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SEO & Analytics - Link Building Cheatsheet

A comprehensive cheat sheet covering essential Link Building strategies, techniques, and analytics for SEO.

Link Building Fundamentals

What is Link Building?

Link building is the process of acquiring hyperlinks from other websites to your own. A hyperlink (usually just called a link) is a way for users to navigate between pages on the internet.

Why is Link Building Important?

Search engines use links to:

  • Discover new web pages.
  • Determine how well a page should rank in their results.

Types of Links

Internal Links

Links that point to other pages on the same domain.

External Links (Outbound)

Links that point to pages on different domains.

Backlinks (Inbound)

Links from other domains that point to your website.

Nofollow Links

Links with the rel="nofollow" attribute, which tells search engines not to pass authority.

Dofollow Links

Links that allow search engines to pass authority. These are the most valuable for SEO.

Link Attributes

rel="sponsored"

Used to identify links that are advertisements or paid placements.

rel="ugc"

Used to identify links within user-generated content (e.g., comments, forum posts).

Link Building Strategies

Content Marketing

Creating valuable, informative, and engaging content that naturally attracts links. Types of content include blog posts, infographics, videos, and guides.

Guest Blogging

Writing and publishing articles on other websites in your industry to reach a new audience and earn backlinks.

Broken Link Building

Finding broken links on other websites and offering your content as a replacement.

Resource Page Link Building

Identifying resource pages in your niche and submitting your website as a valuable resource.

Competitor Analysis

Analyzing your competitors’ backlinks to identify potential link sources.

Digital PR

Reaching out to journalists and bloggers to get coverage and backlinks for your brand.

Link Building Techniques

The Skyscraper Technique

  1. Find a popular piece of content in your industry.
  2. Create something even better.
  3. Reach out to those linking to the original and promote your superior content.

Infographics

Create visually appealing and informative infographics that others will want to share and link to.

List Posts

Curate valuable lists that provide resources and insights for your audience. Example: ‘Top 10 SEO Tools’.

Case Studies

Showcase your expertise and success by creating in-depth case studies.

Interviews

Interview industry experts and publish the content on your site. Then reach out to the interviewee to promote the content.

Link Building Analytics and Tools

Key Metrics

Domain Authority (DA)

A metric developed by Moz that predicts how well a website will rank in search engine results pages (SERPs).

Domain Rating (DR)

A metric developed by Ahrefs that shows the strength of a website’s backlink profile.

Referring Domains

The number of unique domains linking to your website.

Backlink Count

The total number of backlinks pointing to your website.

Anchor Text

The clickable text in a hyperlink. Optimize anchor text for relevant keywords.

Link Building Tools

  • Ahrefs: Comprehensive SEO tool for backlink analysis, keyword research, and competitor analysis.
  • Moz: Offers tools for link analysis, keyword research, and rank tracking.
  • SEMrush: Another all-in-one SEO platform for backlink analysis, keyword research, and site audits.
  • Majestic: Specializes in link intelligence and backlink analysis.

Analyzing Backlink Profiles

  1. Use tools like Ahrefs or Moz to analyze your backlink profile.
  2. Identify high-quality and low-quality links.
  3. Disavow toxic or spammy links using Google Search Console.

Monitoring Link Building Progress

  1. Track key metrics like Domain Authority, Domain Rating, and referring domains over time.
  2. Monitor your website’s organic traffic and keyword rankings.
  3. Regularly analyze your backlink profile to identify new opportunities and potential issues.
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