Uncover ways to stay ahead when traditional strategies start to falter.

SEO is at a crucial juncture. For the first time, a significant update has been followed by one of the most impactful document leaks in SEO history, upending the industry.

This upheaval brings both challenges and opportunities for SEO professionals. Despite the turbulence, a clear path to effective SEO strategies is emerging. Success hinges on balancing link building, technical SEO, and conversion rate optimization (CRO).

This comprehensive approach emphasizes the value of backlinks, the foundational role of technical SEO, and the critical importance of user experience (UX). These elements provide a roadmap for adapting and thriving in the ever-evolving SEO landscape.

Why Link Building is Still Important

When done right (hint: don’t buy backlinks; Google will come for you), link building can help drive more traffic from audiences you otherwise wouldn’t be able to reach.

According to Mike King’s analysis of the leaked Google documents, websites are indexed into three tiers. The first tier contains websites that attract a lot of traffic; the second tier includes websites that could use some optimization but are still getting moderate traffic. The third tier is essentially a website graveyard (King’s words).

These tiers demonstrate the value of links based on their indexing. King suggests five links from the first tier are more valuable than 100 links from the second or third.

But how do technical SEO and CRO fit in with link building?

How Does Technical SEO Affect Link Building?

Technical SEO enhances link-building by optimizing your website for search engines, making your link-building efforts more effective. Here’s how:

1. Improved Crawlability and Indexability: Proper technical SEO ensures that search engines will index yourpages. Links pointing to those pages will be more effective if search engines can find and understand your content.
2. Faster Loading Speeds: A well-optimized site with quick loading times provides a better user experience, attracting links from other websites. Search engines also favor faster sites, boosting your rankings and making your site more attractive to potential link partners.
3. Enhanced Mobile Friendliness: With mobile-first indexing, having a mobile-friendly website is essential. A well-performing mobile site is more likely to be linked to other mobile-friendly sites and improves overall user experience.
4. Structured Data and Rich Snippets: Putting structured data can increase how your content appears in search results, increasing visibility and attractiveness and encouraging more backlinks.
5. SSL Certificates and HTTPS: A secure site (HTTPS) builds trust with users and other websites. Safe sites are more likely to be linked to as they are perceived as more credible and trustworthy.
6. Optimized URL Structure: Clean and descriptive URLs are more user-friendly and can enhance the likelihood of being shared and linked to. They also help search engines know the content of your pages.

By addressing these technical SEO aspects, you create a solid foundation that supports and amplifies your link building strategies, leading to better search engine rankings and increased organic traffic.

How Does CRO Affect Link Building?

The Google document leak revealed that Google might measure click data, which relates to overall user experience and ties into conversion rate optimization (CRO), a method of enhancing webpage user experience.

CRO can significantly benefit link building in several ways:

1. Higher Engagement Metrics: Optimized conversion paths lead to higher engagement metrics, such as lower bounce rates and longer session durations. According to the Google document leak, search engines view these signals like indicators of quality content, indirectly improving your site’s ranking and attractiveness for link opportunities.
2. Increased Trust and Credibility: By optimizing for conversions, your site appears more professional and trustworthy. Other websites are more likely to link to a site that looks credible and offers a seamless user experience.
3. Better Content Targeting: CRO often involves creating high-quality, targeted content that addresses specific user needs. Well-crafted, valuable content is more likely to be linked to by other sites, mainly if it provides unique insights or solutions.
4. Higher Social Shares: Content that converts well is often more engaging and shareable. Increased social shares can lead to more visibility and, consequently, more opportunities for backlinks from diverse sources.
5. Improved Analytics and Data Insights: The CRO analyzes user behavior and conversion data, which can provide insights into the most effective content and link strategies. This data can help refine your link-building campaigns to focus on the most impactful areas.
6. Increased Repeat Visits and Loyalty: Optimized conversion paths encourage users to repeatedly return and engage with your site. Loyal visitors will likely link to your content from their websites or blogs, creating natural and valuable backlinks.
7. Higher Conversions from Referral Traffic: When your site is optimized for conversions, any referral traffic generated from backlinks is more likely to convert. This makes your site more attractive to potential link partners, as they see the value in directing their audience to your site.

By focusing on CRO, you create a more appealing and functional website that naturally attracts more backlinks, enhances user satisfaction, and supports your overall SEO and link building efforts.

Best Practices and Strategy Examples

All of this sounds good in theory, but what does it look like in action? Here are some specific examples of strategies that integrate all three elements:

1. Content Upgrade Campaign

Upgrading your content can help it perform better in the SERPs. Focus on the user intent of each piece. The more relevant the content, the more likely it will appear in the search. Create valuable content with lead magnets, such as downloadable e-books or checklists.

• Technical SEO: Optimize your website by fixing broken links, improving site speed, and ensuring your site is mobile-friendly.
• CRO: Use compelling CTAs to encourage users to download the resource in exchange for the email addresses.
• Link Building: Promote your content upgrade by contacting industry influencers and bloggers asking them to link to your resource. Share the content on social media to attract organic backlinks.

2. Guest Blogging and Collaboration

Guest blogging can still have long-term value, even in this new world of no spam results.

• Technical SEO: Ensure your website have solid technical foundation with optimized meta tags, structured data, and a secure HTTPS connection.
• CRO: Optimize landing pages to capture leads from guest blog traffic. Use clear CTAs, A/B testing for forms, and trust signals to improve conversions.
• Link Building: Write high-quality guest posts for authoritative blogs in your industry. Include backlinks to your optimized landing pages to drive traffic and conversions.

3. Linkable Assets

Creating linkable assets can acquire valuable links for your website.

• Technical SEO: Optimize your site structure and internal linking so search engines can quickly discover your pages.
• CRO: Design pages that focus on user engagement and conversions. Include well-placed CTAs, easy navigation, and valuable content to keep users on the page and encourage actions.
• Link Building: Promote your pages through outreach campaigns targeting relevant websites, offering your page a valuable addition to their resource sections. Share the resource on social media and industry forums to attract links.

Other Best Practices

• A/B Testing: Regularly test different site elements to find what works best.
• Using Social Media: Discover content trends and topics that resonate with your audience.
• Analytic Tools: Use tools to understand what is and isn’t working and refine your strategies accordingly.

Implementing these strategies and best practices can create a powerful synergy between CRO, technical SEO, and link building.

Bottom Line

Even though SEO is evolving, it’s crucial to remember that there is no “one size fits all” strategy for success. This adage has held true for years.

Every business is unique, as are its goals. What works for one may not work for another.

However, by developing a holistic SEO strategy, you can start measuring the success of different tactics and determining which ones are right for you.

We know that user experience (UX) is a cornerstone of website ranking. Use this as your guiding principle, and you can more effectively navigate the new SEO landscape.

If you need help, check out our monthly SEO packages and let the experts help you.