The changes in the search landscape from a decade ago have been massive, but one thing remains crucial in every SEO campaign: links. Yes, even though search engines cracked down on link building and rolled out policies on this, it still remains an essential part of every marketing campaign. With links at the core of search algorithms, your backlink portfolio will always be important.
Nevertheless, every marketer is pretty sure that things will change again in the near future. When that happens, thousands of sites will see drastic changes in their rankings, including innocent ones. This is why you have to ensure that your links are future-safe. How? Make sure that each link in your portfolio has the following characteristics:
High-Quality
When you’re still building links on sheer number alone, you’re sadly stuck in 2005. Since Penguin rolled out, it has all been about the quality of your links. The link should be something your website deserves. This means you need to build your link portfolio the natural way, without any black-hat tricks in between.
As the marketers at LinkCleaners explain it, every link you add on the Internet should add value to the Web. As long as you follow this Google-recommended guideline, your portfolio is safe.
Editorial
Links are powerful, which is why you should deserve it if it appears on another site. This means that every link should be purposely and willingly pointing to your site, and that the site administrator has done this at their discretion. As much as possible, you should “earn” your links through recommendations and posts from other websites. This does not, however, discourage building your own portfolio. But do know that every link pointing to your site must have been done properly and creatively.
Multipurpose
Go beyond the typical purpose of enriching your portfolio whenever you build a link. This is what Google has been talking about from the start: promote your brand to search engines and visitors at the same time. Never treat the two differently, as it has always been Google’s aim to enhance and streamline every searcher’s experience. While you’re building links, make sure that they engage your audience, bring in more traffic, and popularize your brand. Doing so keeps your portfolio immune to future algorithm shifts.
A future-safe link is one that incorporates these three concepts. As long as every entry in your portfolio has these, you can be sure that no algorithm will hit your rankings anytime soon.