The Importance of Links, By An Experienced SEO Agency

Search Engine Optimisation is the perfect solution for long-term online marketing – not only does it cost relatively little when compared to other advertising methods but it also produces fantastic results.Any SEO agency will say that when it comes to building an effective advertising strategy, users will need to consider the usage of keywords in quality, lengthy content – and also the usage of relevant links.

Links are vital in modern SEO; if a website doesn't have outgoing links to relevant information or doesn't have any incoming links pointing out their content, then it's unlikely to be ranked highly against competitors that do. In this blog, we're going to examine just why links are important and how, if you're part of an eCommerce business yourself, why your website content needs to contain 'great' links.

From An SEO Agency: Why Are Links Important In SEO?

Google's search is ultimately a directory – it exists to drive people to the right places, so they can find the information they need. Not just the correct information – but correct information that is also of a high quality. Google can define this by the number of incoming links a web page has – if it contains fresh, original information that is great to read, more people will link to it.

Links are also important to SEO because there is an association between the quality and quantity of links to a website, as well as how much search traffic it receives. It's a common misconception that a webpage must contain as many links as possible in order for it to be seen by a search engine as 'useful'. Whilst this may have been true at one point, today the methods of using links in SEO is far more sophisticated; it's all about the quality of content that they link to.By placing as many links as possible, this suggests to the search engine that you have swamped the page with links, just because you can. By placing as many links in, it's likely that at least some of them won't be of the quality that search engines are after – further reducing the page's ranking.

Understanding What Defines 'Quality' Links

There are a number of different factors that a great quality link is made up of – here we're going to look at a few of them and explain how they help to produce great SEO:

• Relevant Links – Imagine if you run an electronics store; getting a link to one of your gaming consoles from a review of the system will be relevant. These links help search engines to understand what your website is about and if it's quickly and easily able to establish that, it will rank you highly. Let's have another example – if you're looking to get on the first page for 'London Ice Cream' then any links you can get from websites concerning London or Ice Cream will be perfect. The search will know where you are based and what your business is about. Combining products offered with a location is a well-practised method by any expert SEO agency.

• Trust and Authority – It's important to know about the value of different websites when creating your links. For example, national and local news websites will have great authority thanks to their reach, coverage and knowledge they're able to display. Great sites to link to include government domains (.gov) and information sites such as Wikipedia. Use a search engine for anything you like,it's likely that the subject you're searching for will have its Wiki on the first page of the search. What does that tell you about relevancy and trust?

• Variety of Links – Of course, you shouldn't just constantly link to Wiki pages or BBC articles; search engines like websites they list to provide links to as many different trusted sites as possible. It provides an indicator of trust –websites that don't have, what the search engine sees as an 'unnatural' link profile, can be blacklisted and sent to the bottom rungs of a keyword search.Then of course, there are the incoming links to think about. Encouraging your clients to review your services on review websites, Google Places, directories,Facebook pages etc, is a great start. Also consider leaving comments/links on blogs and news websites that you find relevant to your business – and link to them as well. If you can achieve a number of these, you'll be well on the way to creating a natural link profile, boosting the effectiveness of your SEO.

Can I Stop When I've Gained Enough Links/High Rankings?

As any expert SEO Agency will tell you, the internet's fast-changing nature means that the relevance of websites and search engine algorithms change – not to mention competitors getting wise to SEO too. In order to maintain those quality links going to and from your website, you'll need to constantly update your content and implementing SEO will give you the best chance of maintaining a long-term presence on a search.

Looking For An Expert SEO Agency? Contact Promote Today

If you would like further information on how Promote can help to create the perfect SEO campaign for you, why not get in contact with our friendly SEO agency team today?Our experts have a long and varied experience in working with a multitude of different business types and sizes – the key link is that they all want to gain a position on page 1 of a Google search – something that we are able to help you work towards.

If you would like to learn more about our services,SEO or digital marketing in general, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us today. You can call us on 0118 380 1002 or alternatively, you can send us an e-mail at hi@promote.agency