The past few years has been a time of transformation time for link building, heralding in a new era of SEO that previously was unthinkable. It used to be that bloggers and webmasters had to convey in overt terms exactly what their websites consisted of in order to rank well in SERPs with Google and other similar search engines, but advances in algorithms have now made it possible for these entities to determine how relevant your pages are to these results and the overall quality of your website. Those who once spammed links across the internet in order to build a following will find that these tactics are heavily detrimental to their success in the modern era of search engine optimization. The following article will outline some of the most important tactics to consider when building links in 2014.

Building Relevant Links

Google made it clear last year that link building tactics were not a waste of effort, but that the dynamics pertaining to them have certainly changed. While it was normal in the past for all links to be more or less viewed the same by Google and others, the relevance of these links now play the biggest role in determining their value. Whenever you are pinging to Google a variety of links from other websites, you should first verify that the websites in question are relevant to your niche and website. Otherwise, these links may be viewed as spam and can result in wasted time (at best) and penalized ranking in SERPs.

Building in Moderation

As you set out to build links to improve your standing with search engines, you may be a bit excited to get your link featured in as many relevant blogs and websites as possible. We advise a bit of caution when you begin building links, as Google can determine how many backlinks you can accumulate in a given period of time. It is for this reason that no more than one two links should be generated per week for a sustainable, long-term link building strategy. This will allow search engines to pick up on your links in a gradual fashion, giving the appearance of a site that is naturally growing due to quality content rather than spammy link building strategies.

Avoid Link Buying Schemes

In the past, it was easy to purchase links and find yourself at the top of search results in no time. These days, however, this strategy is very risky and almost always results in your website being penalized as a result of these links pinging to Google and other search engines. Most link salesmen will post your links to many websites as advertised, but without relevance and moderation, search engines will see through these tactics and punish you. There is no need to waste money on strategies that will do damage to your website – 2014 is the time to leave paid link building strategies behind!

Conclusion

If you want to be on top of your link building game in 2014, remember to build links in moderation, avoid paid schemes that promise results without penalty and focus only on building links through relevant and reputable sources.