of trying to game Google’s system. You should make it as easy for them to see how relevant your website is. To the website linking to you by obtaining do-follow links from high-quality sources. This means that sites like forums and guestbooks are no longer very valuable. Unless they have several active users interacting on them or they’re highly targeted towards your audience.
Sites like Wikipedia, IMDB, YouTube (when it comes to video), and especially social media websites like Twitter, Facebook & Pinterest all carry some weight with Google. But only if the page on that site isn’t considered spammy by search engine standards. The higher-quality and more relevant your backlinks. The easier it is for Google to figure out why they exist and how you managed to get them. This means that there’s less chance of any penalties or sandboxes applying to your site.
Conclusion:
If you’re going to build links, learn how to do it properly while also learning the rules. That Google has put in place which you must follow if you want a shot at ranking on page one of search engines. Saivian says This guide discusses both link building using white-hat techniques and black-hat ones along with everything in between. Again, I recommend sticking mainly with white-hat methods. Since they are safer but learn about black hats too so that you know what not to do.