In a perfect world, every link would be worthwhile to any website. However, on further inspection, reviewing the value a link will bring to your website requires more than a few SEO tips and techniques to do it properly. Determining link relevancy is identified via the domain authority of the referring domain, the type of content you’re linking to, and of course, the kind of link, i.e. no-follow, sponsored etc.
Often-overlooked factors include:
- The topical relevance and authority of the page and domain
- The anchor text used
- The page that is being linked to on your site and its content
If you are writing guest post content or searching for link-building opportunities, it is essential to consider link relevancy for optimal website performance.
What is topical relevance, and why is it important?
Topical relevance, or authority, refers to how relevant and aligned another website’s content is to your page and your brand. Sometimes, this can be more important than domain authority. Relevant links can establish digital authority for users investigating your particular niche, but they also help Google better understand your website and what you offer. Previously, link acquisition used to occur solely to increase the number of backlinks and refer domains that pointed to your website.
Google has since decided that this isn’t best practice and is rewarding links that offer more relevancy for the website or brand. Gaining links from topically relevant publications that perhaps have a lower domain authority will, over time, signal to Google that you are an established and trusted source in this topic niche.
For Ranking Purposes
Topical authoritative link acquisition can also help with rankings. For example, suppose you are an SEO agency with several relevant links to SEO practices from SEO resources. In that case, you are more likely to rank for SEO-related keywords as you have established yourself as a trusted expert in this field. However, suppose you have several links about ice cream from food blogs. In that case, it is unlikely that Google will understand this association; therefore, you won’t rank for ice cream-related or any SEO-associated keywords.
Anchor Text and Page Choice
When creating content, you should consider keywords you use as anchor text and hyperlink these to the website. Or, if you are attempting to insert a link into external, existing content, be sure that the anchor text you choose links to a topically relevant page on your website.
For example:
If you search for “seo agency sydney“, the first result is:
If you look at this company’s backlink profile and filter to anchor text containing “seo agency sydney“, there are almost 100 backlinks with this anchor text pointing to that ranking URL:
Although a website’s backlink profile is one of many ranking factors, it can go a long way to determine who ranks first for a particular search term. Thanks to numerous link signals telling search engines like Google that this page is about an SEO agency in Sydney positions the page as highly relevant for “seo agency sydney“.
However, before adding hundreds of links to your content, remember that your backlinks and chosen anchor text must read naturally. Like keyword stuffing, don’t overdo the exact anchor text and URL in too many posts. Use these opportunities to further target deeper URLs with the terms you’re targeting alongside your content strategy and production.
In the context of outreach
Link relevancy is beneficial for your website as it is vital to improving your outreach. Previously, sending hundreds of emails to various platforms to receive a small handful of links was a massive effort for sometimes minimal reward.
Contrary to this, reaching out to a smaller, more niche-specific pool of contacts should save you time and be likely to improve your link-building success rate. Standing out from the pack is a must when reaching out to another website that is topically relevant to your content and brand.
Distinguishing the correlation between your website and the publisher’s website you wish to publish on is likely to help your chances of hearing back from the publisher and thus being able to proceed with a relationship. This contrast will save you time and streamline your outreach processes, allowing you to work with like-minded companies relevant to your field and target audiences.
Your value proposition
You’re not the only one looking for links. For any link-building strategy, it’s essential to include a value proposition in the outreach process. While we have discussed distinguishing the correlation between your website and the publisher’s website, the next step is to include the why–why do you think your content would be valuable to this publisher?
Your value proposition is explaining to the publisher how your content will bring them value.
This process will differ for each publisher, as value is a subjective attribute that will vary. To ensure your chances, conduct outreach to publishers that will see the relevant value in your link.
Make your life easier and create meaningful link opportunities for your clients relevant to your content. For example, a gardening website will see little value in an article about space rockets.
How to assess link relevance:
When determining the link relevance when carrying out link acquisition, it’s helpful to identify the focus keywords you are looking to target.
Using your focus keywords, you can determine if a linking page is relevant to your target overarching topic and find the appropriate keywords within the on-page copy. Suppose the page is topically pertinent and includes your focus keywords. In that case, this is an ideal opportunity to reach out in an attempt to acquire a link and use the particular focus keyword as your anchor text.
While we have made recommendations about the referring page, it is also crucial that the page you hope to get a link for is high quality and beneficial for the topic. Ideally, including your link on another page should enhance the experience for the user.
Therefore your page should offer more profound, more insightful information that perhaps the referring page is not. Ensure that your copy is optimised, on-page SEO assists, and answering search intent before starting your link-building efforts should be a priority.
So next time you search for link opportunities, look at the bigger picture and ensure you are thinking about what is best for your brand and users rather than just your domain authority.