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Human beings like to think simplistically. We like to categorize concepts and see things in black and white. We like to ignore the nuances for the sake of a one-sentence summary. And when it comes to complex marketing strategies like search engine optimization (SEO), we like to boil down hypothetical approaches into a handful of actionable tactics.
Perhaps this is why so many modern SEO experts have tried to make SEO synonymous link building. But here’s the thing, while link building is important for SEO, it’s not the only factor to consider. And if you focus too much on link building, it could end up costing you the chance to get to the top spot.
Related: How to change an outdated link building strategy
SEO and link building
First of all, we need to recognize that link building is very important for SEO. Mainly, this is because the links have a closely interconnected relationship with yours domain authority. Your domain authority is an invisible score that represents your site’s trustworthiness in the eyes of Google and other search engines. The higher this authority, the more trustworthy your site will be seen to be and the higher you will rank in relevant searches.
Although the underlying system for evaluating link quality is sophisticated, it is very true to say that the more links you have and the more authoritative those links are, the higher your domain authority will be. Building links to websites that already have high authority will pass some of that authority onto you, accelerating the rise of your domain authority.
Related: Why Is Link Building So Controversial?
However, if you focus exclusively on link building, you will sabotage your campaign. Although it is very difficult to increase your domain authority without active link building, focusing on link building exclusively or too much will only work against you.
SEO basics without links
If you focus too much on link building, you will neglect other important elements of search engine optimization, such as:
Keyword Research: First, there is the importance of keyword research and keyword targeting. As mentioned, a higher domain authority will make it more likely that your business will rank high in relevant searches. But what are these relevant searches, exactly? What keywords are you targeting and what phrases are your customers using to find you? If you don’t know this, or if you don’t target any particular keywords, your strategy will be aimless and your domain authority won’t do you much good for attracting new organic traffic. Technical On-Site SEO: Google tends to reward websites that are technically and functionally optimized. In other words, the better your site works and the easier it is to use, the higher it will rank. All the links in the world won’t make up for the fact that your site doesn’t work on mobile devices or is incredibly slow to load. You need to make onsite technical SEO an integral part of your broader strategy. On-Site Content: Of course, you should also focus on your on-site content. It’s a vehicle for your keywords, providing a perfect opportunity to optimize your site for specific phrases. It’s also an opportunity to build your domain authority naturally. Without that strong on-site content to serve as a focal point for your link building strategy, you’ll struggle to build high-quality links as well. Offsite Content – Modern link building revolves around creating masterful offsite content, which can be used to deliver a link to a discerning publisher. If you focus too much on the link or the editor, you will neglect this content. As a result, not only will your link be weaker, but you can also cause damage to your brand’s reputation.
The irony of over-focusing on link building
There is some irony in over-focusing on link building because if you don’t focus on these other elements, link building becomes more difficult.
While it’s possible to intentionally and manually build high-quality, natural-looking links to your website, it’s also important to attract links naturally whenever possible. Partly because Google will penalize your website if it looks like you are participating in link schemes and partly because naturally attracted links tend to come from a variety of different sources, ultimately increasing your authority.
Related: 7 Reasons SEO Matters to Every Startup
Without content (or bad content), you will never attract them natural links. You will be completely dependent on manual link building and even then you will not have powerful content to serve as a destination for your new links.
I’m not here to bash link building. On the contrary, I believe it is the most important element of SEO to master. But we have to honestly admit that link building is not the only aspect of SEO that you should pursue, and if you focus too much on link building, it will work against you.
Related: How to change an outdated link building strategy
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