One of the more mysterious SEO tactics is Link Building. While many marketers understand that links are important, they do not understand the strategy behind it. SEO Analyst Ron Sansone discussesthe strategic approach to natural backlink expansion. In part one of this feature, Ron provides an introduction to the subject matter as well as the mechanics of Link Building
Introduction
When Larry Page developed the concept of PageRank, he understood an inherent truth about online interaction. At its heart, the internet is a system of disparate pages and domains, each with its own purpose and agenda. As choice expands beyond the reach of manual evaluation, the only way to gauge the worth and value of a website is to assess its connections.
One’s relationships and associations have a major impact on public image in both the online and offline world. From local assemblymen to global e-commerce sites, connections add much to the public perception of prominent figures. Seeking the approval of trusted authorities is vital to any campaign for positive top-of-mind awareness.
In the online space, we refer to such authoritative connections as links, and in truth they are a unique hybrid of technical execution and personal relationship. The weight of links are highly important to a search engine’s evaluation of websites; a link from a respected source indicates not only that the material of a site is relevant, but also that the linking site vouches (to some degree) for the target page. The link is more than just a device for the transference of popularity or weight, it is a sign of trust that fundamentally bonds one source to another, ideally creating a relevant pathway for the end user.
Once one understands the technical aspects of link development, the focus of the service becomes the cultivation of sound business relationships. Part analysis, part public relations, link development is a practice of skilled strategic communication for the modern era. By operating within the guidelines of ethical search engine optimization (SEO), and viewing the online audience as a logical extension of the offline universe, a website’s backlinks and authority can be naturally expanded to benefit a company’s (or individual’s) search engine presentation.
Monitoring Metrics in Site Evaluation
Though many argue the value of current Google Toolbar PageRank numbers, the importance of online authority shall never truly wane. As Jonah Stein, founder of ItsTheROI, observed at the 2008 SMX Advanced Conference session on analytics, search engine crawl frequency may soon be considered the “new PageRank,” an indicator of search engine trust. There is strong logic to this argument, as it hints at a shift towards the increased importance of search engines.
If crawl frequency is the new measure of a site’s importance, the metric suggests both that the engines themselves must be viewed as authorities and that prominent placement in them is vital to online success – which undoubtedly rings true for commercial websites. While arguments can be made in defense of either PageRank or crawl frequency, both are loose indicators of trust and warrant monitoring. We shall refer to these as trust metrics.
Before a link development strategy can be prepared for any website, the target site must be evaluated by its trust metrics, depth of pages, domain age, topical category and current number of backlinks. All of these figures affect the amount and type of link relationships that should be pursued moving forward. Based on this preliminary evaluation, a website may be placed across a linking continuum, ranging from low to high quality links, in order to determine which class of links may still be of use for development. These link tiers serve as the cornerstone of link building mechanics and as a basic indicator of a site’s backlink progression.