How the Best Link Building Agencies Measure Success (KPIs & Metrics)
Key Takeaways
- How does modern link building work?
- How do the best link building agencies evaluate a link?
- What impact should a quality link have on your website?
- How to find the best link building agencies
When you first hear the term link building, you might think that the ultimate goal is to get as many links as possible. While that may have been true at some point, link building strategies have become a lot more sophisticated. As search engines have evolved, the metrics that make a link valuable have also shifted. If you haven’t kept up with the changes, it is very easy to be left behind.
To state things plainly, a lot of businesses do not understand the metrics that make up a high-value link. Many are still solely focused on DA (domain authority) and hitting a certain amount to reach a KPI. The problem with being caught up strictly on things like these is that the budget is misused and resources go to waste. Additionally, performance is poor, and overall SEO is affected.
Knowing the pitfalls out there, a good question to ask is: How do the best link building agencies measure success? Are there additional metrics to consider to build a solid link building strategy? Let’s dive a bit deeper into things. In doing so, you may just discover your current strategy is in need of a revamp.
The Problem With “Traditional” Link Building Metrics
If an agency or business has not kept up with the changes, there is the potential they are still using outdated metrics when measuring the value of a link. Below are just a few of the strategies we used to employ, and also, an explanation as to why more is now needed.
Number of Links
In the early days of Google, it was possible to gain some success based on link volume alone. It has been a long time since this method was successful. The problem with focusing solely on acquiring a specific amount of links is that it completely ignores link quality. The type of website a link is coming from plays a major role as to whether it will have any value to your brand. On the lower end, it leads to wasted resources, and on the higher, even penalization.
Domain Authority
To make things clear, domain authority is still a valuable metric that needs to be taken into account. The problem, however, is when a link building agency focuses solely on this. What’s missing in the equation is a steady stream of organic traffic. If a page has a high authority score but receives no visitors, the link is not going to provide much value for you and your brand.
While both of these metrics still play a role, they need to be combined with other markers for a strategy to be successful. It might look good on paper for an agency to show you they acquired a certain amount of links in a month, but what is more important is the impact it has on your website. The best link building agencies should be able to demonstrate the value of a strategy and show a clear correlation between links and site exposure. So if more is needed than just these two metrics alone, how do the best link building agencies determine a link’s value?
What the Best Link Building Agencies Look For in a Link
When evaluating if a link will be valuable for your brand, the best link building agencies take a thorough approach. While not a definite list of everything needed, a few modern quality markers include:
Quality and Relevance
One of the major factors Google now values is topical relevancy. Any domain that links to your site needs to be related in some way to your market. Generally, the closer related the two are, the greater the impact the link will have. Linking from a site that focuses on cooking to one that sells cars, will ultimately be of very little value.
Link quality is also important. We mentioned DA (domain authority) earlier, and this is definitely still important. But to ensure a link is valuable, organic traffic is also a must. The site linking needs to be seen as trustworthy with no spam signals in sight. To summarize, a link is successful if it is relevant, authoritative, and receives a steady stream of visitors regularly.
Context and Placement
In the early days of Google, it was common to see pages with lists of links to multiple websites. This was when companies were focused solely on quantity. There wasn’t really much information in the text, and the placement of the links made zero sense.
Google these days values context and placement. Ideally, the placement of a link should look completely natural. Links can be placed in the article itself, the sidebar, or the footer of a page. Wherever it is, it should be logical for the link to appear there. The anchor text should flow seamlessly in the text, and it should look like a genuine recommendation. The article where the link is placed should also be highly relevant.
Volume
In discussing that more is needed in a link building strategy, we are not saying that volume has lost its importance. It is still a factor that the more links you have, the greater the impact you should expect. But along with the quantity, there needs to be quality.
There is some caution needed also when deciding how many links to acquire at once. It would be ideal to acquire all of your links naturally at a slow and steady pace. However, for businesses just starting out, or those that need to grow quickly, this is not really an option. Link buying is still a viable strategy, but it needs to be handled delicately. A sudden jump overnight can send a negative signal that your site is using unethical link tactics. The pace needs to align with your site’s performance and age.
How the Best Link Building Agencies Measure Performance
The ultimate goal with any link building strategy is to see some kind of improvement in your digital marketing. What that looks like can vary depending on the needs of your business. A few markers the best link building agencies look for include:
Ranking Improvements
You likely have a list of keywords that you consider as high priority for your business. While content and optimization are part of the puzzle, a good link building strategy can also help with sustainable growth. The best link building agencies should be able to source links that align with your business goals. A link demonstrates its value when you see a marked improvement in overall ranking, both on a domain and page level.
Organic Traffic
Visitors to your website are usually at the top of your sales funnel as a business. High-quality links should help support this strategy by providing increased exposure. As with a lot of things in SEO, you won’t see a change instantly, but over time the links should gradually support long-term improvement and growth. The best backlinks agencies should be able to show a relationship between links and how they are impacting overall traffic.
Faster Indexing
A common frustration when publishing a new page or piece of content is the time it takes to be indexed by the search engines. It can be a real test of patience, especially if you are trying something new or trying to reach a new consumer base. Backlinks can assist with indexing. A number of high-quality links can signal to Google that your brand is authoritative and relevant. Any new content from you needs to be discovered quickly and indexed promptly.
There are other metrics the best link building agencies will use to determine both link value and performance. The important takeaway is to make sure your strategy is up to date. If your current link building strategy is underperforming, or you are worried the practices are outdated, where can you turn to for assistance?
How to Find The Best Link Building Agency
Hopefully the things discussed in this article can give you a few things to look out for when deciding which agency to partner with. Promising guaranteed volume in a short amount of time, with no mention of quality, can be a bit of a red flag. Because link building is such a vital part of SEO, you want to make sure you receive a quality service.
At Perfect Link Building, we have been assisting with link building strategies for over 15 years. Our team is careful to remain up to date and employ only the most modern methods. If you are looking to partner with one of the best link building agencies working today, be sure to reach out to us for a free consultation. Don’t settle for subpar services, contact Perfect Link Building and experience the benefits of a strategy designed for your success.
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