Link building and search methodology has been changing at a dizzying pace recently, but it’s ever more important to stay ahead of these changes. As affiliates, we rely on search and rankings for income, without flexibility and understanding it’s all too easy for these ranking to slip with one small change to the algorithm.
Understanding Link Building Fully
Garner suggests that affiliates should look at what makes a good link from a more rational point of view. His advice is to check the facts and to be aware that links don’t work like they did historically. He also cautions affiliates to be clear on the right and wrong times to employ link building tactics, as they can’t be as effective at the wrong time.
When you want a page to rank and it needs a bit of authority to get things going, high quality links can work. If Google has already deemed your page to be poor, there’s low engagement and it basically has no confidence in your page then links won’t help out in this situation.
Instead of focusing on links at every stage therefore, it can be more effective for affiliates to focus purely on content that is satisfying to the user. There’s a lot of information out there directly from Google to this effect and affiliates should be using it to their advantage.
Objectivity within link building is important, as it’s hard to prove cause and effect those that sell links can use this to their own advantage. If you’ve not got a handle on what a good link is within the context of your own site, then you’re not likely to get the best ROI. Taking the time to assess each link building opportunity before committing to it is essential.
Before you go ahead and acquire links, you should define what a good link for your site really is. These should generally be ones that are from authoritative sites and have relevance to the host site. On a case by case basis, you should understand what you hope to get from the link and the quality of the referring site.
Best Practice for Link Building for Affiliates
Affiliates can build links and authority in a variety of ways, not all of these tactics rely on buying links either. Guest posting, PR and creating reference articles can all be ways to build more relevant links.
Use the disavow tool with caution, as it can be overused by some. Some site owners panic post penalty and use the disavow tool to a fault. Unless you can pinpoint a backlink that is causing a penalty or a competitor is using a black hat tactic against you, then treat this tool with a bit of caution.
All too often we see sensationalist articles proclaiming that link building is dead, but this really isn’t the case. Link building isn’t as effective as it once was, as it was being exploited for rankings and has since been pared down in importance by Google. This means that affiliates have to pick the right links in order for them to actually work for their site.
Being aware of where your brand is mentioned is a good place to start. If another affiliate portal has referenced a news piece that appeared on your site first, for example, ask them for a do follow link. You can offer them a link in return to make it an attractive prospect for both brands.
Appearing in industry pieces and providing comment can also gain you another link to your site. Choose these wisely and you can reap additional rewards simply for commenting on the industry that you know best. You don’t have to be a long standing or experienced affiliate in order to comment, you could give your insight as a new or innovative affiliate.
Search is continuing to change as time goes on and search engines are becoming more cryptic as to what each algorithm change actually does. Link building is a polarising topic, with some affiliates swearing by it and others feeling it’s just not worth the hassle, it’s up to you whether you feel that this is useful for your affiliate portal.
If you want to know more, be sure to REGISTER for your FREE seat at Affiverse Bootcamp, 21 March 2018 where you can hear more about Nick Garner’s tangible link building strategy which will help you build traffic for your affiliate site(s).
