Opinions expressed by Entrepreneurial Contributors are their own.
People like to think simplified. We like to categorize concepts nicely and see things in black and white. We like to ignore nuances for the sake of a summary of one sentence. And when it comes to complex marketing strategies like search engine optimization (SEO), we like to boil hypothetical approaches down to a handful of action-oriented tactics.
Maybe that’s why so many modern SEO experts have tried to make SEO synonymous with link building. But here’s the thing, while link building is important for SEO, it is not the only factor you need to consider. And if you focus too much on link building, it could end up costing you your chance to reach first place.
Related: How to shake up an old link building strategy
SEO and link building
First, we need to recognize that link building is very important for SEO. Mostly it is because links have a closely related relationship with your domain authority. Your domain authority is an invisible score that represents the credibility of your site in the eyes of Google and other search engines. The higher this authority is, the more credible your site is considered to be, and the higher you will rank in relevant searches.
While the back-end link quality evaluation system is sophisticated, it is mostly true to say that the more links you have, and the more authoritative these links are, the higher your domain authority will be. Building links on sites that already have high authority will pass some of that authority on to you, accelerating the rise of your domain authority.
Related: Why is Link Building So Controversial?
But if you focus exclusively on link building, you are going to sabotage your campaign. Although it is very difficult to increase your domain authority without active link building, if you focus exclusively or too much on link building, it will only work against you.
Non-link building SEO essentials
If you focus too much on link building, you will neglect other important elements of search engine optimization, including:
The irony of excessive focus on link building
There is a bit of irony in focusing excessively on link building, because if you do not focus on these other elements, link building becomes more difficult.
While it is possible to intentionally and manually build high quality, natural looking links to your site, it is also important to naturally attract links whenever possible. Partly because Google will penalize your site if it appears that you are participating in link schemes, and partly because naturally attracted links tend to come from a multitude of different sources, which ultimately builds your authority further.
Related: 7 Reasons Why SEO Matters for Every Startup
Without content (or bad content) you will never attract these natural links. You will be completely dependent on manual link building – and even then you will not have powerful content to serve as a destination for your new links.
I’m not here to bash link building. On the contrary, I think mastering SEO is the most important element. But we need to honestly acknowledge that link building is not the only aspect of SEO that you should pursue – and if you focus too much on link building, it will work against you.
Related: How to shake up an old link building strategy
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