Best practices within the SEO space are constantly evolving, and the Google algorithm is constantly getting more intelligent. So, if you haven’t done so already, you need to ensure that your strategy and approach to SEO reflects the fact that the industry is far from static. With that in mind, here are four dated link-building practices that you need to stop using, as they are no longer effective when it comes to improving your rankings on search engines.
Requesting specific anchors
The anchor text is used to direct your website visitors to the content that you’re linking to, and it contributes to SEO. Although there are certainly better anchor texts than others, it’s not a good idea to request specific anchor texts from your external sources. Doing so looks spammy and may attract unwanted negative attention from Google. The best way to deal with anchor texts is to leave them up to the discretion of the person who is linking to your site. This will ensure that the anchor texts and hyperlinks pointing back to your website are varied and natural, which will work well as far as your site’s SEO profile is concerned. The bottom line? Go with the flow when it comes to anchor texts.
Hiding links on your site
When SEO was born, lots of webmasters developed what they thought to be a smart trick – they started hiding links on the websites that they managed. Initially, links were hidden by publishing white links on a white background, and it worked for a short time. Webmasters all around the world were getting away with building clandestine webs of authority on the sites that they managed. Fortunately, Google no longer stands for this mischief! Undermine Google’s authority at your peril – hiding links on your site or on a partner’s page is SEO suicide, so don’t do it!
Link exchanges and schemes
As was once the case with link hiding, link exchanges and schemes worked for SEOs once upon a time. But again, Google knows all about them and considers link exchanges to be a violation of their guidelines. We don’t like link exchanges because they’re spammy, and they don’t add any value whatsoever to websites. They can also have dire consequences for your SEO if Google gets wind of what you’re up to. If Google suspects you of participating in a link exchange, they might even de-index your entire site, which is something that you naturally want to avoid. We’ve said it before, and we will say it again – don’t try to outsmart Google!
Abusing guest posts
We like guest posts, and there’s no doubt that they can be an effective way to build a decent portfolio of links to your website. However, you need to regard guest posts as more than just an opportunity to insert links into someone else’s website. The key thing to remember when authoring guest posts is that you need to add value to the site’s primary audience. You need to write engagingly and authoritatively on the topic in question, or Google might pick up the post as spam. So, if you’re taking advantage of guest posts, make sure that you author high-quality content.
Recap
SEO is constantly evolving, and what worked in the past won’t necessarily work today. We hope you’ve taken note of these four outdated link-building practices and can amend your SEO strategy to reflect the ever-changing nature of the Google algorithm. If you need help with a killer SEO strategy reach out and get in touch with Terrier Agency today.
