#1 Discounting User Intent
Perhaps one of the most common link building mistakes is ignoring user intent. User intent, also known as search intent or query intent, is the user’s intention or goal when performing a search online.
When you discount user intent in SEO content writing, you appear as someone who doesn’t listen and is irrelevant. Here are four types of search intent and sample entries:
User intent Sample search entries / Keywords
Informational: User is looking for an answer –usually contains words such as “how,” “what,” “who” and “when.”
• How to get backlinks • What are link building strategies
Transactional: User is ready to buy a product or service – usually contains words such as “hire”, “download” and “buy.”
• Hire a link building services expert • Download white hat SEO techniques eBook
Navigational: User is searching for a specific web page – usually contains a brand’s name. •Thrive link building tips •Thrive SEO content writing tips
Commercial: User is weighing options but is ready to purchase – usually contains words such as best, reviews and near me.
• Best SEO link building strategy •Thrive link building services reviews
So as you build backlinks, user intent should be at the forefront of your mind when you write a guest post for a relevant, third-party website.
#2 Not Producing Link Worthy Content
Ideally, Google prefers websites to build backlinks organically rather than buying or exchanging links.
When you invest in white hat SEO techniques and producing link worthy content, your website will likely earn backlinks naturally, meaning other websites will share your post or cite you as their source.
#3 Performing Bad Outreach To Build Backlinks
The potential of your link building SEO strategy significantly hinges on your outreach skills. If you send bad outreach emails to your prospects, you can guarantee that you’ll remain ignored or, worse, tagged as spam, leaving your outreach campaign ineffective.
Here are outreach and link building tips:
• Keep your subject line straightforward and include necessary information.
• Express your fair desired outcome, but if you wouldn’t say something in person, don’t say it.
• Explain the value of what you’re offering to them and their audience, presenting stats as proof.
• Be editorial and use proper grammar along with spelling and punctuation.
• When sending follow-ups, show eagerness but be respectful.
#4 Buying Backlinks Mindlessly
Another link scheme Google considers is buying links to manipulate their system and violate their Webmaster Guidelines.
You sell or buy links when you:
• Exchange money for links or any post that contains links.
• Exchange products or services for links.
• Send someone “free” stuff, so they write about it and link back to your site.
Here are some other ways your site can be penalized through link schemes:
• Exaggerated link exchanges
• Large-scale marketing with articles or guest posts containing keyword-rich anchor text links
• Utilizing automated programs to create links to your site
• Demanding a link as a component of yourTerms of Service or any contract
However, not all paid links are considered link schemes that violate Google’s guidelines; buying and selling links are parts of the web economy when done for advertising purposes, not manipulation.
To prevent Google’s PageRank from tagging your link building SEO strategy as one of the link schemes:
Indicate the link is sponsored by putting a qualifying attribute to the <a> tag.
• Redirect the links to an intermediate page blocked from search engines through a robots.txt file.
Focusing on Quantity Over Quality
Compromising quality for quantity when launching a link building strategy is a pitfall many fall prey to.You might encounter ill-meaning search engine optimization experts who will try to convince you their approach on how to get quality links works. But, instead of helping to raise your ranks, they simply collect your money and send you tons of low-quality backlinks.
On the surface, this may look amazing:You open your SEO tool and observe the flood of backlinks, so the more backlinks, the better, right?
No, not always.
Not every backlink possesses the same level of authority. Some of them could be toxic backlinks, which are spammy or low-quality links that are more likely to harm than benefit your rankings.The likelihood that high-quality backlinks come from authoritative, reliable and relevant websites is why high-quality backlinks are better than high-quantity backlinks.
So aim to have high-quality websites to link back to your site.
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