Introduction
Link building is a cornerstone of any SEO campaign. It’s the process of acquiring links from other websites, which helps boost your site’s SEO rankings in Google and other search engines. Links are still one of the most important ranking factors for search engines in 2022—they can help you rank higher in SERPs (search engine results pages) and drive more organic traffic to your website. That said, there are plenty of misconceptions about link building out there: some marketers think it’s dead or that it doesn’t work anymore; others think they can do it all themselves and don’t need to collaborate with other bloggers or influencers outside their company (which would be a mistake).
If you’re wondering whether link building is still essential for SEO in 2022, then keep reading! In this article, we’ll discuss why links are so important for ranking well on Google and how you can use them effectively in your own campaigns.
Google Still Values Links
As you know, Google is a search engine, and links are the main way it finds new content. Links are also the most important ranking factor for Google’s algorithms. Links help Google understand what a page is about and how it should be ranked in its search results. If you want to rank higher in Google, you need to earn more links from other websites and directories.
While we’re still not quite sure what Google’s future plans are, it doesn’t seem to be taking much of a break from its current tactics. However, link building still remains one of the most effective SEO ranking factors. Backlinks are a way to show Google that your content is relevant, trusted and popular. So, without a strong link building strategy, it will be difficult for Google to understand what your website is all about.
Links are an Important Branding Asset
You’re likely familiar with the concept of social proof—the idea that when people see others engaging with something, they want to engage too. Links can be a form of this kind of social proof if they’re used correctly.
When you publish a piece of content and link to it from your site or other sites, you’re showing visitors (and Google) that you support this content and want it to succeed. If lots of other sites are linking in an authoritative way, then Google will see those links as signs that your content is valuable or worthy of being shared—and thus worthy of ranking well for relevant keywords.
If you have established yourself as an expert in your industry over time, then people might come across one post on your website and decide to follow all future posts from there because they trust that everything else on the site is going to be helpful as well.
Increased Brand Awareness
Link building can help with brand awareness by exposing your content to new audiences. If you’re a company that wants to get more customers, it’s important that people know who you are and what you do. This will help them feel more comfortable when they need to make a decision about your services or products. Link building is a great way to spread the word about your brand and create an association between yours and other businesses.
High-Quality Backlinks Drive Referral Traffic
Referral traffic is important for a few reasons. First, it’s often higher quality than direct traffic and thus more likely to convert into sales or leads. Second, and perhaps most importantly, referral traffic is generally more targeted because it comes from other websites that are relevant to yours.
You, therefore, get better insight into what people are searching for when they visit the site and where they go next after visiting yours — ultimately giving you actionable insights about how best to drive conversions in your business. This can be especially useful if you have multiple websites targeting different audiences as it allows you to see where each one ranks relative to others within search results pages (SERPs).
You Still Need Backlinks in 2022!
The reason you need backlinks in 2022 is that they’re a sign of trust.
So how can you get backlinks? One of the easiest ways is through guest posting on high-quality sites with an audience that relates closely with your niche—but there are other strategies too! You could try writing guest articles for relevant blogs or even start your own website and promote it using social media or SEO techniques like link building.
Conclusion
Now that we’ve outlined all the different ways that link building can improve your SEO and overall website performance, it’s time to get to work!
We know there are a lot of moving parts when it comes to SEO, but don’t worry—we have a short guide on the basics of link building for SEO! We run through what exactly link building is and how to find and create quality backlinks.
Working with an expert SEO team is also a great option for organisations that don’t have in-depth knowledge of the ins and outs of link building. Train your team on the latest techniques to stay in the loop with the ever-changing digital marketing world.
