Search engine hierarchy has become a thing, thanks to the multitude of web content on the internet and an even larger horde of content consumers. If your web content isn’t way up there in the hierarchy, then you’ll have no engagement. It’s as simple as that. It doesn’t matter how good your article is. If it doesn’t have a high ranking in search engines, it’s going absolutely nowhere.
Now, this isn’t an announcement that good content or great marketing is secondary; don’t get me wrong. But for your website to stay up in search engines where you can get more traffic and engagement, your content has to work hand-in-hand with other ‘underground’ stuff, one of which is structured link building. Don’t know what it is? We’ll get to that soon enough.
If you’ve been struggling to get massive visibility for your website, then you’d want to stick around a little longer as I tell you what you need to know about structured link building and how it helps you get more traffic.
Now, first things first:
What is Structured Link Building?
I know this sounds like a name for one of those mathematical formulas in school. But trust me, this is not like solving for x or doing complex mathematical stunts like the quadratic equation. The thing about structured link building is that you’ve got to know what it is. After that, it’s an easy ride.
I can tell you for the fact that one of the quickest ways to get a high rank in search engines is to get your website to look like the real deal. And having links that lead to you from other websites is a great way to do that. Fortunately, that’s also a parameter that search engines use to place websites in order of importance.
Structured link building is a process that boosts your website’s online presence, giving it a robust bump up the search engine ranks using important keywords and, of course, great content (remember I said they work hand-in-hand?). All you have to do is work towards having other websites carry links to yours. But this still brings us to an ‘easier said than done situation, doesn’t it?
How Do You Go About Structured Link Building?
If you have to make your website the first thing internet users see when they search, you also have to make sure it’s good enough to be there. Mediocre content is a no-no. You can build links all you want, but you will lose all your traffic if your content isn’t impressive. So, creating great content is the first step in structured link building.
Once you have amazing content, the next step is where you get into the action. Building these links, you can do through either of the following ways:
- Asking – This involves making contact with website owners and asking them to link your website. Of course, this would be like walking up to a stranger and asking them for favors. You have to give these website owners solid reasons why they should accept your request. In most cases, they’d also be interested in what favors linking your website will offer them. When it comes to this, there are various things you can do. You can promise to link them as well on your own website, guest blog for them, or write something great about them in your content.
- Adding – If asking people for favors isn’t your thing, you can also drop your links on other people’s websites, as long as that’s allowed. It may not be as efficient as other steps to structured link building, but any step that can boost your website ranking, however minimal, is worth taking.
- Earning – This involves you investing money to promote your website and give it a better standing so other websites can incorporate links to it in their content without giving them the go-ahead order.
But make no mistake, your web content will have to speak for itself. Websites that will carry links to it will do so because of your premium content.
How exactly do you get websites to carry your links?
Why is Structured Link Building Important?
Having other websites carry links to yours is, in a way, a testimonial or an attestation to the value of your content. So tell me, when you hear people make referrals about a product or service, don’t you feel like trying it out or at least taking a look? Wouldn’t you be double-pressed to do so if more people keep making referrals?
This is how it works with structured link building. The more links you have on other websites, the more you build integrity. These websites are preaching your gospel without lengthy texts and massive campaigns, directing some, if not all, of their traffic to you. The more links you have there, the more standing your website gets on the search engine hierarchy.
If the websites that carry your links are high-ranking websites themselves, it gets even better. Having one of them feature the link to your website is like getting a shout-out from a celebrity. These websites have the traffic and the reputation already. And with structured link building, you get to tap from some of that.
One Thing You Shouldn’t Ignore
Want to know the one thing you shouldn’t ignore while building links? Inbound links. External links are great, but I wouldn’t keep inbound links to the sidelines. They’re important if you want your website to have an SEO ranking.
If you have multiple pages on your website, make sure there’s a link on every page that sends visitors back to the homepage. Trust me, going back to every page you visited on your way to the homepage is a real deal-breaker. I bet you don’t think structured link building is as tough as math.
