Link building has been around since the dawn of the internet, but the nature – and efficacy – of the process has changed considerably. While many people forgo the intensive act of link building, it is not something that can be easily ignored if optimal SEO outcomes and traffic are desired. Because of this, reforming any existing link building exercises – or adopting them for the first time – is crucial.

Not all link building efforts deliver the same results. Some are inefficient, while others can be highly effective. Likewise, some efforts are easier accomplished while others require more work. To ensure you’re able to get the most out of every link building exercise, continue reading to learn more.

Optimize Your Content for Individual Users

Many content offerings online aren’t necessarily optimized for specific audiences, engagements or strategies. This failure can lead to lackluster results – especially when evaluating link building opportunities or strategies. For brands pinging search engines with content, optimizing for niche audiences is the name of the game.

Some examples that can better optimize content for individual users include expanding overall word count to better individualize the reader experience, scaling back direct promotional endeavors that can be interpreted as spammy, and pages with poor navigational integration or search features.

Create content for specific audiences and then ensure it is relevant by addressing the above concerns. Promotional pitches and site-wide SEO aren’t the only concerns with link building: you need to produce content that individual readers will value and can utilize effectively.

Understand the Concept of Search Intent

As search engines have evolved, a shift from simple keywords to overall intent of user behavior has occurred. Search engines such as Google and Bing now have advanced algorithms designed to filter out potential inaccuracies, delivering users content based on what they actually want rather than how they may type it.

Even for brands managing to build links to pages successfully, if it is not optimized for specific search engine results pages, the likelihood of it ranking prominently in search results is next to null. As such, cultivating pages to be optimized for this concern will not only complement link building efforts, but can actually increase the effectiveness of direct pitches for links (as other websites can see that your content is properly aimed at the right audiences and not likely to derail their own efforts).

Leverage the Power of Pages Linking to You

Once you’ve earned links from other websites, what can you do with this power? Ultimately, generating additional search engine and social media signals from these pages can improve your link building potential along with the value generated from each earned link.

Pages that are linking back to you as authoritative content can easily be linked to in email marketing and social media campaigns as a direct way to promote your own offerings. By promoting unbiased sources directly, you can actually make those links earned generate more relevance for your pages (and by pinging search engines with these signals, potentially raise your own rankings indirectly).

Link building isn’t just about reaching out to other websites for attention or organically earning links from them: it’s also about how you optimize and leverage the broader dynamic. With these tips, you can more effectively maximize every link building exercise and generate more value in the process.