With another major Penguin update looming large (sometime this summer according to Matt Cutts) I wanted to put together a quick reminder of the link building strategies you should be straying away from in order to keep your site ranked well in Google search results. Google has already made a dozen or so updates to its first Penguin algorithm update, but this next one apparently according to sources is going to be just as big if not bigger than the original.
So now that I’ve warned you let’s get into the top 5 specific link building strategies you should be staying away from in order to better protect yourself from not just this upcoming Penguin update, but more that follow throughout the year.
1. Anchor Text Abuse
Whether you like it or not, Google is forcing SEOs to limit their anchor text strategies. In order to adapt, you’ll need a majority of your anchor texts to be brand specific and domain specific rather than keyword specific.
2. Guest Posting on Lower Quality Blogs
As one SEO consultant advised me, “there’s no difference between low quality guest posting and just plain ol’ article submissions.” Well said.
3. Directories of Any Kind
Other than Yahoo! Directory and Best of the Web, you’re going to find yourself in a bad 'place' with Google if Directories are part of your link building strategy. The only opportunity here is to get listed in highly moderated, very niche directories.
4. Too Many Links to Just One Page
The old strategy where a majority of your links go to your homepage is not going to cut it. Google has already been very good at identifying this sort of thing. Make sure you diversify your links throughout your site.
5. Too Many Links in a Short Period of Time
Be careful. Don’t get impatient! You’ve got to be patient with your link building strategies. Take the long-term investment approach. Building too many links to your website in a very short span of time may seem unnatural to the Google algorithms and your site might get downgraded as a result of this.
Conclusion:
There’s plenty more that I could add to this list such as blog commenting, paid links of any kind, article submissions etc. But these 5 are in my opinion the most important to mention.
You’re probably asking yourself… “well what link building strategies can I do?” That’s a tough question. In many ways it feels like the walls are closing in on us SEOs and our options for link building are becoming less and less over time. If you feel this way don’t worry, you’re not alone! There are a few good strategies out there that are still worth pursuing, and that many SEO’s, SEO companies, and SEO resellers are finding great success with this year.
Here are a few worth mentioning:
Here are a few worth mentioning:2. Broken link building
3. High quality Infographics
4. High quality press releases
5. Highly moderated niche specific web directories
6. Social social social!
Link building still works ladies and gentlemen! It just takes a lot more work than it used to. And those who are willing to roll up their sleeves and do this work are going to reap the benefits for years to come!