The Importance of Manual Link Building in 2024: A Vital Strategy for Success
In March 2024, Google implemented updates that had a significant impact on search engine results pages (SERPs). These updates led to websites being deindexed and Google announced its intention to remove 40% of low-quality, unoriginal content from the SERPs. However, despite these changes, link building remains relevant and has become more crucial than ever.
According to Gary Illyes, in a Search Off the Record podcast episode, the best way for search engines to discover new websites is through natural backlinks. This means that not only is it important to engage in link building, but it is also necessary to invest in manual link building to achieve success.
Manual link building involves acquiring links through outreach efforts, strategic content creation, and relationship building. Unlike automated or spammy link acquisition tactics, manual link building prioritizes obtaining high-quality, relevant links from authoritative sources.
These authoritative sources prioritize their target audience by serving valuable and helpful content. Therefore, a backlink from such a site is considered high-quality. In the wake of the 2024 March updates, these kinds of backlinks are more important than ever.
Buying cheap links is considered a spammy practice that violates Google’s guidelines. When websites buy links primarily for ranking purposes, they manipulate the algorithm and render those links as spam. Google’s algorithm is designed to assess a website’s relevance to a query based on the quality of its backlink profile. If Google detects unnatural link patterns, it will likely penalize the website, leading to a drop in rankings and other issues such as decreased credibility and reputation, difficulty in recovery, and wasted resources.
Cheap links often lead users to irrelevant or low-quality content, resulting in poor user experience (UX). Google aims to prioritize websites that provide valuable and relevant information to users. If users no longer click on your site because of poor UX, Google takes this as a sign that your website should not appear in the SERPs. Instead of buying links, websites should focus on quality backlinks.
Manual link building aims to earn links through the production of content that attracts links. This approach is a sustainable way to withstand algorithm changes. Relevance is key in manual link building. By attracting links from relevant sources within the same niche, a website can demonstrate its authoritativeness to search engines and users interested in that topic. Relevant backlinks also help drive targeted traffic to a site, enhance the user’s experience, and establish partnerships within an industry.
Helpful, original content is the cornerstone of manual link building. It provides value to an audience by addressing their needs, answering questions, or solving problems. Users who find content helpful are more likely to engage with it and return to the site for more information. High-quality, valuable content is essential for attracting natural backlinks and establishing credibility within the industry.
Developing a strategy for manual link building is vital to success. It helps define clear objectives, identify the target audience, analyze competitors, plan content, build relationships, diversify link sources, and measure and analyze performance data. By taking a comprehensive and customized approach to link building, websites can maximize their chances of success and drive tangible results.
Digital PR represents the next frontier for manual link building. It focuses on building relationships, generating brand exposure, and creating content that capitalizes on E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) guidelines. Digital PR involves establishing relationships with key people in the industry, such as journalists, bloggers, and relevant influencers. It also utilizes digital PR assets to boost brand visibility and generate sustained link building opportunities.
In conclusion, manual link building is a vital strategy for success in 2024. It is important to prioritize high-quality, relevant backlinks obtained through outreach efforts and relationship building. By following foundational practices such as relevance, helpful and original content, and strategic planning, websites can demonstrate their authoritativeness to search engines, establish partnerships within their industry, and attract targeted traffic to their site. Manual link building is a sustainable way to withstand algorithm changes and drive success in the ever-evolving world of SEO.
