Link building
In the world of E-E-A-T and AIO, links are more important than ever.
Link building is the process of getting other websites to link to your website. These links—called backlinks—act like votes of confidence to search engines like Google and Bing, helping improve your site’s authority and rankings in the SERPs.
The more high-quality, relevant sites that link to yours, the more trustworthy and valuable your site appears to search engines and your audience.
Columnists offer insights and tips for effective link building and discuss controversial techniques like link baiting and buying links.
SEO horror stories: Here’s what not to do
These three real-life case studies are anonymized to share textbook examples of how not to approach search engine optimization.
The most memorable Google algorithm updates of all time
Panda, Penguin and the Florida updates still loom large. What you can learn from their history.
The pillars of successful link building
Create linkable assets and identify relevant opportunities to reach a wider audience.
Top 5 free backlink checkers you should be using
Backlink checkers cost a lot? Not necessarily. Check out these 5 free tools that do the job no worse than their paid alternatives.
Local SEOs most focused on link building and content development, report finds
80% of survey respondents said they were also buying (local) ads on Google.
Should Google not trust links in all guest blog posts?
Google has said again that links in guest blog posts should be nofollowed.
SEMRush drops paid guest blogging service after Google policy scrutiny
Google said selling paid links on blogs is against its webmaster guidelines and that Google can take action against those using the service.
The right way to hire an SEO
Experienced SEOs share what you need to know before starting your search and how to find and vet quality SEO candidates.
13 stories of women who are shaping the SEO field
If you’re just starting to pave your way in SEO, read these empowering stories to learn what women love about SEO.
Video: Ann Smarty on the history of guest blogging & the future of link building
Remember when Google cracked down on guest blogging? Ann Smarty does, she ran MyBlogGuest that got hit hard by that penalty.
Video: Jim Boykin on how link building has evolved over two decades
We talked about the history of SEO, link building, content marketing, featured snippets and other Google updates.
SMX Overtime: Managing Google My Business profiles, reviews and more
Local search expert Dan Leibson offers advice on how to manage GMB profiles and why it's important to implement a meaningful review system.
SMX Advanced Overtime: Your questions answered about webspam and penalties
Bing's Frédéric Dubut and ex-Googler Fili Wiese covered a wide range of questions in Seattle and will be sharing more insights at SMX East.
Which local citation sources matter now?
An informal poll of local SEOs yields some answers -- and disagreements -- about spending time on citations.
SMX Overtime: Your questions answered about Google penalties and their impact on websites
SMX London attendees asked SEO expert Fili Wiese a wide-ranging number of questions about penalties, indexing, crawling and more.
Majestic’s enhanced tool now gives SEOs a lot more useful context about backlinks
New "link context" visualizes where the link appears on the page, the surrounding text and associated link density.
Google doesn’t pass PageRank on nofollow links. Here’s why you still see them in GSC
Nofollow links will be included in your Link Report.
Back to Basics: Do outbound links matter for SEO?
Google cautions SEOs to be mindful about outbound linking.
Video: Mike King on the evolution of link building
Learn about how link building has (or has not) changed over the years in this video.
Cars.com vs. CarGurus.com saga shows the importance of SEO (and the bad side of a Google update)
When an algorithm update slams one of your biggest rivals, that's when you should step on the gas.
Is link building dead? Depends on who you talk to
Some SEOs argue any form of proactive link building is a waste of time. Some say it should be apart of any SEO strategy. So which is it?
SEOs beware: Link builders are back with bogus Domain Authority pitches
Stop optimizing for Domain Authority; it has no impact on Google rankings.
Embracing automation and maximizing SEO performance
Intelligent automation allows SEOs to schedule tasks and immediately activate data to inform smarter optimizations.
SearchCap: Bing Ads targets, Google AMA & Google Maps AR
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Is Google Maps what augmented reality has been waiting for?Feb 11, 2019 by Greg Sterling AR walking directions could be a breakthrough application for the industry. Bing Ads multiple language targeting: […]
Survey: Local SEO an ‘artisanal’ discipline dominated by small agencies
Roughly 53 percent of firms doing local SEO have 10 or fewer clients.
4 building blocks to help your brand’s SEO strategy succeed
Crawlability, optimization, brand engagement and knowledge-content creation are all important pieces to create a more competitive SEO program.
SearchCap: Amazon’s record-breaking holiday season, Google My Business updates, more
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Amazon had a record-breaking holiday season, here’s how advertisers managed it Jan 22, 2019 by Melissa Reilly The holiday season brought improved Sponsored Brand ad copy approval times but policy enforcement […]
Leading local SEO predictions: Reserve with Google will grow, real-time local inventory gets real
GMB messaging, voice search optimization, local inventory data, Q&A and the decline of SMB websites are all explored.
Ask an SMXpert: Link prospecting and helpful tools to manage outreach
Content-led link building expert Paddy Moogan offers some practical tips on driving inbound links and collaboration tools to manage outreach campaigns.
Moz ‘State of Local’ report shows confusion, fragmentation in local SEO efforts
90 percent of respondents believe Google’s focus on proximity "frequently or sometimes" harms search results quality.
SearchCap: Google PageSpeed Insights update, exact match PPC & account analytics
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Last chance: Save $450 on a seat at SMX WestNov 12, 2018 by Search Engine Land Results-obsessed marketers are attending SMX® West for actionable SEO and SEM tactics and strategies. Join […]
SearchCap: Bing features, Amazon sponsored ads and link building
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Bing adds election information, redesigns image search, provides NFL answers, and word of the dayOct 30, 2018 by Barry Schwartz Bing highlights some search features that are popular during the upcoming […]
SearchCap: Google Maps follow business, local voice survey & link building tools
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Link building tool roundup: Site crawlersOct 26, 2018 by Julie Joyce Link building is hard work! Here’s how to utilize site crawling tools to make sure your effort pays off. Google […]
SearchCap: Google family led icon, link building and SEO audits
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: A basic SEO audit for small businessesSep 28, 2018 by Marcus Miller Most small businesses can perform a simple audit and improve their SEO considerably without involving an agency. Ten steps […]
Link building in the age of content skeptics
When Google appeared on the scene two decades ago, it quickly outshone popular search engines such as AltaVista, Infoseek and Lycos for two primary reasons. First, most search services were caught up in what would prove to be a fatal fad: turning their home pages into a “portal” for the internet while neglecting their core […]
Sharpen your digital marketing skills with an SMX East workshop
Passion drives you to become a more accomplished marketer, grow your career and go the extra mile. You’re the reason we created the SMX® East workshop series. Join us for a training experience loaded with actionable SEO, SEM and social media advertising tactics. We’re hosting four in-depth workshops Tuesday, October 23. Choose from: Advanced SEO […]
SearchCap: Taking pitches for SMX West, Amazon ads skyrocketing, Google AMP & more
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Deciphering search intent: 5 areas to get you started Sep 19, 2018 by Kristopher Jones Here are five ways to use search engine results and smart keyword research to help determine […]
SearchCap: Bing drops URL submission tool, Ask the SMXperts, Google Maps, link building & more
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Google Maps now available for Apple CarPlay Sep 18, 2018 by Barry Schwartz The moment many Apple fans have been waiting for – Google Maps on CarPlay devices is now here. […]
SEO PowerSuite Review: features, analysis, results
SEO software is what makes automation of SEO processes possible. However, the choice is so vast today that it is hard to find a winning set of tools for each cycle of an SEO campaign. Of course, there is an option to run down a perfect tool for each part of your SEO routine, but […]
SearchCap: Take our Amazon survey (please!), SMX Advanced session recap & more
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Advertising on Amazon? Take our survey and win a ticket to SMX! Sep 7, 2018 by Search Engine Land We want to know how marketers like you are using Amazon advertising! […]