Netlinking 101: all you need to know to build backlinks for your website

Netlinking is among the most crucial practices for SEO, and a must for brands and agencies that want to rank high on search engines results pages.

However, with today’s overload of information, it may be difficult to gather a clear picture of netlinking, and what to do to successfully help your website rank high with it.

In this guide, we’ll explore netlinking from scratch, going over all you need to know to master this practice and build backlinks for your project.

What exactly is netlinking and how can it help you build backlinks?

Netlinking is a set of tactics whose goal is to increase the number and quality of inbound links that point to a webpage, so as to improve its position in the search results.

In this way, netlinking (also often described as ‘link building’) aims to help a website get higher traffic, especially thanks to:

1. The increased traffic from links pointing to the webpage, from other websites;
   
   
2. The increased traffic from searches on browsers, thanks to the enhanced rankings in the SERPs.

Now, let’s go over the most important concepts you need to grasp to successfully build backlinks for your website through netlinking:

Netlinking: 5 things you need to know to successfully build backlinks

Here are some of the most important factors that contribute to the success of netlinking strategies and campaigns:

1. Anchor text and netlinking

First things first, let’s talk about anchor text. 

What exactly is it, and why is it so important in netlinking? 

Anchor text refers to the clickable words that hyperlink one web page to another. 

Here’s an example (look at the word “hyperlinks”):

Even though it may seem insignificant, anchor text plays a crucial role in building backlinks, as search engines use it to understand the context of the linked page and rank it accordingly. 

So, in the world of netlinking, the right anchor text can make all the difference.

Luckily enough, you can master the way you use anchor text by understanding the most important concepts that stand behind it.

Here are three tips to help you with it:

• Use a variety of anchor texts, including keyword-rich and natural phrases.
  
  This diversity helps search engines see your backlinks as organic and genuine, thus improving your rankings.

• Avoid over-optimizing, as this can lead to penalties from search engines.
  
  Over-optimization occurs when you use the same keyword-rich anchor text repeatedly, which can be seen as manipulative.
  
  Keep it natural, and mix in different phrases to maintain a healthy backlink profile.

• Make sure the anchor text is relevant to the linked content.
  
  Irrelevant anchor text can confuse users and search engines, ultimately hurting your website’s performance.

• Don’t forget about branded anchor text.
  
  Using your brand name as anchor text can help increase brand awareness and establish your website as an authority in your niche.

• Keep track of your anchor text distribution.
  
  Regularly analyze your backlink profile to ensure you have a diverse range of anchor texts pointing to your website.
  
  If you notice any imbalances, adjust your netlinking strategy accordingly.
  

In conclusion, by understanding the importance of anchor text and optimizing it effectively, you’ll be well on your way to building backlinks and boosting your website’s search rankings.

2. No-follow vs do-follow links

Understanding the difference between no-follow and do-follow links is crucial for your netlinking strategy.

In simple terms, do-follow links pass ‘SEO value’ to the linked page, while no-follow links don’t.

Search engines then use this value to determine the importance and relevance of a web page, affecting its ranking in search results.

However, mind that no-follow links still hold value.

Indeed, while they do not directly impact your search engine rankings, they can bring traffic and improve your website’s overall online presence. 

For instance, many reputable websites – such as social media platforms and news outlets – use no-follow links by default to prevent spam and manipulation of search results. 

So, gaining no-follow links from such websites will still likely enhance your credibility and authority.

That said, to boost your search engine rankings you’ll want to focus mostly on building do-follow backlinks. 

Indeed, do-follow links are more powerful in terms of SEO, as they directly transfer authority from the linking website to your website. 

In essence, a do-follow backlink is like a vote of confidence from another website, signaling to search engines that your content is valuable and worth ranking higher.

Ultimately, strive to earn a relevant amount of high-quality do-follow links, such as by following these tips:

• Pursue guest posting opportunities on reputable websites in your niche, which often provide do-follow links in exchange for quality content;

• Engage with industry influencers and offer value to their audience, potentially earning a do-follow backlink from their website or social media profile.

3. Content marketing to build backlinks

Content marketing is an indispensable tool for netlinking.

Why?

Because high-quality, valuable content naturally attracts backlinks.

If you provide unique insights, helpful tips, or entertaining stories, other websites will want to link to your content.

This not only improves your website’s search rankings, but also establishes your brand as a trusted authority in your niche.

All this makes it crucial for you to focus on developing a strong, content marketing game, which you can start doing by implementing the following tips:

• Create comprehensive, well-researched, and visually appealing content that stands out from the competition.
  
  This increases the likelihood of others linking back to your website, as it provides real value to their audience.

• Use different formats, such as blog posts, infographics, videos, and podcasts, to cater to diverse audience preferences.
  
  This variety can help you reach a wider audience and increase your chances of earning backlinks.

• Share your content on social media and engage with your audience.
  
  This not only increases your content’s visibility but also encourages others to share and link to it.

• Collaborate with influencers or experts in your industry to create valuable content.
  
  This can lead to more backlinks, as their followers may link to your website to access the content featuring their favorite influencer or expert.

• Regularly update your existing content to keep it fresh and relevant.
  
  This helps maintain and potentially increase the number of backlinks pointing to your website over time.

• Monitor the performance of your content and identify which pieces attract the most backlinks.
  
  Use these insights to guide your content marketing strategy and create more of the content that works best for netlinking.

Remember, the better your content, the more likely others will want to share it and build backlinks to your website. 

By focusing on creating high-quality content and employing strategic content marketing tactics, you’ll be well on your way to boosting your netlinking success.

4. Toxic backlinks (how to spot them and what to do next)

Let’s address the elephant in the room – toxic backlinks. 

These are low-quality links that can harm your website’s search engine rankings. 

It’s essential you identify and address toxic backlinks, so as to maintain a healthy backlink profile and avoid potential penalties from search engines.

Watch out for links from:

• Spammy or irrelevant websites: These links can signal to search engines that your website is associated with low-quality content, ultimately damaging your rankings.

• Websites with a low Domain Authority (DA): Low DA websites are less credible, and backlinks from such sites can negatively impact your website’s authority.

• Link farms or paid link schemes: Participating in these practices goes against search engine guidelines and can result in penalties for your website.

Here are some steps you can follow to deal with toxic backlinks:

• Regularly monitor your backlink profile using tools like Google Search Console or Ahrefs.
  
  Keeping an eye on your backlinks allows you to identify and address toxic links before they cause significant damage.

• Reach out to the webmaster of the toxic link source and request removal.
  
  Be polite and explain the negative impact of the link on your website’s performance.
  
  Some webmasters may be willing to help, while others may not respond or cooperate.

• If removal isn’t possible or the webmaster is uncooperative, use Google’s Disavow tool to ask Google to ignore these harmful links.
  
  Remember to use the Disavow tool with caution and as a last resort, as it can also negatively impact your website’s rankings if misused.

5. Build backlinks with media outreach

Media outreach is an excellent way to build backlinks and increase your website’s visibility.

It involves building relationships with journalists, bloggers, and influencers in your industry and leveraging those relationships to gain coverage and backlinks to your website.

When done correctly, media outreach can significantly boost your netlinking efforts and improve your search engine rankings.

Here are some steps you can consider mastering your media outreach:

1. Research and identify relevant journalists, bloggers, and influencers in your niche who have a track record of linking to high-quality content.
   
   Make a list of potential targets and prioritize them based on their reach, influence, and likelihood of obtaining a backlink.
   
   
2. Offer exclusive content, such as interviews, guest posts, or research findings, that is unique and valuable to your target audience.
   
   This can increase the likelihood of securing a backlink, as it provides something their audience can’t find elsewhere.
   
   
3. Monitor industry news and trends, and be prepared to offer timely insights and commentary.
   
   By being proactive and relevant, you can position yourself as a valuable resource for journalists and influencers, leading to more backlinks.
   
   
4. Track your outreach efforts and measure their success.
   
   Analyze the backlinks you gain from media outreach and the impact they have on your search engine rankings.
   
   Use this data to refine your approach and focus on what works best for your netlinking strategy.

Master your media outreach strategy with Getfluence

While media outreach can be a powerful tool to master your netlinking, it is also one of the most complex practices in marketing, which can lead to harmful results if misused.

Indeed, when you lack the right tools and strategies for media outreach, you can face troubles such as:

• Reputation damage, due to links from irrelevant or controversial websites;

• Waste of time and money;

• Disorganization and lack of a clear direction for your brand.

So, if you want to make the most of your media outreach and successfully build backlinks for your website, consider picking the right tools for the job, such as Getfluence.

Getfluence is the global marketplace that connects you with 10.000+ premium publishers around the world, like The Economist, Forbes, and Le Monde.

With Getfluence, you can easily reach out to media in your area of expertise and ask them to host your content for competitive prices, directly pre-negotiated for you by Getfluence’s experts.

Finally, you will save up to 70% of the time you need to work on media outreach, thanks to Getfluence’s built-in messaging system, and its easy-to-use interface.