At the very beginning, it is worth considering why build links at all? Google’s algorithms are complex and are constantly evolving. However, link building has for many years remained an important factor that Google uses to determine the position of a given website. Well-built links are an important signal to Google that your website is a valuable resource worth citing and showing to your visitors. Therefore, websites with more backlinks tend to rank higher.

Important: There is a good and a bad way to link to your website. If you care about long-term profitability, you should only engage in natural link building, which is the process of gaining links, not buying or achieving them through manipulative tactics. These types of practices are called black hat SEO and can even cause your website to be removed from search results. In the article below, we will discuss the most important issues that you should keep in mind when it comes to link building, which will improve your organic rankings without violating Google’s guidelines.

What is link building?

Link building is the process of acquiring hyperlinks from other websites to your own. Hyperlinks (usually just called a link or a link) allow you to navigate between pages on the Internet. Search engines, on the other hand, use links to index the web. They index both links between individual pages on a given site and links between individual web pages on a given site.

White-hat SEO link building tactic

This type of link building takes time. It consists in creating valuable content to which other websites will want to refer their users. It is related to defining your target group and its needs. It is worth considering what content recipients are looking for and what they want to learn, and then create content that will be interesting and engaging for them.

This is the type of link building that will also be most effective. It is based on a genuine desire to connect with your audience. These types of interactions form the basis of well-established online dialogue and communication. Journalists, writers and editors of other websites, after reading the valuable content, will find it worth publishing, in other words, worth a link.

One of the biggest mistakes website owners make when it comes to link building is over-focusing on the link itself, not the content it leads to. Your content should be valuable to generate impressions, engagement, and most importantly – conversions.

What do links mean for search engines?

Links are a very important determinant of the authority of a website. After searching the web pages, search engines can extract their content and add it to their indexes. Thus, they decide if the page is worth enough to get high ranking for the relevant keywords.

When classifying pages, search engines not only analyze the content of the page, but also take into account the number of links pointing to a given site from external websites. The quality of these external sites is also important. Overall, the more high-quality sites linking to your website, the more likely you are to rank well in search engine results.

Link building in marketing activities

It is also true to say that links appear naturally as a result of other marketing activities that are not primarily aimed at generating links. For example, if you introduce a new, really innovative product, you will likely end up with lots of backlinks to your website as a result. Likewise, if you create interesting content that will be the best and complete guide to a topic in your industry, other sites will want to send their audience to your article and you will get links as a result.

Both creating a new product and posting great content are not for link building, but links are a consequence of doing so. Therefore, it makes sense to think of link building not as a standalone activity, but something that connects with other activities of your company, the benefits of which go beyond link building.

Helpful internal links

SEO people often want the benefits of a single referring link to span the entire domain, not just the single linked page. One way to do this is through internal linking, which is by placing a link on the landing page that points to another page on the same domain. This is an effective method of spreading your authority and standing on your site. It is true that Google does not measure internal links the same way as external links. However, it is essential that the domain contains both internal and external links to maximize its ranking potential.

Internal links are not as valuable as external links, but they help Google understand your website’s structure, which can be helpful for SEO. An example of this is our free text paraphrase tool based on artificial intelligence.

How to get high-quality links?

As you may be aware, not all links are created equal. We have already mentioned that Google takes into account not only the number of links referring to a given domain, but also analyzes the quality of the pages from which the links come. In link building it is very important that the backlinks come from websites that themselves have strong SEO metrics. Not all links are created equal, and links coming from the wrong sites can actually harm your link profile. For Google, this could be a sign that the website is using SEO manipulative practices, which could lead to its being blocked from search results.

High-quality websites that will enable you to implement effective link building should:
– have high domain authority and low spam score,
– generate a lot of organic traffic and traffic from social media,
– answer the topic or industry to your website,
– have a healthy backlink profile.

Link position in content

Few people may be aware that the position of a link in content on a website is also very important for its effectiveness. If a link to a website is placed at the beginning of the content, search engines assign it a higher value than the links appearing further down the page. In addition, it is important to bear in mind that link building campaigns aim to embed the link in the main body of the text, not in the sidebar or page header. Spam links or advertisements are usually placed in these places. Google is cautious and, in most cases, classifies links outside of the main content as significantly less valuable.

Link building – where to start?

If you are new to link building, the amount of information associated with creating a link profile may seem overwhelming to you. In the case of small businesses, it is worth using the potential of local SEO and publishing guest posts on high-quality websites in the first place.

Local SEO

Listing your website address in local business directories is relatively inexpensive. One of the best options for getting a big boost in local search results is to create a listing for your business on Google Maps. Almost a third of all mobile searches are location-based, and local SEO can help search engines better understand your location, markets served, and how customers can reach you.

For unlinked sites, local SEO is a great way to start creating trust signals. Not only will they make your website more prominent in search results, but they will also give you backlinks from well-established sites with high traffic.

Guest posts – a way to get high-quality links

Not only the content posted on your website can help in link building. Publishing guest posts on other websites is an equally effective and, what is worth emphasizing, practice in line with Google’s guidelines. This tactic involves creating and offering content that may be of value to the audience of the website where the article will be published.

If you are a specialist in a given field, you can ask the owners of a high-quality website to write an article for them in which you will link to your domain. When presenting your proposal, briefly describe what you want to write about and indicate the value of the recipients of the page who read the article. Guest posts, apart from the possibility of obtaining a link, have one more, very important advantage – they allow you to build relationships with other websites and expand your professional network of contacts.

We hope this article helped you understand what link building is and why it is so important to SEO. Link building is a very broad topic, but if done correctly, it can bring amazing results for your website traffic and affect your Google ranking. If you have any questions about link building or need additional SEO help, don’t hesitate to contact us. We will help you get high ranking positions in a profitable and, above all, long-term way.

Let’s start with the basics, i.e. explain what a static website actually is. A static site is a very simple type of website that always loads as it was saved on the server. It is not equipped with a CMS system, thanks to which you could easily make changes within the site without any programming skills. It is completely saved in the file – including all texts – it can be said that the content is “rigidly” placed there.

The lack of a CMS, i.e. a friendly editor that allows you to add text, photos, videos, and even entire subpages, means that each change within the site requires interference with the code file, which makes modifications much more difficult for a user unfamiliar with programming languages. Accidentally deleting a command can completely change the look of the page, and it is impossible to edit the text without applying the appropriate lines of code for each bold or centering.

What advantages and disadvantages does a static website have?

A static website has many advantages that make it still the choice of entrepreneurs. The price is the first and probably important advantage of this solution for many people. Creating such a website is relatively easy for the developer and does not take much time, which translates into a lower cost of such an order.

One of the most valuable advantages of static websites, however, is their loading speed. These types of websites load quickly, which translates into user satisfaction and a good rating of web robots, for which loading time is one of the factors influencing the overall rating of the website. However, choosing a dynamic website does not always have to mean long loading times – this is where cache systems come to our aid.

The big advantage of static pages over dynamic pages is the security they provide. They do not have a CMS or plug-ins that can potentially be a source of threats, so they enjoy a lot of trust among entrepreneurs who focus on protecting their customers.

If we focus on a simple, small website, a static website is a better solution than one created with the help of WIX wizards. The latter are easier to edit, but they offer very limited optimization possibilities, so from the SEO point of view, they are a worse solution than static pages.

The disadvantage of this solution is that, as we have already mentioned, static pages do not have a CMS, so each change requires interference in the code. In addition, it cannot be denied that a static page has fewer functions than a dynamic one.

Static page and dynamic page – differences

As already mentioned, a static page is a file that contains all of the website’s code and all its content. A dynamic page, in turn, requires a connection to a database in which texts, images, videos and other elements that constitute the content visible to the user are placed. Therefore, when the viewer enters the static side, he gets something like a ready-made image, a fixed composition drawn from one place. In the case of the dynamic version, we serve him a page that must be re-created in a way – that is, “composed” of individual elements. Of course, the process is so fast that with the proper implementation of the project, the user has no idea what type of website he is dealing with. The fact is, however, that a static page will load a little faster than a dynamic site.

So should we always choose a static page in pursuit of the best loading speed? Not necessarily. If the website is extensive, has a blog or news section, a dynamic CMS page is often the better choice. Of course, you can run a blog or news on a static website, but due to the lack of a CMS, it can be difficult for beginners.

Who is the static website for?

A static website works best as an electronic business card with basic information about the business, contact details, etc. These types of websites rarely need to be updated and do not need advanced features, so in this case we can afford a static page even if we can’t make changes to the code. You can decide on such a page, for example, when:
– we run a stationary store and we only want to mark our presence on the Internet,
– we have a service business such as a beauty or hairdressing salon, dentist’s office, etc. and we provide services only at our headquarters,
– as part of our business, we provide services only to the client, e.g. plumber, construction company,
– we create a website with the CV function.

However, the type of business you run should not be crucial when choosing. The most important criterion is whether we intend to edit the page frequently, and in the examples mentioned, as a rule, regular updates are not necessary. This does not mean, of course, that we cannot opt for a static page in other cases. As long as we know that a simple page with the most important information is enough for us, we do not have to invest in a more expensive dynamic site – a static site is enough for us.

What is local SEO?

Local SEO is defined as a series of onsite and offsite activities aimed at increasing the visibility of a selected set of keywords, but only within a specific area, e.g. a city or district. The essence of this solution is based on displaying information to the potential customer about the place where he is currently located.

For example: imagine that at the moment you are in a strange city, but you need to use the service of a hairdresser. In the past, you would ask local people and based on the first or most common answers you would choose the best provider. Nowadays, in a much shorter time, using a search engine, you can find a specialist in a given industry in the closest area and read opinions about it. So, as you can easily guess, an effectively conducted local positioning process combined with a good-quality product or service can bring a number of benefits for regional businesses.

What are the benefits of local SEO?

A well-planned and conducted SEO strategy at the local level brings unquestionable benefits for the business. First of all, it is worth realizing that competing with the competition on the domestic or global market is much more difficult, and also requires spending more time. On the other hand, positioning at the level of a specific region or city is not such a complicated process, and at the same time brings the intended results much faster (both in terms of a higher position in the rankings and financial profits associated with it – potential consumers are located nearby and are usually ready to take advantage of the offer on the same day).

Additionally, a less complex SEO process usually requires less money, especially in areas with low competition. This is also supported by the fact that optimization activities within local websites or catalogs are much cheaper. Local positioning of your website can also bring much better results if you also decide to implement a Google Ads advertising campaign or promote in selected social media.

Who should benefit from local SEO?

As you can easily guess, local website positioning works well for companies that operate in a certain area, e.g. in a given city or province. Very often, this solution is used by gastronomic establishments (restaurants, cafes, etc.) and health and fitness centers (private doctors, gyms, etc.). Local positioning is also used by companies that provide their services at the clients’ homes (e.g. hydraulic emergency, repair crews, locksmiths, etc.), as well as by premises where customers have to drive themselves (e.g. hairdresser, law firm, car service, etc.).

Of course, this method can be used by companies from various industries, so it does not have to be limited to the examples mentioned. However, those who opted for this solution should be aware that most local searches are done via smartphones. Their websites must therefore be responsive, and therefore adapted to users of mobile devices.

Geolocation and the impact on SEO

Geolocation, which allows to determine the geographic location of a given website user, is a very important factor affecting the search results. Previously, the displayed results were also dependent on the national search engine domain. This means that by entering a given phrase via google.com, you were getting exactly the same page ranking, no matter where you checked it. Currently, the results are localized to make it easier to find information from the user’s perspective. Of course, he does not have to fully rely on the search engine and he can specify the area for which he wants to receive information. It is enough to use the so-called Geolocated such request. “New York pizza.” Regardless of whether the user is currently in Boston or another city, Google should present a ranking of this type of restaurant from New York.

It is worth adding, however, that the geolocation performed by the search engine is so precise that in large agglomerations it may show websites of companies located in a specific district. The fact that many Internet users still enter the phrase + area in place of the bar may result from their habituation or earlier planning of their stay in another city. Nevertheless, this type of personalization of results is a very important SEO factor over which the person responsible for positioning a given page does not have much control.

As a website owner, however, it is mandatory to create a Google My Business listing and thus ensure visibility on Google Maps. Additionally, apart from XML sitemaps, you also need to equip yourself with a KML file (so-called geositemapa), which is used, among others, by by the Google Earth app. Thanks to it, you have a guarantee that your company or premises will be properly located in the search results. In addition, you also need to take care of local positioning through other activities: internal (proper website and content optimization), as well as external activities (acquiring links and encouraging customers to add opinions).

How to create a business card in the Google My Business service?

As it was emphasized above: setting up a business card in the Google My Business service is an absolute must if you care about local positioning of your company. Such action not only enables the company to be displayed in standard search results and maps, but also increases the credibility of your business from the point of view of Google.

Setting up a business card is not a complicated process, but it requires verification with a special PIN (in most cases sent via post in order to check the real address). When this stage is successful, you will have your own Google ID, where users will be able to check the address, phone number, opening hours, as well as see available photos and previous customer reviews.

When providing contact details (and therefore all information that can be used by your clients to contact a representative of the company), you must also be consistent. It is worth that the same address, telephone number or e-mail name should appear on the “contact” subpage, in the appendix with the regulations, and in all external sources. Then the algorithms will easily associate contact details with your business, which ultimately has a positive effect on local search results.

Customers opinion

A very important factor influencing the ranking of local search results are opinions about the company. This should not come as a surprise since Google always puts the well-being of the search engine user first. In turn, the opinions of existing consumers about a given service provider provide a lot of valuable information about his offer and customer service, and thus often help an undecided internet user to make a decision. Therefore, positive reviews about your company are read favorably by both Google robots and potential consumers.

For this reason, you need to ensure that your customers share their opinions (especially on the Google My Business listing, but also elsewhere), as their quantity and average are valuable guidelines for robots when determining local ranking. Additionally, it happens that Google displays selected ratings and reviews as part of presenting your business in search results. Thus, unflattering comments may result in your offer being quickly excluded by users.

Correct optimization of the website for local positioning

Of course, if you want to achieve a high position in local rankings, you shouldn’t forget to optimize your website properly. It includes a number of the same actions as in the case of SEO for general phrases, i.e. correct website structure and internal navigation or unique content. Website optimization for local positioning, however, provides for several additional, mandatory actions:

– placing a Google map (indicating the company’s seat) in the “contact” tab,
– company name, address and telephone number in the “contact” tab and in the footer,
– describing contact information using structured data,
– natural placement of the name of a given area in the website content, headers and meta descriptions.

Additionally, you cannot forget about external links to the website, which play a very important role in both general and local positioning. In the second case, it is worth taking care of links from local websites, e.g. regional advertising portals or local newspapers.

Local SEO can bring a number of benefits to your business in a short time. However, it requires the site owner to meet several conditions, including correct website optimization, effective link building or encouraging customers to leave ratings and opinions. There is no doubt, however, that such an action may result in reaching a wide group of customers in the area, and thus quickly monetizing the effects.