A Back Link in The Cyber Space: Use and Misuse

About External Linking

Every aspect of website on page and off page is user experience. We do not visit the cyber space to change our clothes; we dwell in the vast space for seconds, minutes and hours and in times of Covid 19 perhaps for days. The visits are based in our intent but they excite our sensory apparatus - this reasoning is without any doubt.  For most visitors the virtual word is not for an escape or a an addiction, it is like exploring an island an intent oriented approach. 

Next Gen Evolution

Every given moment people wish to seek new discoveries and experiences. Perhaps static SERP with same keyword response again and again will become a negative experience devoid of thrill of discovering something new - an information panel that rotates may be the next gen evolution. This may happen in near future in order to make search results dynamic.  

Backlinks Regulations & Metrics

When the search engines began to discover websites and blogs, they relied on links and associated search terms on board for ranking purpose. They still do. 

Back links besides internal links are pathways of invaluable discovery. This experience has become better with  regulatory measures that have set in with the "nofollow" HTML instructions inserted within the code. This is to inform search engines to ignore the link or treat it partially for extracting information but no authority to be accorded. This has to be in place, for links are part of the cyber space which relies on networking and they serve other purpose as well. Even in excess, they provide access to information and may transform intent upon switch to the next page as well. They are excellent means of  creating referrals and saturate the web with website presence at the same time. They should never be misused. 

Content Wrapped Links 

Content wrapped links provide valuable information about the nature of the source as well as the forwarded page especially as regards the associated words. They also encourage content creation and enhance use of attributes like videos, inforgraphics and images. They are indispensable for search engines as well as the visitors. On many instances like in case of internal connect they encourage stay on the source besides making it more interesting or useful. This form of connect is between pages of a website or a portal with the aim of making the architecture and hence the user experience more fluid and rewarding.   

Ranking Metrics

The search engines now include plethora of metrics in order to index and rank a web page or a blog entry. Unfortunately back links as a metric received a bad reputation whence the black hats started to manipulate the ranking algorithms on similar lines as they did with keywords on page and off page. But search engines follow and evolutionary paradigm and continue to create fences around them that takes care of spammers. 

Links Are Evil

The perception has not changed especially in the mind of some editors who perceive every attribute that interconnects pages as spam or ill conceived. They are not to be blamed since the reputation garnered by the attribute has been blackened due earlier indiscriminate use in order to manipulate the ranking algorithms. Thankfully this has been taken care of, and one of the most active ingredient to keep the networked space alive has been given a life.         

HTML Code

How a link is created manually using HTML code. See the example below:

<a href="URL">anchortext</a>.

<a href="URL" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">anchor text</a>

The coding is diverse done for various purpose. You can read more below:

Link Anatomy

Building quality or authoritative links is the essence of this networked space but is also important for search engine optimization or SEO. Webmasters use them in their campaign and if they are honest nothing like it. Those with editorial scrutiny become valuable for SEO and the ones naturally gained due to usefulness of the web page become more valued for ranking purpose. 

Link building is for diverse reasons as explained above but the webmasters should pay attention to search engine guidelines and to other aspects of page quality as well. User experience (UX) is supreme and the page loses its content value if the experience is in the negative.    

Although local listing is highly valuable avoid listing to SEO friendly directories until unless you can list the site in a niche. Forum and blog comment posting have been degraded almost to the level of "nofollow". But they may have some usefulness but this should not be for spam certainly. Even guest posting on blogs should use the "nofollow" attribute in the links.         

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Uday provides search engine optimization service for digital marketing. He provides website contents and content for authoritative links. 

He also teaches digital marketing in his home town Jabalpur. He can be contacted at: 

pateluday90@hotmail.com

09755089323          

           

Of Organic Back Links - Content Creation & More

Organic Backlink are also known as Natural Links!

The natural back-linking occurs whence a website owner places the link of your website or blog on his own. This is external link for your property and apart from increasing your popularity it plays a role in increasing the domain authority or DA as well as enhances your ranking on SERPs on relevant search terms. 

Why would person link your website/blog to his or her own?  

This connect happens whence your website or blog is found useful for future reference, enhances or adds to the knowledge base of the linking property. There can be innumerable reasons for a site owner to link to yours. 

In simple terms a widget for example a calculator is added to a site requiring frequent calculations. Similarly websites are linked for utility or information they provide.  This is the most popular and easiest way of value addition.    

The external links in any form have a great potential to invite referrals and this could be a non organic way of getting a response from your websites. This connect may be natural as well as created but if the latter has undergone editorial scrutiny it holds immense value. But we do not know how search engines treat such links. 

Creating Links 

The presence on SERPs pays for you whence your property ranks on the first page on SERPs after that ranking things fizzle out as few visitors go that far down.    

But linking is essential not only  for the fight on the SERPs for relevant terms but also for web popularity or web saturation. A large placement of your site links will have the potential to draw referrals. The latter is also known as referral acquisition and not as result of ranking. The click can take place on a social media platform or from a link placed on article or on another website. 

Fear or Penalization & Referral Creation 

All website owners strive hard to fight  out on the SERP since there is always a potential to rank on less competitive long tail search terms. At the same time they do not wish to lose the referral potential. This is a paradox that webmasters face while enhancing web saturation for referrals.   

Hence potential for referrals has to be constantly enhanced but this has to be done the right way to avoid penalization. Spreading the links on contents on large number of quality article sites and on sites that offer users to create contents and link. Most of these sites have strict editorial scrutiny...for potential web saturation you post articles and create contents on "nofollow" sites. But here also spamming can be lethal since search engines do read and credit "nofollow" links as well nowadays. Most of the links on Social Media are "nofollow" but the exposure on this medium far out-ways the potential of a link or link juice as some writers call it.

Hence link building should also be within the rules just do not rush.

Directories, forum, blog comments are not worthy of the exercise anymore until unless you are dead sure of their authority and relevance regarding your site.  There are some good directories but only few. Best is to avoid this method of linking. Also use anchor text that a user would type to search your property use exact match terms with great care and bare minimum.

Contents The Greatest Pull 

Yes website contents are a major draw as far as natural linking is concerned. The onsite or off page contents like the UGC do matter. Writing unique, informative and easy to read contents will always attract organic connect and if this is enhanced by attributes like videos, widgets, info-graphics and images nothing like it. Good formatting will assist readers and your write up will look smart. 

Hence good content creation is not only for conversion it is also for attracting followers who link your website to theirs. Good content creation skill development is through practice and from reading tips and advice from experts. Hard work is the key remember! No short cut! 

In search engine optimization content creation will always play a major role though technicalities are important as well. Always check mobile friendliness, down loading speed and usability factors.  Another important factors is relevancy in SEO...promote sites on terms the contents justify else you will end up with ineffective and useless workload.     

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Uday provides remote SEO and website contents in English. He teaches digital marketing in Jabalpur in summer holidays. Uday freelances as naturalist/birder in India. He loves to blog on SEO/Conservation and Travel.
Contact: pateluday90@hotmail.com
Mob: 09755089323

Future of Link Building & SEO

SEO Overview

The beginning of search on Internet or web browser was facilitated by external links. These are links pointing towards the owners site from another source which could be an article, blog or another website etc. These links were then taken into calculation by search engine algorithms and the site was ranked accordingly as per their numerical strength which was an indicator of its popularity on the Net.  All this is passe, but the algorithms still rely on links for greater information about the websites and do enhance ranking if the effort made is following their guidelines.  

Now SE companies rely on many other metrics to rank a website but these too can be manipulated hence the mix is preferred.

"Human scrutinized links are better pointers to a sites quality then other intelligence method since it is impossible to replicate the human mind."

Therefore organically generated or natural links and/or well scrutinised one's are definitely more reliable. 

Eventually seo practices also points to a better site build up using unique informative contents, sound architecture, good responsible design, added anecdotal features like images, infographics and videos. Thus in present stage both on page and off page factors are important this is further accentuated by the user behaviour on the site.      

Link Building Once Upon A Time

Hence link building was a popular methodology by webmasters to promote their client sites. This went on for some time along with adding onpage attributes in abundance. Some of the webmasters were gaming the system and artificially manipulating the search results.   

In order to prevent the SERPs from being flooded with incompetent sites the search engines began improving their algorithms by tweaking them regularly. The Penguin Update by Google put stop to manipulation of search results by building spammy links helter skelter. 

The stage has come where in only quality or authoritative links count. The organic links attributed to good unique contents are the preferred mode used to enhance a websites ranking by search companies today. But unlike whence Penguin was newly introduced, the companies do not penalise spammy links they only ignore or dilute their impact. This is believed to be true?     

Web Saturation 

Do people reach your site just by a mention in the contents well that seems impossible in the present context hence a link is required to direct people to the site. 

Why is Web Saturation Important? 

Until unless you find a place on top of SERPs on many keywords your portal will remain ineffective on the Internet. In order to remedy this malady in the vast Universe that the cyberspace is one needs to be present at as many places as possible. This is known as web saturation. 

Hence link building is imperative but please this does not justify spammy links as they are bound to affect your online reputation even if search engines ignore them. Links associated with unique content and quality are most respected by the visitors as well as the search providers. But one point is assured with the evolution of search. The more the merrier is not necessarily effective if the external links are not quality driven. Select large number of relevant platforms to create outbound links following their guidelines for better search engine optimisation.    

Social Media Participation 

Yes social media is part of the ranking process. Why? Let us understand that web presence is a concern for search engines for if visitors are able to find a useful resource without a search then the companies lose their business and lots of revenue in Ads. 

Hence the popularity on social media platforms or online reputation of a content or content creator helps the associated sites to rank better. This is a strong indicator for search companies since a good content associated with weak site will discourage visitors. Any resource which is spammy or not qualified will mar efforts to gain popularity in the social media. Online reputation plays an important role in conversions as desired by the owner, professional or a company. By effective participation one can carve a niche for self on a social media platform. 

Internet Marketing is now an exercise which includes search engine optimisation, social media participation and paid or free advertisement campaign management.  

Truck Load of Metrics 

Search engines take into account a vast number of metrics nowadays before ranking a website. Hence make good the efforts and promote a suitable site. But remember the crux is that your site contents should provide an apt answer to the user's query on the SERP else you will never succeed. Hence more information the better that too extensively researched and relevant.   

Evolution of Search 

The algorithms will keep on evolving to provide better answer to a query on search hence changes in guidelines are bound to take place every now and then. Webmasters should adopt to new practices as required.

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Uday Patel provides SEO & Internet Marketing Services. I also provide optimised website contents in English. I teach Internet Marketing in Jabalpur in India.

Contact: Mail Me 
Mobile: 9755089323