Should you build backlinks to a website such as a blog or company page?
The short answer: Absolutely NOT.
In this post, I will show you why building links is useless and how I’ve built four profitable blogs without building a single link.
Let’s jump into it!
Backlinks in a Nutshell
Backlinks are those nifty little links that come from another site to yours.
For example, here is a backlink to my other website. So it’s just a regular link, nothing more, nothing less.
Backlinks are like friendly nods from one blogger to another, giving your site that much-needed street cred in the eyes of search engines. 🚀
Why Building Links Doesn’t Work?
Now, back in the day, if you asked any SEO they’d tell you straight up, “Want to rank higher on Google? You gotta build those backlinks, buddy!”
It was simple, the more backlinks, the better your blog would rank. 📈
Fast forward to today, and things aren’t quite as straightforward.
Now don’t get me wrong, backlinks still matter, and there’s no denying it. 😌 Google itself is pretty big on them, using backlinks as one of the major factors to decide where your blog post or website shows up in their search results.
But those links need to come naturally. Search engines can very easily detect if a site has built links or not.
Building backlinks is basically an act of trying to modify search results to show low-quality content higher on search results.
Google and other SEs don’t want this, right?
This is why building those backlinks isn’t much of a use anymore.
My Experience with Backlinks
I’ve built four profitable blogs and I haven’t chased a single backlink.
I like to think of backlinks a bit like buying followers for your social media accounts.
Sure, that big number looks pretty impressive, but what’s it really worth if they aren’t organic? 🤔
Those bought followers aren’t engaging with your content or giving you that meaningful interaction. And let’s be real, they aren’t helping you build a genuine community either.
That’s how I see backlinks that aren’t natural.
They might give your blog that initial “appearance” of authority in some random SEO tools, but in the end, they’re not truly contributing to your blog’s success. 😐
Building backlinks used to be a savvy little trick back in the day.
Picture it like the secret sauce, the magic potion that would shoot your blog up Google’s search rankings. And sure, a couple of years ago, it was a legit strategy. But times have changed, and the hack isn’t as effective anymore. 😓
Despite this, a lot of folks, including some online gurus, are still stuck in the past, swearing by backlinks like it’s the holy grail of SEO.
But hey, the SEO world moves fast, and what worked like a charm a few years ago might just not cut it today.
Building Backlinks Is Super Hard
Acquiring even a single decent backlink can be a marathon, not a sprint. 🏃♂️
You see, website owners nowadays are getting absolutely bombarded with backlink request emails.
It’s like a never-ending avalanche of “Hey, love your site, can you link to mine?”
I mean, on an average day, I get about 20 of these requests. Two-zero, every single day! 📧
And here’s a juicy tidbit for you – some of these folks are so desperate for backlinks, they’re ready to shell out big bucks.
They’ve offered me up to $200 just to insert a single link into my blog.
But guess what?
I’ve never taken them up on it. 🙅♂️
So, if you’re thinking of building backlinks for free, good luck with that.
Most blog owners and webmasters are so swamped with these requests, they barely glance at the subject line before hitting delete. We’re talking tens of these emails every single day. 🗑️
And that’s where the hard grind comes in. You could easily spend 50 hours of work just to land a single backlink.
But hold on a sec, let’s consider what else you could do with those 50 hours.
If you’re anything like me, you could pump out tens of quality blog posts in that time. Posts that add value to your blog, engage your readers, and, you know, actually make a difference.
Makes you think, doesn’t it? 🤔
Instead of Backlinks, Do This…
Now you might be thinking, “If building backlinks isn’t the way to go, what should I be doing instead?”
Here’s the deal – Building links for the sake of building links is just…well, kinda useless.
But if your content is genuinely awesome, those precious backlinks will come naturally.
It’s just like getting followers on social media. You can buy all the followers you want, but if your content is top-notch, you’ll attract real, engaged followers who are there because they love what you do. 🥳
What does this mean for your blog?
It’s simple.
If your blog post isn’t the absolute best post on a particular topic, it’s not going to make waves in the search results, no matter how many backlinks you’ve got.
You can’t game the system with a ‘meh’ post and a bunch of backlinks.
So what should you do?
Aim to write the best content on your chosen topic.
I mean, go all out.
Make it the most comprehensive, the most engaging, the most insightful piece on the subject.
Often, this means making it long. How long? Well, my best-performing posts are usually clocking in at a hefty 5,000+ words. Yep, that’s right – 5,000+! 🤯
Google and other search engines aren’t going to recommend your content unless it’s the absolute best piece of content on the internet.
They’re like the picky eaters of the digital world, and they only want the crème de la crème.
So, instead of chasing backlinks, put that time and effort into creating killer content. It’s a surefire recipe for success. 🚀
Wrapping Up
In the grand old days of SEO, building backlinks was the go-to strategy for boosting your blog’s ranking on Google.
But the SEO game has evolved, and building backlinks isn’t the power move it once was.
Just like buying followers for your social media doesn’t guarantee genuine engagement or community building, accumulating backlinks without valuable content doesn’t work in the long run.
Plus, building backlinks is time-consuming and these days almost infeasible!
It demands a chunk of your time that could be better spent on what really matters – creating epic, value-packed content. 📝
So, instead of stressing about backlinks, let’s flip the script.
Focus on writing the absolute best content you can on your chosen topic. Make it so good that it naturally attracts backlinks and followers, much like a magnet.
I hope this has shed some light on the backlink debate and given you some food for thought for your own blogging journey.
Until next time, happy blogging, my friends! 😊👋