Rules for Backlinking
Backlinking. It's a touchy subject. One that confuses a lot of would-be bloggers and cheap hosting site owners. Should you do it? How often should you do it? Are there any real guidelines that Google has set on the topic? It all depends on how you look at it. Here's a guide to blog backlinking that makes things (relatively) simple.
Guest Posting: A Good or Bad Idea?
Google hasn't weighed in on guest posting completely, yet. But there's a good rule of thumb that you can use to figure out if you have too many guest posts on your blog.
If you are going to create guest posts, make sure that the post actually adds value to your blog. Are you asking people to guest post just for the backlinks? That's not a good idea. There's something else to consider too.
Make sure that the guest posts you are post are actually original. A lot of people will spin an article, sell it as an original article, and your site will be penalized. Put an article through an article spin test before you post it – trust me, it happens all the time!
Rules for Backlinking : Optimizing Anchor Texts
Here's the deal with optimized anchor texts: you can use them on your own site. But, don't put the same article (or a variation of that article) on another site. Google doesn't like this tactic. If you are going to link to a keyword in an article or press release on another site, make sure to use the no-follow code: Rel=nofollow.
This code tells Google that a link shouldn't be followed by a search engine, but it will let humans click on a link to find the site you're trying to link to. Backlinks are tricky things, but there are just some basic rules to remember when setting it all up.
Rules for Backlinking : The Backlink Bottomline
You need SEO and backlinks in order to spread the word about your blog or site, right? Right. But, you have to be careful not to overuse or abuse those links, or Google will punish you. Why are we so concerned about Google? Because it's the most widely used search engine out there. One day, Google may fall, but, for now, you'll want to obey what laws Google does lay down when it comes to linking and SEO.
The bottomline is this: you can use backlinks, but they should only point to your site. Otherwise, you can use all the links you like in any content, but make sure to also include that “no follow” code. Sure, it all sounds like a pain, but that's the way to do things if you want your blog to earn top Google marks.
As always, we are here to help with any questions that you have – really! If you need something or want to know more about cloud hosting or any other topic (including SEO), all you have to do is ask. We will get back to you as soon as possible with the right answer!
