Does Link Building Still Work in 2023?

The phrase “link building is dead” has been doing the rounds in the SEO community for some years now, with some believing it to be an outdated technique with an increasingly limited impact — others even accuse link builders of leaning on unethical practices. On the other hand, many SEO experts insist that link-building remains an effective and essential part of any successful SEO strategy.

 

Link building, without a doubt, has undergone significant transformations over the years. From being a numbers game to a quality-centric practice, its relevance has constantly been scrutinized. And with search engines such as Google frequently adjusting their algorithms to promote good practice and root out manipulative or underhand tactics, link builders have had to adapt as a result continually.

 

The million-dollar question is whether link building is still an effective SEO tactic in today’s fast-moving, highly-competitive digital landscape. Let’s delve a little deeper into this often polarizing debate.

 

Is link building still effective in 2023?

 

While it’s true that not all traditional link-building tactics bear fruit in today’s digital landscape, the fundamental idea of gaining high-quality, relevant links from other websites remains an effective strategy. However, it’s essential to understand that link building is just one aspect of SEO that needs to work in harmony with other strategies.

 

To be truly effective, a link-building strategy should focus on driving meaningful value, relevance, and authenticity rather than simply snagging as many links as possible. Tactics such as guest blogging, the ‘skyscraper technique,’ and others that we’ll discuss in detail shortly can drive meaningful results when employed ethically and methodically.

 

Link building’s effectiveness has shifted from being solely about boosting search engine rankings to enhancing visibility, building relationships, and improving user experience. This shift calls for SEOs and digital marketers to adopt more holistic, user-centric, and, crucially, content-focused practices.

 

High-quality content is more important than ever

 

High-quality content is the cornerstone of effective link building: content that is unique, engaging, relevant, and provides meaningful value to its audience is the most effective way to naturally attract backlinks, dramatically increasing the likelihood of other websites using your content as a source of information or validation.

 

One of the primary objectives of link building is building brand authority. Links from other reputable, high-traffic websites indicate to search engines that your content is valuable and trustworthy, helping to increase your brand’s overall domain authority. You can think of a backlink as a ‘vote of confidence.

 

But while the quality of your content is fundamental to increasing your chances of naturally acquiring links, it’s important to remember that high-quality content alone is unlikely to create a robust backlink profile — any experienced digital marketing agency will tell you that it’s also important to employ dynamic outreach tactics.

 

Guest posting remains an effective strategy

 

Guest posting (or guest blogging) refers to posting blog content on other websites, typically with the aim of including a link back to your own site. Many SEO professionals continue to debate the effectiveness of guest posting as a link-building tactic — and it’s true that it can be looked on unfavorably by search engines if not done ethically — but with the right approach, it remains a useful strategy.

 

When identifying guest posting opportunities, it’s important to seek out relevant, trustworthy sites in your niche and craft high-quality content that will resonate with the site’s audience. Avoid link farms (websites that exist solely to generate backlinks) that cover myriad topics and offer up low-quality content, as gaining links from these sites might cause search engines to penalize your content. 

 

Targeting relevant sites is essential

 

Gaining backlinks is great. Gaining lots of them is even better. But the importance of the quality of those links can’t be overlooked. For instance, you might acquire tons of links through a link directory or link farm. However, the likelihood is that those links will be spammy, low-quality, and lacking relevance, meaning they’ll have a limited impact on your rankings and may even incur Google penalties.

 

Building links from not only reputable but relevant sources is crucial. For one thing, the relevance of links helps Google and other search engines to understand the context of your web pages, increasing your chances of ranking for related keywords, while gaining links from trusted sources within your industry also sends authority signals, helping to improve your site’s overall reputation among users and search engines.

 

Influencer outreach can be highly impactful

 

Leveraging the authority and reach of influential individuals within your industry is an increasingly popular way to build links. Many influencers have already built loyal audiences that trust their opinions and recommendations, so when they link to your content or mention your brand, it can significantly increase your credibility, visibility, and, ultimately, your traffic.

 

When reaching out to influencers, it’s vital that you’re genuine and personable in your communication. Offer something of value in return for their endorsement, whether it’s exclusive content, a product sample, or a partnership opportunity. Don’t just ask for a link; explain how your content could benefit their audience.

 

Also, remember that building relationships take time. Be patient and persistent in your efforts, and aim to cultivate a mutually-beneficial relationship rather than seeking a one-time transaction. Done right, influencer outreach can be a powerful tool in your link-building arsenal that can drive lasting results. 

 

The ‘skyscraper technique is still a powerful tactic

 

Coined by SEO expert Brian Dean, the skyscraper technique (so-called because the aim is to make your content stand out like a skyscraper) involves finding a piece of content in your niche that is already popular and well-linked, creating your own version (which is more comprehensive or higher in quality than the original), and then reaching out to the right people who may find that helpful content and potentially link to it.

 

This strategy is effective because it leverages the proven success of existing content and offers something of even greater value. It’s a bit like taking a recipe, refining it to make it even more delicious, and telling everyone why your recipe is a better version of what already exists. This higher-quality content stands a good chance of attracting backlinks, presenting an opportunity to gain ample links from trusted, industry-relevant websites.

 

Buying links comes with a lot of risks

 

Purchasing backlinks is a high-risk strategy. Backlink buying directly contradicts Google’s Search Essentials (formerly Webmaster Guidelines), with search engines viewing this practice as an attempt to manipulate rankings and, as a result, risking severe penalties. These penalties can range from a drop in rankings to complete removal from search results, dramatically impacting your website’s overall traffic and visibility.

 

Additionally, the quality of purchased links is often questionable. They tend to originate from low-quality, spammy, or irrelevant sites, which can harm your website’s SEO more than good. And even if these purchased links temporarily boost rankings, this success is often fleeting: search engines continuously update their algorithms to identify and penalize such manipulative tactics, rendering the benefits short-lived.

 

Instead of buying links, earning them organically through high-quality content, targeted outreach, and fostering genuine relationships in your industry is a much safer and more fruitful approach. These methods may take longer and require more effort, but their benefits — increased authority, improved rankings, more user trust, and compliance with search engine guidelines — make them worth the investment.

 

In conclusion, link-building still works in 2023, but employing precise, ethical tactics to increase SEO backlinks quantity is very crucial. Remember: focus on the quality of your content, target links from trusted, relevant sources, and don’t overlook the potential impact of influencer outreach.