Link Removal is the New SEO
To conclude last week’s blog post – Not All Links Are Created Equal – we referred to “link removal” as the new SEO. To be more specific, the newest strategy for search engine optimization is to evaluate links (both new and old) obtained for your website and remove any deemed to be of low-quality. By employing this new SEO tactic, you can help to ensure your site avoids manual spam action taken by Google, which may result in severe penalties and a dramatic decline in ranking.
So how do you identify a low-quality link, and what should you do if you discover one or more leading back to your website? We’ve answered both questions below.
Identifying Low-Quality Links
A low-quality link can be defined simply as a link that provides little to no merit to your website and/or your reader. Common examples include links that are:
- Not relevant to the topic
- Unnaturally/excessively stuffed into content
- Obtained from link farms or link networks
- Deceptive or manipulative
- Generated in the comment sections of random blogs or forums
What to Do When You Find Low-Quality Links
If you have reason to believe a link within your site or a link leading back to your site can be considered low-quality, you should contact your webmaster to have it removed. For links that are out of your control and cannot be easily removed, Google offers a link disavow tool that can be used to identify particular links you do not wish to be factored into the search engine’s ranking system for your website. However, the disavow tool is not a substitute for requesting a link removal, so Google strongly suggests you make every effort to have the low-quality link removed from wherever it may be, regardless of whether or not you’ve had it disavowed.
Ultimately, the importance of evaluating and removing low-quality links cannot be understated. Closely monitoring your website’s internal and external links is essential to the overall success of your search engine optimization strategy, and doing so on a consistent basis will keep you in line with the industry’s new SEO.
Contact Rosemont Media
For more information about link-building strategies, or if you have any questions about your medical or dental marketing needs, please feel free to contact Rosemont Media today.