The Top 5 Tactics of Link Building to Help Optimise Your Company’s Website

With new websites popping up in record numbers and Google algorithm updates seemingly all the time, SEO isn't a one time thing.

If you've noticed your rankings slipping or you're hoping to reach page 1, link building is one of the easiest ways you can improve your SEO.  

SEO is Google's way of determining which sites deserve to rank highly for each query. Google's algorithms have been honed to reduce the ability to manipulate these rankings, to ensure that the sites appearing for each search are there because they answer the users search intent. 

We know that users trust search engines to deliver what they're looking for, so ensuring your search engine rankings are getting you noticed is imperative when it comes to not only improving your visibility but your conversion rates. 

If you're optimised your multi-language website and still aren't seeing the results your looking for, it might be time to consider the alternatives.

How Do Backlinks Help SEO?

Even though Google has made thousands of changes to its algorithm, backlinks remain a key ranking signal. Backlinks represent a 'vote of confidence' from one site to another – and Google recognises this.

If a number of sites link to the same web page or site, search engines interpret this to mean the content is worth linking to, and therefore also worth surfacing on a SERP. 

So, earning backlinks can have a real impact on your site's ranking position or search visibility. Don't know where to start? As international SEO experts, we've put together our top 5 tactics of link building to help you optimise your company’s website whatever language it is. 

1. Link Reclamation

Whether you're new to link building or you've been doing it for a few years, you'll realise that links are difficult to build. Not only that, but you're probably losing backlinks all the time. Links are lost for a number of reasons, but the most common reasons include the link being removed from the linking page, and the linking page no longer exists. 

If you discover a lost link, see if there's an appropriate place for your link in the new content, and reach out and ask the host if they can add the link back. If the page has been deleted, again, reach out to the site owner and let them know. Not only can this help reinstate a lost link, but you'll help build a positive relationship. 

2. Fixing Broken Links

Fixing broken links is perhaps the easiest way of link building if you don't have the time (or impetus) to write new content. Broken link building works by finding pages on blogs with dead links and requesting the broken link be replaced with a link to similar content on your own site. 

One of the reasons fixing broken links is so successful is because nobody wants dead links on their website because it contributes to a poor user experience – which over time will affect rankings. 

Not only is it a great way for you to get an updated link on a page, but it also provides you with the perfect opportunity to build a strong relationship with the host, which will help you place future links.

3. Outreach Link Building

Almost every good link building strategy revolves around outreach. This means reaching out to people in your niche about content that is likely to be useful to them. You just need to have something worthy of a link, like a product, service, business, or brand and your targeted link that will be attractive to the webmaster.

Find people and sites who have mentioned your target keywords in their articles and people who have linked to similar articles on the topic. 

It's also important to remember that outreach link building is a process, and not a quick fix. It will take time to find the webmasters and build a relationship. If you're struggling with outreach link building or don't have the time to dedicate to this, it might be worth considering hiring an agency to help. Agencies often have the connections and relationships already in place and can help provide the content you need. 

4. Link Insertion

Link insertion refers to adding links to existing content on another website. Link insertion is a great way to earn more backlinks, but it's important that you find sites that support your content – and the link insertion site is relevant. 

Reach out to the host of your chosen website and let them know about your link building idea. Once they agree with your pitch, inform them of your target URL and preferred anchor text if appropriate. As with any SEO tactic, you will have to ensure that everything appears to be as naturally-connected as possible and the link and anchor text don't feel out of place.  

5. Removing Spammy Links

Google's improved algorithms are getting better at ignoring spam links, but it's always good SEO practice to clean up your backlink profile from time to time. Every link that's irrelevant to your website is a bad backlink – the exception being if you have a link from a large publication with a high domain authority, like The Guardian or Daily Mail etc. 

Once you've found any offending pages, send the request to the webmaster to remove the link. If the request is ignored, or you're unable to find any contact details, you can submit a disavow file to Google. 

And if you're still unsure where to start or don't have the time to build your backlink portfolio – and continuously tend to it, hiring an agency is a great way to see real SEO improvement.