In the previous lesson, we familiarised ourselves with the concept of link building as a part of Off-Page SEO. Now let’s dive deeper into the process of building good external links to your website through anchor text.

What is anchor text in link building?

Simply, the clickable text in a hyperlink that offers context and explains the linked page’s content to both users and search engines is known as anchor text. It’s all the text you usually can hover on in the text flow to go to a different page, which aims to tell you more about some related topic.

Why does anchor text matter for SE? As it was said, it helps to understand search engines the topic and relevance of the linked website based on the words used in the anchor text.

What websites you should prefer when looking for backlinks?

When seeking backlinks to enhance your website’s off-page SEO, you should focus on quality over quantity. Not all backlinks are equal, and the sources you choose can impact your website’s authority and search engine rankings both in a better or worse way.

Here are some tips on the types of sites you should prefer when looking for backlinks:

1. Relevant Sites. Look for websites that are relevant to your niche. Backlinks from good niche sources within your field carry more weight and provide contextual relevance. So, such relevancy signals to search engines that your content is valuable within that specific topic.
2. Well-known Content Publishers. Seek out websites that consistently publish readable and informative content. These websites are more likely to have engaged audiences, as a result are more likely to provide valuable backlinks.
3. Industry Influencers. Outreaching influencers in your industry can lead to good quality backlinks, which gives you more engagement. However, most advantage of this type of linking will be in attracting traffic and attention from their followers.
4. Educational Sites. Backlinks from educational resources are highly regarded by search engines due to their authoritative nature. Hence, if you have an opportunity provide valuable information to these sites, you might earn authoritative backlinks.
5. Media Outlets. News coverage or guest contributions to these platforms can also yield valuable backlinks, as influencers. However, it may be a bit harder to gain such a link.
6. Resource Pages and Directories. While you should be cautious with directories, niche-specific directories or resource pages that provide genuinely valuable resources can contribute to your backlink profile.
7. Complementary Sites. Consider websites that are not direct competitors, but share a complementary focus. For instance, if you’re a fitness equipment retailer, a collaboration with a health and wellness blog could be beneficial.
8. Social Media Profiles. While these are typically “nofollow” links, they still contribute to your online presence and can drive traffic to your site.
9. Local Business Directories. If you have a local business, it will be better for your website to have such backlinks in reputable local business directories.
10. Guest Posts on Reputable Blogs. You can also create content using the competency in your niche for other blogs. Firstly, it will help you to gain SE authority. Secondly, you’ll gain some traffic from people, who already have an interest to learn more about you after reading.

Which websites does Google mark as authoritative?

Google considers websites trustworthy if they have a good track record of delivering credible material and are recognised as good content sources in their niche.

Age, backlink profile from other sites, social media presence, and users’ online behaviour on your page are all factors that contribute to a website’s domain authority.

Hence, websites that lack a strong history, have a track record of utilising manipulative strategies to generate links or traffic, include spammy or low-quality material, or have previously been penalised for breaking Google’s criteria are regarded as less authoritative and trustworthy.

Tools you can utilise for Link building

• Ahrefs. SEO tool that offers in-depth backlink analysis. It provides data on referring domains, backlink types, anchor text distribution, and other instruments.
• Moz Link Explorer. Moz’s Link Explorer provides valuable metrics like Domain Authority (DA) and Page Authority (PA) to help you gauge the quality of your links
• Monitor Backlinks. Monitor Backlinks is a tool specifically for tracking backlinks. It alerts you to new backlinks, helps identify toxic links, and provides information about your link profile’s overall health.
• SEMrush. SEMrush is an all-in-one SEO platform that includes backlink analysis tools. It offers a Backlink Analytics tool that provides information on referring domains, anchor text distribution and other insights.