Ah, links. They can be friend or foe in an SEO campaign. Do them well, and improve your organic search rankings. Do them poorly, and have them devalued by Google, or worse, get a search engine penalty.

Even though Google says links have less impact now than they used to, we know they are still important to SEO. But they are not the end all be all.

Remember that for every keyword query, the algorithm itself will vary the weighting percentage of inbound links. So link-building campaigns (we like to call them link-earning campaigns) need to be focused on quality and not quantity.

That said, it’s important to get links right. But where to start? How do you actually create a framework for a link-building program, and what steps do you take? Here, I’ll discuss a three-step framework for a link-building, or rather, a link-earning campaign:

• Understand your current link profile
• Build the program step by step
• Monitor backlinks and prune as needed

FAQ: How can I create a successful link-building campaign to enhance my website’s SEO?

1. Understand Your Current Link Profile

One of the first steps you are going to take is to understand the link profile that your website already has.

There are many reasons that you may already have a good or bad link profile. Link profiles are built up over time from many initiatives. Perhaps prior employees sought out links for the website or maybe a web design company that did not know better added links, or a prior SEO vendor had a link-building campaign.

Whatever the reason, you want to get a clear view of it. Google ​Search Console is a good place to start gathering link data. ​Choose “Links” on the navigation menu to get a view of the top linked pages and more.

To get a fresher, more complete list to begin your link audit, add data gathered from several link-tracking sources: Bing Webmaster Tools, Majestic Site Explorer, Moz’s Link Explorer, Ahrefs, or our SEOToolSet.

Our SEOToolSet provides link reports to give you a better understanding of your link profile. The link report is integrated with Majestic, one of the leading link analysis providers.

Next, you need to evaluate the links — are they good or bad? Check out our article on a step-by-step guide to link pruning for more information on how to do that.

2. Build the Program Step by Step

A link-building program can be quite involved; however, if you have a framework to follow, that’s half the battle.

Here are some important steps in a link-building program:

1. Finalize keywords
2. Analyze link opportunities
3. Create quality content
4. Attract links
5. Using link attributes
6. Ensure search engines are aware

Finalize SEO Campaign Keywords

You will want to establish which keywords to target in your SEO program. This will guide your link-building efforts. As you are securing links, you may ask for specific anchor text with your keyword in the link from the site that is linking to you.

Earning too many links with the same anchor text may be seen as spam. So variety is key. Once you have the keywords established, you will:

1. Select the keyword.
2. Select the webpage it will be associated with.
3. Select the sites that you want a link from for that webpage.

Analyze Link Opportunities

First, you need to uncover potential linking opportunities. This requires research online and with SEO tools into the areas that are related to your business or services.

You will also want to know who your competitors are and who they link to or get links from. If a site links to your competition, consider getting that site to link to your site as well.

There are a few guidelines to keep in mind as you look for link partners:

• Look for a relevant partner site and keep your links targeted.
• Understand the link’s SEO value, the potential traffic and its contribution to experience, expertise, authority and trust. An SEO professional should be able to help you here.

Create Quality Content

Links do not exist without content. And quality links do not exist without quality content. This is a critical part of your link-building campaign. So before you begin the process of getting links, you need to have quality content that supports E-E-A-T.

Attract Links

While quality content is an important first step to getting the links you want, sometimes you need to be creative in getting that content in front of the right people.

There are several “old” approaches to obtaining links that are still used by many today. That includes the approach of begging for a link by email or paying for links (including guest posting — unless, of course, you are using a link attribute that indicates it’s a paid link, in which case it will not count).

Once you have done your research to analyze keywords and understand what target websites you’d like to gain links from, it’s time to get creative. If you spend a little time each week reaching out to the people who might benefit from your content, you can make good progress.

For ideas on how to do this, check out 50 ways to get quality links.

Use Link Attributes

It can be important to tell search engines what kind of links your website is obtaining. One reason is that if it is a paid link and it is not indicated as such, search engines might look at it as violating their guidelines.

You can qualify your links with Google by using certain technical attributes within the <a href …> HTML tag. These attributes tell search engines when a link may not be totally relevant to your site or other important things, like if the link is paid.

The attributes can hint to the search engines that you have a link but to not follow or count that link. That way, you can provide a useful link for your site visitors but steer clear of looking like spam.

Ensure Search Engines Are Aware of Your Links

As time goes on and you get more links, you want all the pages of your site and those linking to you to be crawled and indexed by the search engines. Search engines can find and crawl these links naturally and eventually, but encouraging a manual process can speed it up and get results faster.

To submit your own webpages to Google, go to the “URL Inspection tool” in Search Console, enter a URL, and click “Request Indexing.” For more details, see our article on How to Submit a Website to Search Engines.

3. Monitor Backlinks and Prune as Needed

A key part of the link program is to monitor your website’s link profile. Once you know how to find backlinks and evaluate them (see Step 1), you can remove the lowest quality links from your link profile as needed.

This is a proactive approach and complements Google’s Penguin signal (which is now part of the core algorithm). This particular signal analyzes a site’s link profile and devalues any links that look suspicious.

Once you have found links you don’t want, you can begin the process of removing them. See our step-by-step guide on link pruning for how to do that.

Get Started

With the link-building campaign framework outlined in this article, you have the necessary steps needed to start earning quality, relevant links the right way and to maintain your link profile for years to come.

For expert tips and strategies on how to build a quality link campaign, get our free e-book The New Link Building Manifesto: How To Earn Links That Count.

Looking for help with your link-building campaign? Let’s work together.

FAQ: How can I create a successful link-building campaign to enhance my website’s SEO?

A well-crafted link-building campaign is the cornerstone of effective SEO. Understanding the nuances of this process is crucial for enhancing your website’s visibility and authority in search engine rankings.

To commence, it’s imperative to comprehend your current link profile. Leveraging tools like Google Search Console and SEO analysis providers like Majestic and Moz can provide a comprehensive view. Evaluate the quality of existing links, distinguishing between assets and liabilities, laying the foundation for a robust strategy.

Building the program step by step is the next critical phase. Keyword finalization is pivotal in guiding your link-building efforts. Opt for variety to avoid the spam tag; choose specific anchor text for links, aligning with your overall SEO program. Analyzing link opportunities involves meticulous research into your business niche, competitors and potential partners. Identify and target relevant sites, ensuring each link contributes to experience, expertise, authority and trust.

Quality content is the linchpin of successful link-building. Without valuable content, acquiring quality links becomes a formidable challenge.

Ensure your content resonates with your target audience, establishing your website as an authoritative source in your industry. Creative promotion strategies, such as personalized outreach, can amplify the impact of your content, attracting the correct links organically.

Utilizing link attributes is a subtle yet essential aspect of the process. By qualifying links with Google through technical attributes in HTML tags, you signal transparency to search engines. This step prevents potential penalties for violating guidelines, adding a layer of trust to your link profile.

Lastly, continuous monitoring of backlinks is paramount. Embrace a proactive approach, regularly evaluating your link profile. Prune low-quality links to align with Google’s algorithm updates, ensuring sustained improvement in your SEO performance.

Mastering the art of link-building is an ongoing journey. By comprehensively understanding your link profile, strategically building your program, and continuously monitoring and adapting, you pave the way for sustained SEO success.

Step-by-Step Procedure:

1. Analyze your current link profile using tools like Google Search Console.
2. Evaluate the quality of existing links, distinguishing between valuable and potentially harmful ones.
3. Finalize keywords that align with your overall SEO program.
4. Choose specific anchor text for links, ensuring variety to avoid being flagged as spam.
5. Research and analyze potential linking opportunities in your business niche.
6. Identify competitors and analyze their link profiles for inspiration.
7. Create high-quality, valuable content that aligns with your SEO goals.
8. Promote your content creatively, using personalized outreach to attract organic links.
9. Use link attributes in HTML tags to qualify your links and signal transparency to search engines.
10. Regularly monitor your backlinks, proactively identifying and removing low-quality links.
11. Stay informed about Google’s algorithm updates and adapt your link-building strategy accordingly.
12. Continuously refine and adapt your link-building program for sustained SEO success.

The post 3 Steps To Create a Better Link-Building Campaign appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

• First, do you have the time?
• Can you diagnose website problems?
• Are you committed to learning?
• Do you have any budget for help?
• FAQ: Can I do search engine optimization on my own and achieve results? 

First, Do You Have the Time?

It is likely the case that if you have a website, you have a business to run. Whether you are a solopreneur or a business with a team that wants to tackle SEO, you are busy.

SEO is not a one-time thing. Of course, there are one-time things that you will do at the outset of the project, but SEO is constant throughout the lifecycle of your site.

Consider some of the things you will need to do at the outset of an SEO initiative:

• Installing and configuring analytics
• Making sure the site is mobile-friendly
• Diagnosing site speed and addressing issues
• Making sure the site is secure
• Keyword research
• Competitive analysis
• Whole-SERP strategy

And here is what you should do at minimum on a monthly basis with tasks broken up throughout the weeks:

• Create and publish authoritative, expert content.
• Monitor link profile and address anything that needs to be fixed.
• Run site crawls, review reports and fix website issues.
• Monitor analytics and data, including rankings and traffic, implement new strategies as needed.
• Optimize existing content, including page optimization, page combining, redirecting irrelevant pages, etc.
• Conduct competitive analysis, implement new strategies as needed.

Of course, it is not always this cut and dry. You will need to have the discernment on what tasks will give you the most ROI in the quickest amount of time.

Here are some resources as you get started on your journey:

• SEO: What, Why, How
• Myth: SEO Is a One-Time or Sometimes Thing
• What Are Keywords?
• How to Do Competitor Research for SEO
• How to Make a Mobile-Friendly Site
• How Fast Should My Webpage Be and Why Should I Care?
• HTTPS for Users and Ranking
• What Is a Whole-SERP SEO Strategy?
• The Always Up-to-Date SEO Checklist
• What Makes a Webpage Quality?

Can You Diagnose Website Problems?

When rankings and traffic tank, will you know how to diagnose the problem? You will run into problems with traffic at some point.

This means you will have to pivot and turn your attention to finding and fixing the issue. Was it a Google change? Is there new competition? Did something happen offline that would impact your traffic? Did you redesign your website or do something else to it?

To be blunt: This diagnosis often takes a lot of wisdom and experience. It is not likely something you will be able to figure out easily when you are just starting out.

If and when you have figured out and fixed the problem, you will then need to catch up on your day-to-day SEO deliverables. Unfortunately, the fast-paced nature of organic search means the picture can change on a dime – even if you divert resources for a month.

Here are some resources as you get started:

• 5 Things to Know When Your Site Loses Rankings
• An Up-to-Date History of Google Algorithm Updates

Are You Committed to Learning?

On top of everything else, you will need to commit to SEO learning.

You will need to understand when Google changes things and how it may impact your website. You will want to learn the latest strategies in SEO and how to perfect the best practices. All of this takes time, as in hours each month set aside for education.

In any given month you might:

• Read search engine news publications
• Take a webinar or two
• Go through modules in a training course
• Discuss issues you’re having in forums or Q&A sessions with SEOs or Google
• Attend a conference or event (virtually or in person)
• Reference pages in an SEO book

Then, you can apply the things you’ve learned to your daily / weekly / monthly tasks.

You cannot let yourself get stale here. Good SEO strategies come from continuous learning – you learn when you do SEO, and you learn when you listen to others.

These resources will help you on your journey:

• What Is SEO Training?
• 5 Questions to Evaluate Any SEO Training Course
• SEOtraining.com (Our SEO training website)
• SearchEngineLand.com (SEO news and tips)
• SearchEngineJournal.com (SEO news and tips)
• Google Search Central office hours (Google help)
• Search Engine Optimization All-in-One for Dummies, Fourth Edition (Our 700-plus page SEO book)

Do You Have Any Budget for Help?

When you are DIY’er, things can get hard. There will be problems that you cannot fix on your own. You will seek advice.

If you are doing SEO on your own, you may not want to spend more money on outside expertise. But if you have a little budget set aside, you can get the type of help you need to get you over the humps.

For example, you could invest in two important things on your SEO journey:

• The SEO audit, will uncover where your website is hurting SEO and a list of things to fix. This is a great thing to have at the outset of an SEO initiative.
• A block of hours you can use as you wish to help with tough questions or special projects outside your expertise; especially helpful for when you get stuck.

Having just a little bit of help to start and then when things get rough along the way can help you be more successful with your DIY SEO program.

I recommend checking out these resources:

• What Is an SEO Audit?
• SEO Audits and Tools: The Good, The Better, and The Best
• You Have an SEO Emergency – Who Do You Call?
• What Percentage of Your Budget Should Go Toward SEO?
• The REAL Cost of SEO

So, is DIY SEO worth it?

It depends on if you will prioritize the time for SEO, how committed you are to keeping up with it, and if you can set aside some budget for outside help as needed.

If you feel like any of those will be too hard, then I recommend either not doing SEO or hiring outside expertise when you are able to.

Don’t have the time for SEO? Unsure where to start? Our SEO experts can help. Reach out to us for a free consultation.

FAQ: Can I do search engine optimization on my own and achieve results?

Individuals can take on SEO themselves and achieve positive outcomes, but there are a few critical factors they must get “right” to succeed.

The Power of DIY SEO

Search engine optimization is not an arcane art reserved only for specialized agencies. With the proper knowledge and dedication, individuals can handle SEO themselves and achieve favorable results. SEO is a never-ending journey that requires constant effort, commitment, and the willingness to adapt to ever-evolving search algorithms.

Knowledge and Ongoing Education

Before beginning your DIY SEO journey, it’s essential to familiarize yourself with the basic principles of SEO. This includes keyword research, on-page optimization, and linking strategies. To stay abreast of current trends and stay abreast of changing priorities, it is also wise to familiarize yourself with SEO resources such as webinars or forums dedicated to this discipline. Continuous learning is critical to keeping your SEO strategies effective and relevant.

Evaluating Your Resources

While taking on SEO yourself can save costs, assessing whether you have the necessary time and resources to invest in the process is essential. SEO requires regular monitoring, analysis, and adjustments, which can be time-consuming. Consider whether you have the bandwidth to tackle these tasks effectively.

Crafting a Targeted SEO Plan

A well-crafted SEO plan is crucial for achieving positive results. Conduct thorough keyword research to identify relevant and high-traffic keywords for your website. Develop a content strategy that aligns with your target audience’s needs and incorporates your chosen keywords naturally into your content.

Measuring and Adapting

The success of your DIY SEO efforts relies on consistent measurement and adaptation. Monitor your website’s rankings, organic traffic, and conversion rates regularly. Web analytics tools can help identify areas for improvement and gain insight into user behaviors. Based on this data, make informed decisions and adjust SEO strategies as necessary.

Doing search engine optimization on your own is entirely possible and can lead to positive outcomes for your website. By acquiring the necessary knowledge, creating a targeted plan, and continuously adapting your strategies, you can achieve meaningful results through DIY SEO.

Step-by-Step Procedure: Achieving Success with DIY SEO

1. Educate Yourself on SEO Fundamentals
2. Familiarize Yourself with Reputable SEO Resources
3. Engage in SEO Webinars and Forums
4. Assess Your Time and Resources
5. Develop a Targeted SEO Plan
6. Conduct Thorough Keyword Research
7. Create an Audience-Centric Content Strategy
8. Naturally Incorporate Keywords into Your Content
9. Monitor Rankings, Traffic, and Conversions Regularly
10. Use Web Analytics Tools for Insights
11. Identify Areas for Improvement
12. Make Informed Decisions and Adjust Strategies
13. Continue Learning and Adapting
14. Stay Up-to-Date with Search Algorithm Changes
15. Optimize for Mobile and User Experience
16. Regularly Conduct SEO Audits
17. Address Technical SEO Issues
18. Build High-Quality Backlinks
19. Engage in Content Promotion and Outreach
20. Measure and Evaluate Results Periodically

Web analytics tools can help identify areas for improvement and gain insight into user behaviors. Based on this data, make informed decisions and adjust SEO strategies as necessary.

The post DIY SEO: 4 Questions to Ask Before You Start appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

Launching a new website?

First, and maybe most important, there is no “easy button.” There are hundreds of algorithm variables, trillions of websites, and more keywords with variable intent than we can count.

There are far more than 16 steps followed by a seasoned SEO expert. But to keep this simple for you, I have laid out a series of steps with detailed articles on each. This SEO plan for beginners will guide you in the right direction and help you get the ball rolling with your search engine optimization. Let’s dive in.

1. Do keyword research
2. Refine the keywords set
3. Finalize the keyword set 
4. Do a competitive analysis
5. Structure the website
6. Follow technical SEO strategies
7. Optimize the site for mobile
8. Write the content
9. Optimize the content
10. Create and optimize rich media content
11. Create an XML sitemap
12. Submit the website to search engines
13. Attract quality links
14. Avoid search engine penalties
15. Monitor backlinks and remove as needed
16. Monitor progress

FAQ: Can you explain the key steps in an SEO plan for beginners?

1. Do Keyword Research

Use SEO tools and analytics to discover what people are typing or saying as they look for the information, products, or services you offer.

Learn more about keyword research.

2. Refine the Keyword Set

Evaluate your potential keywords by finding the websites currently ranking for those terms. If the websites that show up in the search results have similar information, products, or services as you, the keyword is likely relevant enough.

Learn more about evaluating keywords by looking at the competition.

3. Finalize the Keyword Set

Organize your keywords by category (topics, products, services, etc.). Once you do this, it will be a guide to organizing your website and its content. (I’ll touch on that soon.) Have a good mix of broad and long-tail keywords. And think about how you will combine keywords on pages.

Learn more about choosing keywords.

4. Do a Competitive Analysis

Analyze the webpages and sites that are ranking for your desired keywords to find out what they are doing so you can meet or beat them.

Learn more about competitive analysis.

5. Structure the Website

Organize your website content in a way that communicates your expertise and authority on a topic to search engines, and allows your audience to find what they need.

Learn more about structuring a website through siloing.

6. Follow Technical SEO Strategies

Make sure your site is set up for search engines to crawl and index easily. (And to create a good user experience). This cannot be overlooked.

Learn more about technical SEO.

7. Optimize the Site for Mobile

Create a mobile-friendly site so that you offer a good experience to mobile users and have a better chance of ranking.

Learn more about mobile SEO and UX optimization.

8. Write the Content

Write original and compelling content that your audience (and Google) will love and want to share.

Learn more about key considerations when writing content.

9. Optimize the Content

Make your content perform even better with some best practices in content creation, SEO copywriting, and page optimization.

• Learn more about how to use keywords in content.
• Learn more about how to take content to the next level of optimization.

10. Create and Optimize Rich Media Content

Create a better user experience and have the opportunity to gain more visibility in the search results by using images, videos, and other rich media.

• Learn more about using images, videos and rich media.
• Learn more about optimizing rich media.

11. Create an XML Sitemap

Create an XML sitemap so that search engines can crawl and index the website better.

Learn more about how to create an XML sitemap.

12. Submit the Website to Search Engines

This is an optional step but a good idea in many cases. Especially for new websites.

Learn more about submitting a website to search engines.

13. Attract Quality Links

Follow a link-earning (not link-building) strategy that will get people to link to your website’s content.

Learn more about attracting quality links.

14. Avoid Search Engine Penalties

Know what it takes to create a website that is in compliance with search engine guidelines, so you can avoid penalties that can reduce or stop organic traffic to your site.

Learn more about avoiding Google penalties.

15. Monitor Backlinks and Remove as Needed

Monitor the links that point to your site from other websites so that you can ensure they are quality. If they are not, you’ll want to get rid of them.

Learn more about monitoring links.

16. Monitor Progress

Monitor performance indicators like search engine rankings, organic traffic to your site, and conversions coming from the organic search channel.

Learn more about how to monitor SEO progress.

Finally, loop! When you are done going through this SEO plan for beginners once, start again knowing that you can win through effort.

For more SEO strategies and tactics, access our great SEO Guide to learn how to do search engine optimization now.

FAQ: Can you explain the key steps in an SEO plan for beginners?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the cornerstone of digital marketing, but for beginners, it can seem like an intimidating labyrinth of technical jargon and strategies. Don’t worry, we’ll break down the essential steps to kickstart your journey into the world of SEO.

1. Keyword Research:

Begin by identifying keywords relevant to your niche. Tools like Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush can help you find high-traffic keywords with manageable competition.

2. Competitor Analysis:

Study your competitors’ websites to see what keywords they’re ranking for and the content they produce. This can provide valuable insights into your own strategy.

3. On-Page Optimization:

Optimize your website’s meta titles, descriptions, and headers with the chosen keywords. Ensure your content is high-quality, well-structured, and includes internal links.

4. Mobile Optimization:

With mobile usage on the rise, make sure your website is mobile-friendly. Google prioritizes mobile-first indexing, so this step is crucial.

5. Technical SEO:

Check for broken links, improve site speed, and ensure proper indexing of your website through Google Search Console.

6. Content Creation:

Regularly publish high-quality, engaging content that addresses the needs and interests of your target audience. Content is king in SEO.

7. Link Building:

Acquire backlinks from reputable websites. Guest posting, outreach, and creating shareable content are effective strategies.

8. Social Media Integration:

Share your content on social media platforms to increase visibility and drive traffic back to your website.

9. Monitor and Analyze:

Use analytics tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to track your website’s performance. Adjust your SEO plan based on the data.

10. Local SEO:

If you have a physical presence, optimize your website for local searches. Claim your Google My Business listing and encourage customer reviews.

11. User Experience (UX):

Improve your website’s user experience to reduce bounce rates and increase engagement. This includes easy navigation and fast load times.

12. Schema Markup:

Implement structured data on your website to enhance how your content appears in search results.

13. SSL Certificate:

Ensure your website has an SSL certificate for secure browsing, which can boost search rankings.

14. Content Updates:

Regularly update and refresh existing content to keep it relevant and up-to-date.

15. SEO Audits:

Perform regular SEO audits to identify and address any issues hindering your website’s performance.

16. Patience and Persistence:

Remember, SEO takes time to yield results. Be patient and stay consistent with your efforts.

By following these key steps in your SEO plan for beginners, you’ll lay a strong foundation for improving your website’s visibility in search engine results.

Step-by-Step Procedure: Crafting an Effective SEO Plan for Beginners

1. Begin with Keyword Research.
2. Analyze Your Competitors.
3. Optimize On-Page Elements.
4. Ensure Mobile Optimization.
5. Tackle Technical SEO.
6. Create High-Quality Content.
7. Build Backlinks.
8. Leverage Social Media.
9. Monitor and Analyze Performance.
10. Focus on Local SEO.
11. Enhance User Experience.
12. Implement Schema Markup.
13. Secure Your Website with SSL.
14. Regularly Update Content.
15. Conduct SEO Audits.
16. Exercise Patience and Persistence.

The post A 16-Step SEO Plan for Beginners That Gets Results appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..