Australian entrepreneur and founder of Rubix Studios. Vincent specialises in branding, multimedia, and web development with a focus on digital innovation and emerging technologies.
Table of contents
Link building remains a core component of SEO. Search engines use links to discover new pages and evaluate authority. Without inbound links, even the most informative content may go unnoticed. However, not all links are beneficial. Low-quality or manipulative links can harm your site's performance and rankings. The key is to develop a sustainable strategy focused on earning reputable, topic-relevant links.
Link building
Link building involves acquiring hyperlinks from external websites that lead to your own. These inbound links signal to search engines that your content is credible and relevant. When high-authority domains link to your content, it increases your page’s trustworthiness and ranking potential.
In Australia, earning links from reputable publishers like The Sydney Morning Herald, Broadsheet, or SmartCompany carries significantly more weight than a personal blog with limited reach.
Link quality
The value of a backlink depends on several key factors:
- Authority: Trusted domains pass more SEO value.
- Topical: Links from similar industries are favoured.
- Placement: Editorial links within body content carry more weight than footers or sidebars.
- Anchor text: Descriptive, keyword-relevant anchor text performs better than generic terms.
Avoid:
- Low-authority or unrelated websites
- Link exchanges or paid links
- Links embedded in spammy directories or irrelevant forums
These practices are often flagged by Google and may result in ranking penalties.
Risk
Avoiding harmful link building tactics is essential. Paid links, link schemes, or “link farms” are explicitly disapproved by Google’s guidelines. Search engines are increasingly sophisticated in detecting unnatural link patterns and can penalise websites through algorithmic downgrades or manual actions.
Reputable SEO platforms, including Yoast and Moz, recommend avoiding:
- Purchasing links from third-party vendors.
- Joining private blog networks (PBNs).
- Using automated link-building software.
A clean backlink profile is critical to long-term SEO stability.
Earning links
Building links ethically requires strong content, defined audiences, and outreach. It starts with understanding who your audience is and what kind of content they find valuable enough to share or reference.
Build effective backlinks:
- Create relevant, high-quality content: Examples include detailed guides, research articles, and original insights.
- Identify your target audience: Document content personas including industry, interests, and search behaviours.
- Outreach strategically: Contact website owners, editors, or industry partners likely to value and share your content.
Content:
- Data-driven studies and statistics.
- How-to guides or tutorials.
- Localised resources (e.g. "Best suppliers in Melbourne").
- Expert opinion pieces and guest posts.
Invest time in manual outreach with a focus on value and relevance. Personalise your communication and explain why your content benefits their audience.
Link building is not about quantity—it’s about quality, relevance, and integrity. Earning backlinks from authoritative, topic-aligned sources takes time and effort, but the benefits to SEO and organic traffic are substantial. Avoid shortcuts that risk penalties and instead focus on developing valuable content that others want to share. Done correctly, link building is one of the most rewarding long-term SEO investments.