The future of link building | Weboptim

Each link is a vote for the website. These links play an important role in organic search traffic, as they can significantly increase the traffic to a website.

Google uses a number of factors to determine whether a particular link what quality and value.

Previously, it was relatively easy to create links. Today, however, it is much more difficult to get a 'good' link.

What does the future hold?

The future is not about links. It's about something much more.

Links will always be a ranking factor in Google's eyes to some extent. It is constantly looking for the data, the indicator factors and other signals that will give users the best results at any given moment.

Some factors are more pronounced, others less so. However, there are so many signals to decide on, so we need to understand how to evaluate and use them to our advantage. Google is constantly changing and we need to keep up.

What was in the past?

Google didn't really understand the links.

The basic problem was that he did not have enough information about the links. He did not know, for example:

how much is the trust of a link worth
how links with/without text are different
what is the difference between paid/unpaid links
when a link is of good quality
how relevant is the link

Thus, the website with more links ranked higher. Google spent a long time trying to understand the quality of links, but it was a very difficult task.

Finally, they introduced the Penguin algorithm - instead of finding good links, they started to focus on bad links. It didn't solve all the problems, but it was enough to force websites to develop a more effective link building strategy.

What is the situation now?

Google knows much more about links.

Better understand the meaning of each link. Introduced the Hummingbird algorithm, which interprets searches and can provide relevant results for complex questions. This was just the beginning, and Google hopes to make significant progress on this front.

Google understands people better.

You want to give users the best possible results - the most relevant search results and ads. The difficulty is that the keyword you type in is not always exactly what you want to find, or the word is not always enough for what you are looking for. This is why Google needs to look at searches from more than one context.

Forecasts for the future

1. the anchor text becomes less important

Link text as a ranking factor is something that has always worked in theory, but not so much in practice. It is difficult to understand why Google attaches so much importance to it. Of course, links containing exact keywords are not natural, but this is something that a webmaster may not know, only those who are involved in search engine optimisation.

For a long time, link text will still matter, but it is expected to matter less and less. The content of the page, and its relevance in the context, will become much more important.

2. deep linking will matter less

In the case of online stores selling multiple products in particular, how does Google know which website is ranked higher for a given product? After all, the pages contain the same descriptions and product specifications.

Therefore, it tries to understand the subtle differences in search queries:

"shoe reviews" - I want a pair of shoes, but I don't know which one
"adidas shoe reviews" - I want adidas shoes, so I want to know more about them
"adidas vs. nike shoes" - I know both, but I can't decide, so I'd like to make a direct comparison
"adidas shoes" - I would like adidas shoes

We can see that the mindset of users can be very different, and it's easy to imagine that Google will put more emphasis on this.

There are signs that you are already collecting information on:

place of residence (physical)
device (computer/tablet/mobile)
search history

These are just some of the signals you are listening for. Also important are secure website, user feedback, third party reviews and trust signals, etc.. When you look at all these factors together, it's easy to see why a link to a particular product page might not be such a strong ranking factor in Google's eyes.

3. smaller companies will be able to compete with the big ones

In some contexts, smaller websites with fewer links can rank as well as larger sites. The key is context - Google's aim is to make the results in the search results list as relevant as possible to the searches users make.
A strong brand will not always be the right answer, it is a subjective factor, and Google has recognised this. Sometimes showing a smaller website in the search listings, above the big ones, can be useful.

What does it all mean?

The future is unfathomable. We have a very difficult job, because Google is constantly innovating. Which is something to watch out for:

1. ask the tough questions

Marketing is not a simple task. To turn a user into a customer, you need to be prepared. Questions that can be difficult to answer:

why does the purpose exist?
what do we do to deserve a good ranking?
what makes us different from our competitors?
if we disappear from Google tomorrow, will anyone notice?
what do we do to earn the links?
what value do we provide to users?

Formulating the answer is sometimes difficult and complex. But if we get it right, we can win customers more easily.

2. do not look for the expandable link building options

Everything that can be slapped loses its relevance and Google's anti-spam team is paying more attention. Fresh content is good when it spreads on its own - people share it without us forcing them to.

3. focus on what users like

Some big companies spend millions of dollars on TV advertising. On the one hand, that's useful, but on the other hand, it may not be paying enough attention to the personality of the product/brand.
It is often enough to have a our good product and a our good marketing message. After all, it is through added value that we can be successful.

4. do not ignore changes

The worst tactic is to do nothing. Google and user behaviour is constantly changing, and the industry is changing. So we have to change our strategy when the situation requires it.

Summary

Link building and link building is not an easy task today, especially since you need links that Google considers strong.
We need to focus on what really matters: providing good products/services and building a loyal audience.

Source: moz.com

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