We all know there are many factors to having a successful SEO (search engine optimization) program. Some we have very little control over such as longevity and the complex logarithms that are a mystery to all but a few at the Google headquarters. Others factors are well within our control such as keywords and content.
One often overlooked and misunderstood element to s successful campaign is External Link (EL) popularity and relevance. I say misunderstood because it can be just as harmful as it can be beneficial to your site if used in the wrong way.
Too much of a good thing?
You know that pasting your keywords repeatedly on a similar colored background will damage credibility but did you know that external links from the wrong sites can be just as damaging?
Based on statistics from seomoz.org External Link Popularity is second most important factor in SEO Ranking. The second highest negative factor is Link Acquisition from Known Link Brokers.
What is link brokering?
Just like it sounds, link-brokers will add external links to your site for a fee. The theory is that more links will give you higher visibility. The problem with this is the quality of sites linking to you. Search engines are constantly designing ways to filter out bad content. One easy way is to look at the relevance of the sites linking to your site.
Link brokers will come up with different ways to beat the system but you have to ask yourself a question. Are they smarter then Google?
Well the simple answer, no. If they were they would be working at Google. If you want to gain traction on your competition and build your online presence there is a sure way to do it. Trying to fool those smarter then all of us is not recommended.
Concentrate on the following
- Build relevant content
- Build external links from reputable companies
- Optimize and tag your images
- Use a sitemap
- Register with the big three (Google, Bing and Yahoo)
Of course using a SEO optimized platform like WordPress will make this easier. If you would like help building your online presence contact us for a consultation.
