The world of SEO is a scary place, as there is a ridiculous amount of misinformation flying around. Just when you think you’ve got a reasonable understanding of how everything works; someone throws a spanner in the works and contradicts everything that you’ve learned. 

In addition to that, many people will have been burned in the past by dishonest or inexperienced SEO consultants, and so they’ve been turned off from digital marketing altogether. It’s a minefield, but one that we all need to cross if we want to experience real, tangible results in an increasingly competitive medium.

Take links for example the amount of misinformation surrounding SEO backlinks is actually rather frightening. Apparently, you’ve either got to buy 20,000 links upfront, or none whatsoever as link building is “no longer viable.” Which is it? Well, it’s neither! Because link building is most certainly viable, just not the 20,000 terrible links for $10 option. No, if you want to look into backlinks, then you’re going to need to enlist a trusted expert. Easier said than done right? But before we address how to find someone that you can rely on, let’s break down what link building actually is (the real link building that is). 

The truth about link building 

For the sake of argument, let’s define link building with this analogy: Imagine there are two boys running for class president, John, and Sam. John has received a few recommendations from somewhat reliable sources, but they’ve shared very similar information, shedding little light on why John should be class president. Sam, on the other hand, has received a wealth of quality recommendations from well-respected students, and in addition to that, all accounts have been unique in their explanation as to why Sam should be class president. It’s a voting system in a popularity contest; Google is the judge, position one is the presidency, and your website is the candidate. 

The campaign (onsite SEO)

You’ll have trouble with your SEO campaign if you’re not on the right page. What we mean by that is, your campaign slogan and speech (the titles & content on your website), have to be relevant to the presidency (the number one slot for your target phrases). Otherwise, voters & judges are going to have a hard time figuring out where you’re coming from and what you’re trying to achieve. 

The voting system (building backlinks)

In this case, every vote comes with a “reason for my vote” (the content in the guest blog & link). Voters have to give an accurate and relevant account as to why they are the perfect candidate for the role. The most important thing about these votes is the quality of the voter. You can’t just be anyone, you have to be relevant and reputable. This means that the website being linked from has to be in a similar industry, they must have reasonably high DA, and can also benefit from experiencing higher volumes of traffic. 

The reason for my vote (content development) 

This is where the phrase “content is King” comes into play. Content is incredibly important, particularly when it comes to quality. In the early days of SEO, you could get away with building high volumes of links with very little effort going into the content. Today, it’s quite the opposite. In fact, you can get away with building fewer links, if the content is on point and it’s being linked from a relevant and reliable website. 

Think of it like 20,000 students from other schools, voting for a class president that they’ve never met. First of all, the judges would identify the fact that their votes are entirely irrelevant. In addition to that, they have no stock in whether or not this candidate gets the presidency. That’s what poor-quality links look like! Now, consider this: two or three students from the same class as the candidate cast their votes. They’re great students with a strong reputation in the school for being honest and hard-working. Each of the voters sings the candidates’ praises, each offering a unique account as to why they should take the number one slot. Which votes, do you think will carry the most weight? The 20,000 Randoms, or the two or three students? Relevancy & consistency is paramount! 

How to get hold of some premium quality links 

Link building is not strictly ethical when you’re building them yourself. Self-praise is no recommendation, after all. That said, there’s no harm in link building if you’re using the best practices, and you have a good mix of links in the bag. 

For example, buying a bulk of poor-quality links is not only unethical but entirely ineffective. Sure, you might experience some minor success in the short term, but you will be found out and you will be penalised. It’s unnatural and can be seen from a mile away. 

The fact is, if you want to link building, then you’ll need to do so in the most natural way possible, which is where we come in. If you work with a trusted link-building expert, you’ll experience the most success with backlinks. That is because we adopt an organic approach, mix things up and use a strong network of guest blogs. 

It’s all about the network 

How do you go about creating a strong link? Well, first of all, it has to come from the most relevant and reputable resource. So, any decent SEO company worth its salt will build up a large network of guest blogging resources. This means that they can offer their clients a wide variety of industry-relevant links, of varying quality. This allows the SEO company to build the most natural link profile possible for the client. 

Again, Google will spot 20,000 crappy links a mile away. However, 100 links of varying quality, built consistently over a period of 12 months, coming from reliable, and relevant websites, is going to look significantly more natural. And on top of that, a reputable SEO consultant will monitor your progress over the coming months, identifying what is working, and what is not, and implementing new strategies along the way in order to stay ahead of the curve. 

Understand that SEO and link building is an ongoing process, and not something that can be done with one big lump sum at the beginning. So, if you really want to succeed, then you need to find someone that you can rely on! 

How to find a reputable link building & SEO expert 

This is where things can get rather tricky, given just how many SEO “experts” there are out there. Our best advice would be to take your time, do your research and ultimately go with your gut. There’s no way of guaranteeing that whoever you decide to work with will be the best in the business. What you can do, however, is ask the right questions, compare quotes, and do your best to suss them out. Follow up on references, read testimonials, and ask them to present you with as many case studies as they can offer you. Once you’re confident in a company’s integrity, you could look into a trial period. Or alternatively, you could get in contact with us directly today, and we’ll talk you through your options.