Nov 06, 2024
Casey Bjorkdahl is one of the pioneering thought leaders in the SEO community. In 2010, Casey co-founded Vazoola after working for a Digital Marketing Agency for five years in New York City. Vazoola is now one of the fastest growing and most widely recognized SEO marketing firms in the country.
If you want to add rocket fuel to a website with a solid SEO foundation, then you should build high quality backlinks. It’s one of the most effective ways to increase your website’s authority and visibility with search engines.
This is why so many companies seek out the services and software provided by the link building industry.
However after working in the link building space for over 14 years, we know it's not perfect. In fact, if we could wave a magic wand, there are a lot of things we would fix about the industry.
That doesn’t mean the entire link building industry is bad by any means. In fact, many of the most successful companies in search engine results use backlink services to secure their spots in the rankings!
In this post we’re going to cut through the noise and lay out the secrets, drawbacks, and problems with the link building industry.
If You’re New to Link Building
Newcomers to link building often fall into traps because they lack knowledge about link building basics. Many companies get drawn in by unrealistic guarantees or misleading promises. They don’t realize the complexity and nuance involved.
The lack of transparency among parts of the link building industry doesn’t help. Understanding link-building basics and recognizing what constitutes a high-quality backlink are the first step to avoiding traps.
To help you stay organized as you read through the post, we’ve organized the problems with the link building industry into 4 main categories:
Key Takeaways
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Problem 1 - Low quality backlinks don’t move the needle. Know what a high quality backlink is and how to measure its value in dollars.
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Problem 2 - Many companies using link building services have an overall lack of strategy. Too many link providers will overlook this and build links for you even if you have a poor, or no strategy.
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Problem 3 - High prices and overcharging are among the biggest causes of frustrations among clients and leads we’ve surveyed.
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Problem 4 - Sub par backlink services are rampant. Basic features such as backlink monitoring, backlink indexing, money-back guarantees, and robust communication and support are not included by many providers.
Table of Contents
Low-Quality Backlinks
The use of unethical tactics in link building is one of the industry’s biggest challenges. While black hat practices may provide short-term results, they often lead to penalties and long-term damage.
Selling Ineffective Links
Some agencies sell ineffective links that do nothing to improve rankings. These links may come from irrelevant websites, low-authority domains, or networks that Google already recognizes as spammy.
The panda update devalued backlinks from low quality sites like this meaning they have no SEO value if you get a backlink from them.
Freelancers and Email Spammers
Link building scams often contribute to the rise of poor-quality links. Common tactics include using duplicate content, link schemes, private blog networks, and spammy comments, all of which can harm a site’s reputation and lead to penalties. You can help guard against ineffective links by recognizing the different types of links.
Stay away from agencies or services that offer "link farming" solutions, where they use large networks of low-quality websites to build backlinks. These tactics may lead to short-term gains but can result in long-term penalties from search engines.
Lack of Focus on Relevance and Quality
Many companies prioritize the quantity of links over their relevance and quality. They might also place them in thin content, which diminishes their link juice.
High-quality links from authoritative, relevant sites are far more beneficial than a large number of low-quality links. A focus on link relevance is key to success. Unfortunately, too many services skip this step in favor of quicker results.
Always prioritize the relevance of links over sheer quantity. Too many irrelevant links can dilute your site's authority and even lead to penalties. A smaller number of high-quality, contextually relevant links will provide more value than a large volume of low-quality links.
Potential Google Penalties
Any time you use a low quality service to build backlinks you are in danger of violating Google’s link-building guidelines. This can have dire consequences for businesses, including a drop in rankings, traffic, and conversions.
Google is constantly updating its algorithms to catch and penalize sites using unethical link-building tactics. Engaging in black hat or gray hat practices can result in penalties that significantly lower a website’s rankings.
Loss of Rankings and Resources
Recovering from a Google penalty is both time-consuming and costly. In addition to the financial burden, businesses can lose months of SEO progress. That ultimately hurts their bottom lines.
Too Little Focus on Link Building Strategy
Effective link building requires more than just acquiring links. It also involves strategy and ongoing management to ensure the links remain beneficial.
Poor Link-Building Strategy and Competitor Consideration
A poor link-building strategy can cause more harm than good. This is especially true when businesses focus on link quantity over quality. You first need a solid SEO foundation.
Building too many links too quickly can tell search engines that a website is engaging in manipulative tactics. That can lead to penalties. On the flip side, not acquiring enough links can hinder growth, making it difficult to keep up with competitors.
Striking the right balance is essential for avoiding these risks and ensuring a long-term, sustainable approach to SEO.
The best way to be successful with link building is to have a strategy. We consider it a problem when an agency, SEO pro, or freelancer doesn’t help you strategy when it's necessary.
Here are some basic elements of a link building strategy that should be in place before starting to build links:
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On page SEO analysis - A website should have a solid on page foundation before building links to its pages
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Competitive analysis - Understanding your competition will help you where the opportunities are and how many links you need
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Anchor text strategy - This can make or break your link building success. A natural and targeted anchor profile is essential
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Link building budgeting - To budget, you need to know how many links you need, and what level of quality
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Goals - finally, you need to set goals as a guide for your link building and know when to adjust your strategy to meet them
Some companies in the industry don’t help with strategy, will build links for sites that aren't ready, or provide low quality strategy recommendations.
Vazoola’s Solution - Make sure your company has a long track record of working in the link building space. Make sure you can access link building strategists through your link building partner. Ask about strategy and how you will be supported. If you have your own strategy, a company should be able to review it and give guidance.
Perform an in-depth analysis of your competitors' backlink profiles to identify gaps and opportunities. Focus on acquiring links from the same high-authority domains to level the playing field or gain a competitive edge.
Neglecting Anchor Text Strategy
Anchor text is a critical component of link building. Poor use of anchor text – like overusing exact match keywords – can lead to penalties. A well-planned anchor text strategy should build brand authority naturally, avoiding potential red flags.
Vazoola’s Solution - Our link-building strategists are ready to make recommendations for your anchor text strategy. We offer this guidance on a regular basis. That way, you get the most out of your link building efforts.
When building links, avoid overusing exact match anchor text. Instead, diversify anchor text by mixing branded terms, partial match phrases, and natural language. The strategy reduces the risk of penalties while maintaining relevance.
Overcharging
Some link-building agencies inflate the cost of backlinks. They offer little to no value in return. Overcharging for links that don’t improve rankings is a widespread problem that can quickly drain a company’s marketing budget.
But overcharging also occurs for higher quality backlinks so it's important to know how much a link is worth and what drives the cost of a link up or down.
The cost of a backlink depends on several factors. High-authority websites tend to charge more for placements because of their strong domain reputation and larger audiences.
The quality of the content needed to secure a link, such as in-depth articles or infographics, also affects the price. Outreach efforts, including the use of specialized tools and databases, also can drive costs up.
On the other hand, links from less authoritative sites or low-effort content usually come at a lower price. They may not deliver the same value in terms of SEO impact, however.
Vazoola’s Solution - Backlinks don’t have to be an unaffordable expense. Vazoola’s business model is built around a publisher bidding system, high quality AI content, and cutting out middlemen. Our model results in the lowest possible prices without sacrificing quality.
Backlink Services Missing Critical Features
At Vazoola, there are things included in our services that we consider to be basic that are not executed well or missing all together from some other link building services. Beyond that, there are freelancers and email spammers that claim to be link builders but provide almost no value in most cases.
If a company guarantees specific rankings, it’s a red flag. No one can guarantee exact search engine results. It’s important to set realistic expectations and work with providers who prioritize ethical tactics.
You can easily recognize these spammers by their emails that contain improper English, strange email addresses, and lists of low quality blog websites either in the email body, linked in a Google doc, or attached in a spreadsheet.
Failure to Guarantee Link Indexing
If a link isn’t indexed by search engines, it provides no value. Many services fail to ensure links are indexed. That leaves companies with no real benefit from their efforts.
Be sure to check in with any link builder you're considering to make sure they guarantee link building.
Lack of Link Monitoring and Guarantees
Links can break, and pages can be removed. Sometimes, links even get de-indexed. When this happens, the value the backlink was once providing is lost until the link is reinstated. Monitoring the status of backlinks is crucial to maintaining SEO value. However, many providers fail to offer this as part of their service.
A good link builder should offer a guarantee on their work and offer support if backlinks go down. Also, you want your link builder to be keeping tabs on links you purchased from them. From our perspective, this should be an industry standard.
Poor Communication and Support
Another issue is the lack of communication and support in the link-building industry. Clients often feel left in the dark about their campaign's progress. They might be unsure if their investment is working. Reports and updates are scarce, leaving business owners frustrated and confused about the return on their investment.
Vazoola clients need not worry about poor communication. We stand behind our solutions and offer all the support you need for an effective campaign. When you build links with Vazoola, you have a dedicated CSM, easy access to reports, and regular progress updates.
Reputable link-building providers will also take the time to educate their clients about the risks and realities of the process. To make informed decisions, it’s important to understand what constitutes a good link. You also want to recognize the steps involved in building links.
Beyond this, look for link builders that educate through content creation. Consuming this content can be a great way to learn about who a link builder is and what they stand for.
Choose a link-building provider that offers clear and regular reporting on progress, link placements, and any associated costs. Lack of transparency in reporting is a red flag and may indicate that unethical practices are being used behind the scenes.
Should You Hire a Link-Building Service?
Hiring a link-building service can be beneficial – but only if done carefully. Many of the industry’s problems stem from a lack of transparency and unethical practices.
To avoid falling into these traps, business owners need to ask the right questions, seek out ethical providers, and stay informed about the process.
The link-building industry faces several significant problems, from overcharging to unethical practices. By educating yourself and choosing reputable service providers, you can avoid these pitfalls and create a successful SEO strategy.
Before hiring a link-building service, conduct thorough research on their methods. Ask for case studies, client references, and detailed information on their strategies to ensure they align with ethical SEO practices.