Link building has been around for a long time, but now new marketing tactics have taken over. The future of SEO will not be based on link building but rather other things such as content marketing, social media marketing, etc.
Over time, SEOs have concentrated all of their efforts on link building. Why? Because it had a more significant effect on rankings than anything else. Although links still assist with orders, there is a common misunderstanding in the search industry that developing links should take up the bulk of your time and effort. So, if creating connections isn’t the best use of your time, what should you do instead? Naturally, it’s the user experience since it affects rankings the most.
Why user experience matters more than connections to your rankings:
Google benefits from what is best for people
As you may know, Ads account for a significant part of Google’s income. What would users do if they began to receive search results that were no longer relevant? Are you using Google? Google must continue to deliver the most satisfactory results to consumers to remain at the top in the search game. This has nothing to do with links or on-page coding. It all boils down to the user’s experience. Sure, having connections and an optimized site helps search engines scan your site, but Google would instead rank a website relevant to a search query but has no links than one with hundreds of links but is just marginally relevant.
Here’s how I think it determines how relevant a search result is:
- The number of individuals who view a listing and click on the website is the click-through rate. So, for example, if most searchers who enter a particular query click on the second item rather than the first, Google should conclude that the dual listing is more relevant.
- Bounce rate – if visitors use their browsers’ back buttons to return to the search listings page, it’s likely they didn’t discover what they were searching for, particularly if they click on another listing after pressing the back button. Google would offer you the most significant result first in a perfect world, so you don’t have to sift through results to get the information you need.
- Time spent on site — after searching, consumers are more likely to click on a listing. Assuming that some of those individuals will click the back button, Google will evaluate the time it took the user to hit the back button (if it hasn’t already). If visitors do this in less than three seconds, Google will think the result is less relevant than the one that kept them on the site for five minutes before clicking back.
In the end, the sites that provide the most incredible user experience will triumph. That implies that sites with high-quality content, media, and other elements will rank higher in the long term. Furthermore, sites that prioritize their users’ needs are more likely to earn organic social shares and backlinks. Instead of focusing on manual link development, they prioritize delivering the most excellent customer experience.
What does an excellent user experience look like?
Look up “internet marketing” on Google. Quick Sprout may be found towards the top. As you can see below, my site has the fewest backlinks compared to many areas that rank below me. Take a look at Wikipedia and Forbes, which are ranked lower than me. Those two sites have a lot more backlinks than I do. So, what is the primary distinction? Users will have a far better experience on the website I direct them to. That guide cost me almost $40,000 to make. I know it seems ridiculous, but I’m now starting to see the results of my labor. When Google penalizes a site, it shows how much it values user experience. For instance, even if BMW is punished for illegal link building, Google will still rank BMW for the keyword “BMW.” Why? Users would be furious if Google stopped organizing BMW since it is a common question. Users don’t care whether BMW engages in unethical link building; all they worry about is getting to BMW’s website. Granted, Google may penalize BMW’s ranking for generic terms, but if it does so for brand keywords, it will harm Google’s user reputation more than BMW’s.
What does this imply for you?
By no means am I advocating that you disregard SEO? You should constantly optimize your code for search engines, create links when you have free time, and expand your social media networks. However, they should not be your primary emphasis. Users desire a fantastic product or service; therefore, you should devote your efforts to creating one. When you’re not constructing, you should be writing great content. You must create content that is so compelling that people will want to bookmark it, share it, and tell their friends about it. Your material should be so thorough and helpful that no one would dare to duplicate it since it would require too much time and effort. In addition, you should register for Google Webmaster Tools and monitor your click-through rates regularly. You may obtain this information by going to the navigation bar and clicking on “search traffic,” then “search analysis.”
Your aim should be to increase the number of clicks per impression. This is possible if you follow the advice in this article.
Conclusion
It’s hardly rocket science when it comes to SEO. Sure, Google employs many PhDs, but its aim is the same as yours: to offer consumers the greatest possible experience. As a result, if you can develop the most excellent product/service and write the best content, you will assist people. Google will eventually notice this, and your ranks will improve. You may not get the most significant effects right away, but things will improve with time. Link building is not the future of SEO. It is a tactic that can be used, but it should not be the only strategy. The link-building process needs to be updated for today’s digital marketing world.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is link building still relevant to SEO 2020?
A: Link building is still relevant but not as much as it was in the past. This change can be attributed to Google’s updated algorithm that penalizes companies who are trying too hard to game their rankings, which has caused many marketers and SEOs to scale back on link-building efforts, thus making older tactics less effective than they were once.
Is link building part of SEO?
A: Link building is a process of acquiring high-quality, natural backlinks to your website from other credible websites. Its the practice of creating content that will help rank higher in search engine rankings by attracting visits with relevant keywords.
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