Linkbuilding and 2021

You have probably heard about it: linkbuilding. Google has always indicated that links are an important aspect of achieving high search engine rankings. However, the nature of these links has changed over time. At the inception of the search engines, you could endlessly spam your way to the top of the search engine results. Luckily, this is not the case anymore. Nowadays it is more important to listen to the desires of internet users. Does this still hold true in 2021? We will explain you all the ins-and-outs of linkbuilding below.

What does linkbuilding mean?

Linkbuilding is important for a high ranking in search engines. Linkbuilding encompasses both internal and external linkbuilding. Internal linkbuilding refers to the ease of navigating your website to other pages. For example, links that flow from the home page to other relevant pages on your website.

Besides internal links, there is the important element of external linkbuilding. To rank higher in search engine results, the authority on the Internet is of utmost importance. This refers to the links from other websites flowing to yours. This is also referred to as a backlink. The quality of the backlink increases the trustworthiness of your website according to Google and other search engines. Google analyses the authority of all websites that link to yours to determine the value of your website. When you retrieve a high authority backlink, it will have a greater value to your website. An example of such a valuable link is NU.nl. This is a website with high authority on the Internet.

Why is linkbuilding important?

We can give a crisp and clear answer to this question. Linkbuilding is one of the most important factors for Google. Besides that, linkbuilding builds trust for your brand through relevant links flowing from other sites. Last but not least: Google confirmed that it is unnatural for a website not to have backlinks. Enough reasons to start increasing the number of relevant links to your website.

How do you increase the number of relevant links?

There are many ways to retrieve external links. The goal of these links is to increase the popularity of your website, with higher search engine rankings as a result. This sounds like a piece of cake, but how do you retrieve these links? For example, you can subscribe to your website on start pages or overview pages. Besides that, you can connect with people and companies and requests them to post a link to your website. We do need to note quality is more important than quantity: the more the merrier does not hold true in the world of linkbuilding. It is important to have relevant information on your website, to make sure that the visitors find what they are looking for.

How does Google determine my ranking?

As indicated earlier, relevant content is key. Google also takes into account the value of your domain to indicate your search engine ranking. This value is being determined using quantitative measures, which gives a good first indication of your website's value. Make sure your linkbuilding profile looks natural. Google is always analysing networks of links and rewards a trustworthy and strong network of high-quality links. This also includes the relevance of the link to the content of your website. The algorithm also looks at the links generated over time. There should not be a peak in the links at a certain time, but it should be a natural flow of links. There should also be a right balance between high and low-quality links.

Backlinks in the future

Do backlinks still matter? They sure do! When it comes to a successful strategy, backlinks should not be forgotten. The rule of more high-quality and relevant links that result in a higher ranking still holds. However, it is relevant to take into account the algorithm of Google and evolve your strategy over time. Linkbuilding remains a cornerstone element of SEO, as these links function as building blocks for your search engine ranking: more quality blocks result in a higher ranking.

Google Penguin

Spamming with a lot of links is not done. With the introduction of Google Penguin it became impossible to "buy" your way up in the rankings. Before 2012, it was possible to purchase a high ranking through the purchase of lots of links. By simply purchasing links it was possible to increase your position. Do bear in mind that this is not the case any longer.