Are Links The Gold Standard For SEO?
Search engine optimization (SEO) launched after search engines became popular. For its entire history, link building is the most reliable strategy to succeed in SEO. Since its inception, this strategy changed significantly. However, the need to obtain more links remains. An strategy that doesn’t attract links to domain won’t be successful. Google made numerous SEO updates over the years. It continues to overhaul how it evaluates things, and it’ll continue to make significant changes in the future. But will links remain the gold standard for SEO?
PageRank
It’s the first and most vital algorithm to determine a site’s authority. Although Google changes it, the concept remains. When it determines a site to rank for a given keyword, it looks into the relevance of an entry and its authority. It evaluates pagerank authority by knowing the quantity and quality of links that point to a page or domain. For example, if site A received 60 links from authoritative sites and site B has 50 mixed-quality links, then site A is more authoritative and will rank higher than site B.
The introduction of Penguin
Released in 2012, Penguin update caused a lot of confusions to site owners. Some individuals thought that it could stop link building as a strategy to improve rank. Fortunately, it didn’t. Instead, its goal was to remove bad links designed for improving a site’s rank while it rewarded good links built naturally. As the years went by, Penguin became more sophisticated. But the importance of link building remains. The reason for this is that SEO experts also updated their tactics by making it a game of quality and investing their time in nurturing relationships with publishers. They also produced content that adds value to their audience. Because of that, Google didn’t flag those links as spam. Instead, they passed authority, thereby, adding value to the Internet. That said, links remain to obtain a successful SEO campaign. However, how to build it should focus on providing value to an audience to avoid getting penalized from Penguin.
Threats to link building
Penguin couldn’t stop it, but there are still potential threats out there. One of them is the IoT. With its introduction, the voice search rises. Google Home transforms user’s web experience. Users want immediate answers. They don’t want to browse through sites. With that in mind, relevance becomes more vital than authority. As a result, it reduces links’ value. Apps and social feedback could also pose a threat. However, link building as a part of SEO strategy will be stronger than ever. The reason for this is that links are still a top ranking factor. We can help you come up with your strategy, call today at (213) 322-0770.
