How to Build a Link Circle for SEO
SEO is a common factor that separates good websites from great ones. For the unacquainted, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the process of improving your overall search engine ranking through techniques favored by a given search engine’s algorithm. In a nutshell, you work with the search engine to ensure your content ranks above everyone else’s.
Although there are new SEO tactics being invented every day, we’d like to discuss a very common one: link circles.
The Basics Behind Link Building
Before going directly into building a link circle, it’s important to understand what link building is and how a link circle fits into the grander scheme. Conceptually, link building creates a trail or a base of links that Google’s algorithm can crawl through to find positive content for search results.
Ideally, this link trail will lead to your website or whatever you are trying to drive traffic to. Building links has many different types of methods. Many people build links that lead back to their website by adding them to blogs, testimonials, and other types of content. These links are usually called backlinks. When creating a backlink carefully consider both the hyperlinked text (“marketing agency” is better than “click here”) and the destination URL.
The destination URL is typically a homepage, specific landing page, or niche blog post. Building a large amount of these backlinks gains more positive feedback from Google’s algorithm leading to more traffic. So, what makes a link circle so unique?
Building Your Link Circle
A link circle is one of the many methods of building backlinks to improve the SEO of your website. It is a link circle because of how the links relate to each other. Three websites are required to complete a link circle. A basic link circle consists of a website having a link to another website and then that website has a link to a third website.
This different website will then be linked to the original website. In this way, a circle of backlinks is formed for Google to crawl. This technique forms a win-win for all three websites involved.
The main reason for creating a link circle is so there is not a simple back and forth link between two websites. A link circle gives an indirect and better-hidden pattern of backlinks. Link circles can become complex between many websites leading to a more advanced link building strategy.
Building Your Links Right
Link building is a great start to drive more traffic to your website. However, the links that you build need to be placed on the right websites. One pretty obvious start is that you should build your links with reputable websites. Placing links on bad websites reflects poorly on your website.
Secondly, using websites that are in your market, industry, or niche is key. You want the people who travel to your website to be interested in what you have to offer, leading to more ROI. Be careful that you do not try to build on competitor’s websites to avoid conflict.
It is encouraged that you reach out to other similar websites in different locations that are outside your market to create a link circle if you desire to do so. Through building links with other websites in your niche, the traffic that you receive becomes more organic and likely to be interested in your website. So, how do you partner with these websites?
Reaching out to other websites can be done in many ways. Simply emailing or calling the website owner and asking them can lead to a great partnership. You can create a blog with your link that will be good for their website and reach out to them and ask them to put it on their site, too. Building a link circle is very similar to networking: you need to create relationships and provide value to potential partners!
Building link circles takes time, dedication, and expertise. To start creating backlinks, link circles, and otherwise augment your SEO, get in touch with the digital marketing specialists at Rizzo Young Marketing.