We often receive the question of what results to expect from link-building work. While every site is different, there are typically three phases a site goes through when it's new:
Newbies and Fresh Faces: Building a Solid Base (Around 3-6 Months)
If you've just launched your website, link building is like setting the stage for a big show. Here's what you can look forward to:
- Slowly showing up more often in search results.
- Getting a small but steady stream of visitors over time.
- Starting to make a name for yourself in your niche.
- Getting more pages from your site recognized by search engines.
Getting the Hang of Things: Taking it Up a Notch (Around 6-9 Months)
You've done some SEO homework, but you still need to become the SEO superstar. Don't worry, link building can still give your website a boost:
- More people dropping by your site, and your visitor numbers going up.
- Search engines seeing your site as trustworthy and important.
- Your site showing up higher when people search for certain words.
- People in your field starting to notice your online presence.
- Visitors spending more time exploring your awesome content.
Reaching for the Stars: Supercharging Success (Around 9-12+ Months)
For those who've put some serious effort into SEO, link building is like adding rocket fuel to your website's success. Brace yourself for exciting things:
- A bunch of new visitors flooding in thanks to your improved visibility.
- Your website nabbing the top spot in search results for popular words.
- People considering you an expert and a go-to source in your field.
- Snagging special spots like featured answers on search pages.
- Loads of people visiting from other trusted websites.
When your website has been around the block for a while, link building becomes more like giving your online presence a refreshing makeover. Even though you might already have a solid foundation, there's still room for growth and excitement after the first year.
What are typical results after 12 months?
After 12 months of consistent SEO and link building efforts, you can expect significant improvements in your website's visibility and performance. Your site should have progressed through the stages mentioned in the article. This may include a substantial increase in organic search traffic, higher rankings for target keywords, improved domain authority, and greater recognition within your niche. You might also see an increase in engagement metrics, such as longer time spent on your site and lower bounce rates.
How many backlinks do you need in each stage?
The number of backlinks you need can vary greatly depending on the competitiveness of your niche, the quality of the links, and the overall authority of your website. However, a general guideline for each stage could be:
- Newbies and Fresh Faces (3-6 Months): During this stage, focus on building a diverse and solid foundation of backlinks. Aim for around 10-20 high-quality backlinks per month.
- Getting the Hang of Things (6-9 Months): As you progress, you can increase your efforts. Aim for 20-30 high-quality backlinks per month to continue building authority.
- Reaching for the Stars (9-12+ Months): By this stage, you should be more aggressive in your link-building efforts. Aim for 30-50 high-quality backlinks per month to help boost your website's visibility and authority.
Remember, quality matters more than quantity. Focus on obtaining links from reputable and relevant sources.
How big of a factor does technical SEO play in all of this?
Technical SEO is a crucial aspect of the overall SEO strategy and can significantly impact your website's performance and rankings. While the blog post focuses on link building, technical SEO is vital in ensuring search engines can crawl, index, and understand your website's content. This includes optimizing site speed, mobile responsiveness, URL structure, schema markup, and more. Neglecting technical SEO issues can hinder your site's ability to rank well, regardless of the quality and quantity of backlinks.
If you need to rank 5 things, what should I focus on first in order of priority?
- Keyword Research: Identify the most important and relevant keywords for each of the five things you want to rank. This lays the foundation for your content and optimization efforts.
- On-Page Optimization: Once you have your keywords, optimize the content on your pages. This includes using the target keywords in titles, headings, meta descriptions, and throughout the content while maintaining natural readability.
- Technical SEO: Ensure your website is technically sound. Fix issues like broken links, duplicate content, slow page speed, and ensure mobile-friendliness.
- Quality Content: Create valuable, engaging, and informative content around your target keywords. High-quality content attracts visitors and encourages them to stay on your site.
- Link Building: Start building backlinks to your content. Begin with high-quality, authoritative sources related to your niche. Over time, expand to a wider range of reputable sites.
Remember that SEO is an ongoing process, and success depends on consistent effort and adaptation to changes in search engine algorithms and user behavior.
