Instead of link building do this..

Why Link Building is a Waste of Time and What to Do Instead

In the world of SEO, link building has long been considered a cornerstone strategy. The idea is simple: spend time, effort, and sometimes even money to get other websites to link back to your site. These backlinks are seen as "votes" in favor of your content, helping search engines like Google determine the quality and relevance of your site. But what if I told you that link building is a complete waste of time? Let’s dive into why this is the case and what you should be doing instead.

 The Myth of Link Building

First, let’s clarify something: backlinks are not inherently bad. In fact, they are a crucial part of how search engines measure the Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-A-T) of your content. However, the traditional practice of link building—actively seeking out backlinks through various methods—is not only inefficient but can also be detrimental to your SEO efforts.

Take, for example, the website **cookforfolks.com**. This site has been live for almost a year and has garnered over 400 backlinks. The kicker? Not a single minute, ounce of effort, or dollar was spent on acquiring these backlinks. They were all created naturally and organically. Over half of these backlinks are "do-follow" links, meaning they pass on valuable "link juice" to the site. The best part? These high-quality backlinks are pointing to articles that feature unique thoughts, original research, and content that’s hard to replicate.

 The Problem with Traditional Link Building

When you think of link building, three main methods come to mind:

1. **Creating Backlinks Yourself**: This involves adding links to your site on social media, forums, blog comments, and other places where anyone can post. The issue? Google has long since figured out that these types of links are low-quality and often manipulative. In fact, having too many of these links can actually harm your site’s ranking.

2. **Buying Backlinks**: This method involves paying for links, either directly or through guest posts. Not only is this against Google’s guidelines, but it’s also expensive and time-consuming. The cost of getting a link from a credible site is often prohibitive, and the time spent writing guest posts could be better used creating content for your own site.

3. **Industry Outreach**: This is the most legitimate of the three methods, but it’s often misunderstood. The key difference between industry outreach and link building is intent. When you focus on building relationships and establishing authority within your industry, the backlinks come naturally. The goal isn’t to get a link; it’s to create valuable content that others want to link to.

 What Google Says About Backlinks

Google’s own documentation emphasizes the importance of creating unique, relevant content that naturally gains popularity. They explicitly state that any links intended to manipulate PageRank or a site’s ranking may be considered part of a link scheme and a violation of their guidelines. This includes buying or selling links, excessive link exchanges, and other manipulative practices.

Instead, Google recommends focusing on creating high-quality content that naturally attracts backlinks. This approach not only aligns with Google’s guidelines but also results in more sustainable and effective SEO outcomes.

The Alternative: Focus on Content and Authority

So, if link building is a waste of time, what should you be doing instead? The answer is simple: focus on creating high-quality, original content that provides real value to your audience. Here’s how:

1. **Create Unique and Valuable Content**: Articles that feature original research, unique insights, or hard-to-replicate content are more likely to attract natural backlinks. For example, an experiment or data-driven post can become a go-to resource that others cite and link to.

2. **Engage in Industry Outreach**: Instead of focusing on getting links, focus on building relationships within your industry. Get interviewed on podcasts, collaborate with other content creators, and establish yourself as an authority in your niche. The backlinks will follow naturally.

3. **Optimize for Snippets**: Use snippet optimization strategies to increase the chances of your content being chosen as a rich snippet by Google. This can help your content rank higher, even without a lot of backlinks.

4. **Produce More Content**: Instead of spending time chasing down backlinks, use that time to create more content. The more high-quality content you have, the more opportunities you have to rank for different search queries and attract natural backlinks.

 Conclusion

Link building, as traditionally practiced, is a waste of time and resources. Instead, focus on creating high-quality, original content that naturally attracts backlinks. Engage in industry outreach to build relationships and establish authority within your niche. By doing so, you’ll not only improve your SEO but also create a more sustainable and effective content strategy.