What is the Google Link Penalty?
Link building is getting links to your website pages from other websites. In Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), these links are called backlinks. Link building is an effective way for business owners to drive organic traffic and increase website authority.
A Google penalty is a punishment imposed on websites whose content does not comply with Google’s marketing policies. The penalty adversely affects your website’s ranking based on Google’s search algorithm updates. Also known as manual action, this penalty is issued when a human reviewer detects a problem with your website.
Google penalises websites that employ Black Hat SEO tactics. Black Hat SEO is a technique that violates search engine standards to rank websites higher in search results. Keyword stuffing, cloaking, and private link networks are a few examples.
Why Are Some Links Considered Bad?
A bad link typically provides no value to the receiving website and is often from untrusted sources. Google can detect irrelevant, low-quality links between the two sites and consider the link harmful. Here are a few examples to help you determine if a link is bad:
- Links from websites that do not appear in search engine results, especially when searching for the exact domain name. This could suggest something is off.
- Links from outdated or inactive websites.
- An SEO marketing agency in Adelaide or not, that has generated low-quality backlinks for your website.
How to Avoid Google Penalties Through Link Building?
Google Search Essentials sets the rules for your SEO marketing strategy. Over the last few years, Google has become increasingly adept at detecting and penalising sites with low-quality backlinks. If you are looking to create a successful and sustainable website that can withstand Google’s numerous algorithm updates, here are some ways to avoid Google penalties through link building:
1. Low-Quality Web Directories Submission
SEO is an important part of any digital marketing strategy. Businesses rely on directory submissions to improve site rankings and generate traffic, especially if the directory has a large user base. However, submitting your website to an excessive number of low-quality directories will generate low-quality backlinks and negatively impact your SEO. Another common characteristic of low-quality backlinks is that they come from sites with low traffic and user engagement. Obsolete and counterproductive SEO tactics render the website untrustworthy.
2. Private Blog Networks (PBNs)
A private blog network (PBN) is a network of authoritative websites created solely to build links and promote sponsored content. PBNs were formerly a popular technique for companies looking to quickly find link equity for underperforming sites to improve their organic search visibility. Due to the strict regulations put in place by Google, this practice is not only very costly from a financial point of view but also carries a significant risk of being penalised from Google. Instead, you should strive to create quality SEO content or include links from reputable sources to build trust with your users.
3. Over-Optimising Anchor Text
Google is constantly refining its ability to identify low-quality links to provide the most useful and relevant search results. What this means is that your anchor text should be natural and descriptive, provide context for the users, and help them understand where it will take them when they click the link. A well-planned SEO strategy enhances both the user experience and search engine rankings. Google flags keyword-dense anchor text as spam, and you risk getting penalties that impact your rankings.
4. Blog Comments
Links from blog comments are considered inappropriate according to Google’s guidelines. There was a time when the comments section was inundated with text written by bots to build backlinks to increase user engagement and drive traffic. Google has now updated its algorithm to remove and devalue bot-created links. One trick is to mark blog comments as ‘no-follow’ to avoid spam.
Conclusion
Link building for SEO is a proven marketing strategy for businesses to improve search engine visibility, user experience, and sustainable growth. A balanced link building tactic can set you apart from your competitors. It is crucial to conduct a backlink audit and regularly monitor the backlinks leading to your website. One easy way is to use Google Search Console to index your site and troubleshoot crawl errors. Alternatively, you can always seek the help of a marketing expert.
