Link Out Really Can INcrease Search Engine Rankings
Whenever SEO is discussed it is hard to get away from the fact that back links rule. Who links to you, anchor text and the page the link is coming from all help to establish your link profile and ultimately where your site ranks in Google.
However when it comes to building an authority site there is another important aspect, an aspect that is an essential part of search engine optimisation and will definitely help increase your keyword rankings.
Outgoing links are a huge part of SEO and will help build trust for your pages, but why? Give me a minute of your time to explain.
Firstly lets think about how the web works, it was built to drive traffic to relevant resources and information, do this and add value to your site as well as building trust with your visitors. You have to remember that no matter how good you think you are you cannot provide all the information a potential user may need, the web was created to give people an avenue to the best info in every area.
Not only is this a great way of flowing traffic to quality resources but it is als a great way of engaging the linkerati, those around the web that are more likely to throw links around, let me explain.
As well as adding value to your visitors it will also raise your profile in your niche, if you are passing traffic to another site the webmaster will no doubt pick up on this and could even link back to your information, easy really link out for links in.
OK let’s get down to business, can linking out really increase your rankings? Take a look at wikipedia, they have millions of outgoing links, do they suffer? The fact is Google will reward a solid resource, around a month ago most SEO blogs were shouting about this and even provided examples. Send a link to quality sites using the keyword you are targeting the page for, then watch your rankings rise.
Think about it for a second, not only are you an expert in your area but you can also give your visitors recommended reading and resources, do you really think Google would punish this? How many times have you heard Matt Cutts say "create a great resource"? Come on guys, what are you waiting for?
Google authority explained and the wrong way to get backlinks
Hmmmm, this is a immersive concept and I need to emphasise it’s not clear cut. But here is what I know in my research at the Backlinks clinic:
Authority – basics
The more authority your site has the better you will rank on Google. Authority means that searchers trust you and your content. The great news is that authorities trusted by people are also trusted by Google. A great example is the .edu and .gov suffixes. These suffixes imply they are credible sources of information and it’s a proven fact that as far as Google is concerned backlinks from these domains to your site will contribute authority to your web pages. Another perfect example is Wikipedia as the web pages here are largely added by by group of humans as opposed to a single marketer.
So it follows that authority is largely influenced by the source of your backlinks and if authoritative web pages link to your site then you inherit their authority and as far as Google is concerned you become more authoritative and so the trust in your content by Google goes up.
How Google determines what is and isn’t authoritative is confidential for solid reasons and aligns with Google’s thinking of “Do no evil”. The last thing the Internet needs is an individual or a group manipulating the methods that Google uses in its efforts to try and regulate probably the most significant technological resource of this period in history.
Backlinking methods you should avoid
In the same vein it’s worth my while stating some underhand sources and practices of creating backlinks that Google not only dislikes but appears to be moving aggressively to ‘’categorize as illegitimate authorities. In no particular order of severity, the common offenders are:
- Paid backlinks – web sites where individuals purchase and sell backlinks
- Comment spam – entries that contain links on blog pages that are just not associated to the main theme.
- Low quality and *duplicate content – ‘scraped’ or copied
- Fast growth – there are a myriad of ways that this is achievable, Google isn’t stupid. Any sudden rise in the amount of backlinks is going to show up on Google’s monitoring systems, specifically if it’s a brand new domain.
- Backlinks from bad reputation sites – these are particularly henous as you are guilty by association – need I say more.
*There is another factor where I may be on dodgy ground, but large news properties appear to get a lot of authority and I have definitely seen significant numbers of the same article over and over again on different portals with no penalties, I am still looking at this, only as some of the results I am seeing go against the normal behaviors I usually expect to see. More on this is in a future post….
Backlinks authority and Google
Hmmmm, this is a immersive concept and I need to emphasise it’s not an exact science. But here is what I have learned in my analysis at the Backlinks clinic:
Authority – simplified
The more authority your web pages have the better you will rank on Google. Authority means that people trust you and your content. The great news is that authorities trusted by people are also recognised as trustworthy by Google. A good illustration is the .edu and .gov suffixes. These suffixes imply they are trustworthy sources of content and it’s an established fact that as far as Google is concerned backlinks from these web addresses to your web pages will contribute authority to your web pages. Another perfect example is Wikipedia as the contents here are mostly added by by tribes of people as opposed to a single marketer.
So it follows that authority is very heavily influenced by the source of your backlinks and if authoritative web pages link to your web pages then you receive their apparent trust and as far as Google is concerned you become more authoritative and so the trust in your site by Google goes up.
How Google pronounces what is and isn’t authoritative is kept secret for good reason and falls in line with Google’s philosophy of “Do no evil”. The last thing the Internet needs is an individual or a group manipulating the methods that Google untilzes in its efforts to try and regulate probably the most significant technological development of this period in history.
How not to get Authority and Backlinks
In the same vein it’s worth my while stating some distasteful sources and methods of acquiring backlinks that Google not only dislikes but appears to be moving aggressively to ‘’categorize as negative authorities. In no particular order of merit, the prime offenders are:
- Paid backlinks – places where individuals purchase and sell backlinks
- Comment spam – entries that have links on blog pages that are just not associated to the main content.
- Low quality and *duplicate content – ‘scraped’ or otherwise
- Rapid backlink growth – there are a large selection of ways that this is achievable, Google isn’t dumb. Any sudden rise in the amount of backlinks is going to register on Google’s monitoring systems, especially if it’s a recently registered domain.
- Backlinks from bad reputation web pages – these are particularly destructive as you are guilty by association – need I say more.
*There is another factor where I may be on shakey ground, but key media properties seem to get a lot of authority and I have definitely seen significant quantities of the same article over and over again on different web sites with no penalties, I am still looking at this, only as a portion of of the results I am seeing defy the normal behaviors I normally expect to see. More on this is in a future article….
Follow Me On Twitter
-
