What is linkbuilding and why is it important?

Link building is the process of actively collecting links from other websites to your own site. Such a link - also called a backlink - functions as a kind of recommendation. For search engines like Google, these are signals that your site is valuable. The more relevant and reliable websites link to your content, the higher you can appear in search results.

An important detail: it has long since ceased to be about as many links as possible. The quality, relevance and natural construction of your link profile have become decisive. Google's algorithm is smart enough to onderscheiden "forced" link building from valuable recommendations. So your strategy should not only be technically sound, but also logically and content-wise strong.

How does Google rate your backlinks?

Google looks at several factors to determine how valuable a backlink is:

• Authority of the referring site
• Relevance of the context around the link
• The location of the link on the page (e.g. in the main text or in the footer)
• The anchor text (the clickable text of the link)

So a link from a well-known trade medium that mentions your site in a relevant article is much more valuable than a link in an irrelevant listing on a vague blog. Google also weighs in on whether your site's backlink profile looks natural. Sudden spikes in the number of new links or many exactly the same anchor texts can actually raise suspicions.

Link building is tailor-made

Every website and business needs a different strategy. A shop in bicycleonderparts benefits from links from technical review websites or bicycle blogs. A law firm, on the other hand, scores better with listings on legal platforms. A good link building strategy is therefore never a standard list that you just run through.

Want to learn how to set up and implement such a strategy? During the SEO training from Onder you will learn how to do this step by step. You will get practical tools to apply sustainable and effective link building yourself, tailored to your industry and goals.

What does link building actually cost?

The costs can vary considerably. You can invest your own time in approaching websites, writing guest blogs or creating link-worthy content. This is 'free', but will cost you a lot of time. If you prefer to have it partly or completely outsourced, you should expect prices of around €50 to €500 per link, depending on the quality of the site.

As it happens, a backlink on a high-quality platform with high traffic and a strong reputation is more expensive than a listing on a home page. Yet time and again it turns out: quality pays off. One strong link can yield more than dozens of mediocre ones.

Tools that help with link building

There are several tools available that can help you search for link opportunities:

• Ahrefs
• SEMrush
• Moz
• Majestic

These tools provide insight into your own site's backlink profile as well as that of competitors. So you can discover where they are mentioned and whether there are opportunities for you there too. You will also see which pages on your website have the most potential to attract backlinks.

Note that these tools are onder supporting, not guiding. Use the insights as a starting point, but also assess each link opportunity with common sense. Does the website really fit your target audience? Does the context make sense? Does the content match your service or product?

Toxic backlinks: what should you avoid?

Not all links are beneficial. Some backlinks - so-called toxic backlinks - come from spam-like or irrelevant websites. They can damage your reputation in Google's eyes, especially if you have many at once or if it looks like you bought them yourself.

It is important to check your link profile regularly. Do you see suspicious domains linking to your site? If so, you can use Google's Disavow Tool to indicate that you are distancing yourself from these links. This will prevent them from negatively affecting your ranking.

Link building is more than just SEO

Link building is often seen as purely a technical SEO tactic. Yet it goes beyond that. Good link building also helps you with:

• Increasing your online visibility
• Attracting relevant visitors through referring websites
• Strengthening your brand authority within a particular niche

Indeed, link building can also lead to new collaborations, interviews or invitations to podcasts. So think of it as a onder part of your wider marketing strategy, where you actually build relationships with other professionals or companies in your field.

Want to learn more? Dive into the knowledge of Onder

Want to know more about link building techniques, examples and pitfalls? At onder.nl/blog/cat/linkbuilding you will find an extensive collection of articles on this onderopic. From tactical tips to strategic considerations, the blogs give you an honest and up-to-date picture of what works - and, more importantly, what doesn't - in link building.

This will teach onder others why some links do not yield anything, how to tailor link building to your target audience and how to avoid unintentionally sending the wrong signals to Google.