{"id":303,"date":"2021-01-19T10:21:43","date_gmt":"2021-01-19T10:21:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crowdo.net\/blog\/?p=303"},"modified":"2023-11-28T13:56:45","modified_gmt":"2023-11-28T13:56:45","slug":"backlink-profile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crowdo.net\/blog\/backlink-profile\/","title":{"rendered":"Strong and Natural Backlink Profile: How Does it Look Like?"},"content":{"rendered":"    <div class=\"quote-box\">\r\n        <div><p>To start with, there\u2019s no \u201cideal\u201d backlink profile in modern SEO, as it differs on a case-by-case basis. However, there are certain rules of thumb that classify a strong and natural backlink profile, that\u2019s likely to push your SERPs.<\/p>\n<p>In this article we\u2019re going to look at the checklist, that\u2019ll help you to analyze and improve your existing link portfolio.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\n\n\n<p>First off, we\u2019re going to start by mentioning some useful tools that can assist you to monitor the health and performance of your backlinks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thereafter, we will touch upon some \u201ccommon traits\u201d of backlinks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The next step is to address referring domains and pages, and how can you separate the good, the bad and the ugly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Last, we will make some additional remarks on things that SEO specialists tend to overlook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Without further ado , let\u2019s begin!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"00675334d1f0\">Useful SEO Tools to Keep in Mind<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"787d3eabef94\">Tools to Analyze Keyword Performance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Every time you start a link-building project, it\u2019s always a good idea to track your keyword performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At Crowdo we use <a href=\"https:\/\/keyword.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">keyword.com<\/a> for this purpose. This tool shows us whether our links improved the ranking of keywords that we worked with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1445\" height=\"718\" src=\"https:\/\/crowdo.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/image1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-745\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>All you need to do is input your website URL and keywords that you\u2019re targeting and start the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thereafter, the tool will monitor your performance for the selected keywords over a certain period of time.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most of the time, you\u2019ll start seeing a significant difference in a few months after you finish your link-building project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We prefer working with keyword.com because it\u2019s very convenient to set up multiple projects that we can later share with clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet, there are numerous other tools on the market that can track your keyword rankings:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/serpwatcher.com\/#\" target=\"_blank\">SERPWatcher<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/moz.com\/products\/pro\/rank-tracking\" target=\"_blank\">Moz <\/a>(RankTracker feature)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/seranking.com\/position-tracking.html\" target=\"_blank\">SE Ranking<\/a> (Keyword Rank Tracker feature)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"651110472529\">Tools to Analyze and Monitor Your Backlinks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You probably use one already, yet we feel like it\u2019s important to note a couple of good tools for backlink analysis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This will really benefit the SEO newbies who are here to learn!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/moz.com\" target=\"_blank\">Moz<\/a> (Link Explorer feature)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Ahrefs<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/neilpatel.com\/ubersuggest\/\" target=\"_blank\">Ubersuggest<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkody.com\" target=\"_blank\">Linkody<\/a> (backlink tracker)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.seoclarity.net\" target=\"_blank\">SEO Clarity<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1503\" height=\"756\" src=\"https:\/\/crowdo.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/image3.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-747\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"154fc7073460\">Backlinks: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"0be442c69886\">Backlink Attributes &amp; Why They Matter<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As you know, backlinks can be dofollow and nofollow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It used to be common knowledge that dofollow links pass all the ranking juice, whereas nofollow links are ignored by search engines.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is not exactly the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Google considers <strong>\u201cnofollow\u201d <\/strong>and other link attributes (we\u2019ll get to that in a bit) as \u201chints\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Furthermore, it has been confirmed that certain trusted nofollow links will pass the ranking juice as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, Wikipedia links are known to be good for SERP even though they\u2019re always nofollow links.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Moreover, a healthy backlink profile will consist of both dofollow and nofollow (preferably around 70% DF and 30% NF).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If all of your backlinks are dofollow, that might look unnatural to the search engine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whereas if all of your backlinks are nofollow, they are unlikely to give you a significant boost in rankings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As mentioned, there are two more link attributes that Google has introduced just recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those are <strong>\u201cugc\u201d<\/strong> and <strong>\u201csponsored\u201d<\/strong> and both of these are also \u201chints\u201d and variations of nofollow links.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cUgc\u201d stands for user-generated content, and some blogs will always add their attribute to any links placed by users in their comments.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This attribute does not necessarily devalue the link entirely, yet if your link profile consists entirely of those links &#8211; this is a warning sign to search engines that you may have gotten involved in link farming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In other words, if you keep those links to a healthy minimum, they won\u2019t do any trouble.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n    <div class=\"citation-box\"> \r\n        <div class=\"citation-line\"> <\/div>\r\n        <div class=\"citation-text\"> <p>However, blog commenting is not a good strategy to build backlinks. Crowd marketing (or forum link building) serves this purpose much better, and very few forums add the \u201cugc\u201d tag to their links.<\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\n\n\n<p>Lastly, there are \u201csponsored\u201d links, that are meant to indicate that a certain link comes from an affiliate or commercial source. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These links are not particularly useful for climbing the SERPs, but some websites will add this attribute to any affiliate links.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nothing wrong with that, but keep in mind that this kind of links should be kept at a minimal level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"6a177a46c275\">Link Pacing\/ Velocity<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>These terms refer to the speed at which backlinks to your website are placed. As you know, running drip-feed link building campaigns is a smart idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because if your website receives too many links all of a sudden &#8211; that might signal to Google that the way you acquire links is natural.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Surely, the most organic links you can hope for are those left by regular users without asking\/ incentivizing them. A.k.a you can\u2019t always control this process.Luckily, in this case you don\u2019t even have to.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Real-life users will not try to benefit your SEO per se and thus will link on different websites at different points in time, using different anchor text.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet in this competitive SEO age of 2021, you often find yourself in need of running a targeted link-building campaign that you can control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If that\u2019s the case, we prepared a short table that will tell you the time horizon to drip-feed the backlinks you build using some common methods.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Link-building method<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Drip-feed schedule<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Crowd Marketing (forum link building)<\/td><td>2-3 links per day<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"\/outreach\"   title=\"Outreach guest posting\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">Outreach guest posting<\/a><\/td><td>2 links per week<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Niche edits<\/td><td>2 links per week<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Social platforms (such as Quora)<\/td><td>2-3 links per day<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n    <div class=\"citation-box\"> \r\n        <div class=\"citation-line\"> <\/div>\r\n        <div class=\"citation-text\"> <p>Please note, that there\u2019s no \u201cright and wrong\u201d here, and this table serves as an indication. This shouldn\u2019t be treated as scientific advice.<\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"72aef3827c36\">Link Freshness<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It is commonly-agreed in an SEO world, that the link value tends to decline over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Link-building is an ongoing process, and once you receive high-quality backlinks &#8211; that\u2019s not time to stop. Regardless of where those links come from, they will start losing their value at some point.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Therefore, to sustain your ranking, you should receive solid input of fresh new backlinks every now and then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"80b316ced7a4\">Natural and Diverse Anchor Text<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Anchor text is one of the factors, taken into account by Google when validating the quality of your backlinks.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1183\" height=\"558\" src=\"https:\/\/crowdo.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/image2.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-746\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Some common types of anchor texts include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Naked URL<\/strong> &#8211; this is just a bare link to your website. This kind of anchor text is not descriptive and thus carries less SEO weight. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>However, any backlink profile should include a vast number of naked URL backlinks for a natural link profile. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Think about it, most users tend to just share a link without anchor text, so this is something common and expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Example: <em>https:\/\/crowdo.net<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Generic\/ zero anchor text<\/strong> &#8211; those are common phrases, such as \u201cread more\u201d, \u201cclick here\u201d. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Similarly to naked URLs, these anchors are weaker from an SEO standpoint. However, they are needed to make your link profile look natural.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Example: <em>read more, click here, learn more<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Exact match anchor text<\/strong> &#8211; this anchor is composed of your target keywords + your location, and that is the golden mine of your keyword research. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>You should definitely aim for this anchor text in your link-building efforts, yet don\u2019t overdo it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s a term called \u201cover optimization\u201d, and that\u2019s exactly why you should diversify your links by including naked urls or zero anchor text.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Example: <em>Plumbing Services San Diego, T-Shirt Retailer in New York City<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Partial match anchor text<\/strong> &#8211; this is again your target keywords, but this time without any geographical specifics<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Example: <em>Outreach agency, car shipping service<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Branded anchors <\/strong>&#8211; this is your brand name or its variations. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Those come in handy, when you want to push the ranking of your brand name (especially if other companies have the same brand name).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Example: <em>Crowdo, Semrush, Ahrefs<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>LSI Keywords<\/strong> &#8211; those are not your target keywords per se, but rather synonyms or variations of your target keywords. Let\u2019s say your top keyword is \u201cgaming\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Example: <em>gaming industry, gaming blogs, gaming portals, gaming websites<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A natural link profile will have a mix of anchor texts from all of these categories.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"708aefe6aa53\">Content Surrounding the Link<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Ideally, your links should always be surrounded by unique and well-written content, that describes the topic of your point of interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1359\" height=\"302\" src=\"https:\/\/crowdo.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/image5.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-749\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re working on a <a href=\"https:\/\/crowdo.net\/blog\/crowd-marketing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">crowd marketing campaign<\/a>, try aiming for replies that contain 400 symbols or more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And if you\u2019re writing an article for <a href=\"https:\/\/crowdo.net\/blog\/outreach-guest-posting-101-from-zero-to-hero\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">guest posting<\/a> purposes, you should have at least 1000 words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After you\u2019ve written that content, you should double-check for spelling mistakes via tools like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.grammarly.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Grammarly<\/a> or <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hemingwayapp.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Hemingway<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lastly, check for plagiarism using <a href=\"https:\/\/www.copyscape.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Copyscape<\/a> or again, Grammarly (if you have a premium version).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep in mind, that links that aren\u2019t surrounded by any text are basically worthless.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Similarly, don\u2019t use any templates for link-building in multiple places, because duplicate text is a sign of spamming, and that\u2019s not what you should be doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"63852aa14558\">The Realm of Referring Domains: What is There to be Judged?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"8a5878d6701c\">Referring Domains\u2019 Metrics<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Goes without saying that a solid backlink profile consists of links coming from trusted websites (read as coming from good referring domains).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are multiple metrics used to judge the quality of a domain. The most vital are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>DA\/DR<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>UR<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>TF<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>CF<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Spam Score<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019re not elaborating on these metrics in-depth, as this is something that we\u2019ve covered so many times in our blog \ud83d\ude42&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But in case you\u2019re new to these terms, <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/sagapixel.com\/seo\/what-is-a-good-tf-dr-da\/\" target=\"_blank\">take a look here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"46776c02cde8\">Relevance of Referring Domains\/ Pages<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Let us stress it one more time: <strong>websites or web pages that link to your website should come from the same niche.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If the entire website is niche-relevant &#8211; that\u2019s perfect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, a particular section of the website might be relevant as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With forums, that would be a thread that revolves around a topic, somehow connected to your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With blogs, that would be a category that represents your niche.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In other words, aim for relevant referring domains or at least relevant referring pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"4f644eb1f834\">Localion of Referring Domains<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Another value-adding bonus is if the referring domain is from the same location as your website. This is particularly important for <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"\/local-seo\"   title=\"local SEO\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">local SEO<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"911\" height=\"462\" src=\"https:\/\/crowdo.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/image4.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-748\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s say you offer a pool cleaning service in Minneapolis,Minnesota.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having links from some directory in Nicaragua will not do much to increase your rankings in Minnesota.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How about a link from the US website? That\u2019s much better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And a link from the website based in Minnesota? That\u2019s just perfect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"0d4bab6cc94f\">Quantity of Root Domains<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The number of backlinks and the number of referring domains are not the same thing. You may receive a lot of links coming from the same website.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From an SEO viewpoint, however, you should prioritize getting backlinks from different sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1428\" height=\"413\" src=\"https:\/\/crowdo.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/image7.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-751\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>You can check the number of referring domains (e.g root domains) in pretty much any SEO tool these days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this case link-building strategy follows the law of diminishing returns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s illustrate this law with an example of ice-cream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You buy 1 ice cream cone, and it gives you a large amount of satisfaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The second ice cream cone &#8211; okay, not so much as the first one, but you still derive some satisfaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The third one &#8211; you get a minimal amount of satisfaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And we can speculate further until you reach the point at which more ice cream cones will in fact bring dissatisfaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Funny enough, but this is kind of true for your link-building efforts as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first link you build from a website X adds a lot of value to your SEO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Second and third links from that same website hold much lower value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And at some point links coming from the same domain will lose their value entirely and may be considered as link-farming (read as black hat).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"a3feb1b3e7e3\">Referring Page Depth<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Page Depth refers to the amount of clicks needed to reach that specific page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The more you have to navigate through the website to find a specific page &#8211; the greater its depth is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1135\" height=\"220\" src=\"https:\/\/crowdo.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/image6.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-750\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Thus, your homepage has virtually no depth. However, a blog may have multiple categories, then subcategories, then threads, then something else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Therefore, deep pages are not that easily discoverable by humans, nor by robots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a similar fashion, links from those deep pages are less valuable.<\/p>\n\n\n    <div class=\"citation-box\"> \r\n        <div class=\"citation-line\"> <\/div>\r\n        <div class=\"citation-text\"> <p>If you\u2019re working out your own link-building game, try not to focus on deep pages too much.<\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"fd65ab293b08\">Absence of Toxic Links from Spammy Domains<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>There are a number of links that can actually drop your ranking and trigger Google to penalize your website. That\u2019s what we call \u201ctoxic links\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s discuss what they look like, how you can find them and how to remove them from your link portfolio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First of all, toxic links can be either of the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Backlinks from an untrusted\/ unreliable source<\/strong> &#8211; you can check the TF of the referring domain and if it\u2019s 0 or close to 0, you\u2019re definitely getting a toxic link from that website<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Backlinks from websites with a high spam score<\/strong> &#8211; similar to previous, most SEO tools will give you an estimation of a spam score, and if the website is filled with spam &#8211; you don\u2019t want any links from there.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1270\" height=\"467\" src=\"https:\/\/crowdo.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/image9.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-753\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Links from irrelevant places<\/strong> &#8211; this one is pretty simple. If you\u2019re offering a \u201cplumering\u201d service, you probably don\u2019t want links coming from gambling websites.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In other words, ensure that you\u2019re getting links from niche-relevant websites, as irrelevant links coming from a totally different playing field not only don\u2019t contribute to your SEO, but in fact hurt it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Backlinks coming from excessive spamming<\/strong> &#8211; even these days people try to abuse blog comments for spamming their links (regardless of the blog subject) without adding any value to the discussion.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Even we have to remove a lot of these comments from our own blog. It\u2019s always the same exact message with the same link. Beware, that this is a clear road to a Google Penalty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1087\" height=\"192\" src=\"https:\/\/crowdo.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/image8.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-752\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Backlinks from link-aggregator websites\/ link networks<\/strong> &#8211; if Google detects that you\u2019re involved in PBN or other link-generating schemes, your website will get punished. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Luckily, it\u2019s quite uncommon to find a link to your website from a PBN source without paying\/ negotiating for it, as PBN owners link with a clear commercial intent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"842\" height=\"180\" src=\"https:\/\/crowdo.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/image12.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-756\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Hidden links<\/strong> &#8211; any link that is hidden from the user on purpose is clearly toxic. It is a well-known <a href=\"https:\/\/crowdo.net\/blog\/black-hat-vs-white-hat-seo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">black hat<\/a> practice to hide links (by varying the background color of font size), yet it simply doesn\u2019t work anymore.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Backlinks from article directories<\/strong> &#8211; back in the days that used to work, and now it doesn\u2019t. Article directories like Ezine are useless for SEO purposes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In fact, most online directories should be avoided, except for a few trusted ones (like Google My Business or Bing Places, if you\u2019re into local SEO).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1356\" height=\"457\" src=\"https:\/\/crowdo.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/image10.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-754\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Run a backlink analysis using your favorite SEO tool (we recommend Semrush or Ahrefs) and compile a list of toxic links. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those tools will give you a spam score and TF to be used as a starting point. Some will even display a website niche for an easier overview. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nonetheless, you should review the backlink report manually and use your own judgement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After you have a complete spreadsheet of links that you consider toxic &#8211; it\u2019s time to remove them. You have 2 choices:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Contact the website owner<\/strong> &#8211; that usually doesn\u2019t work or simply takes too long. Perhaps this might work with blogs, but definitely not with forums or other social platforms.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul start=\"2\">\n<li><strong>Submit the list to Google Disavow<\/strong> &#8211; this method is your best bet for getting rid of toxic links.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1284\" height=\"719\" src=\"https:\/\/crowdo.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/image11.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-755\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"30ae1e31cf51\">Final Remarks and Honorable Mentions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"88b6ba5aa8d7\">Social Media Links &amp; Mentions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It is well known that links from social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn) don\u2019t produce any significant SEO gains. But you should still have a handful of social links and mentions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are 3 main reasons why:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol>\n<li>If you offer high-quality content, that resonates well with your audience &#8211; you should definitely expect a number of social media links\/ mentionings from people. Thus, it makes your backlink profile look natural<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Social signals such as shares or linkless mentions (more on that in a bit) is a great way to show buzz around your content which brings indirect SEO benefits.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Those links generate traffic, and that\u2019s the reason behind building backlinks in the first place<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"705\" height=\"578\" src=\"https:\/\/crowdo.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/image13.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-757\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"14078923662a\">Text Mentions\/ Citations\/ Linkless Mentions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This goes slightly outside of the topic, as text mentions, citations or linkless mentions are not actually \u201clinks\u201d. Yet we felt like this subject is worth mentioning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A lot of people underestimate&nbsp; text mentions that you or your brand receive on the web that do not contain a backlink.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Google has explicitly stated that references, citations or linkless mentions of your brand can have a positive impact on your E-A-T, which in turn influences your website\u2019s rankings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those mentions are also called \u201cimplied links\u201d, and it has been a thing since Google Panda Update.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Long story short, if trustworthy sources mention you even without linking back to your website &#8211; it&#8217;s definitely a good thing for SEO, and you shouldn\u2019t underestimate it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"dac8d7e6a2c4\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Every year (or every Google Update)&nbsp; it becomes more and more challenging to build a sustainable backlink strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet there are a few trusted <a href=\"https:\/\/crowdo.net\/link-building-services\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">backlink providers like Crowdo<\/a> who can help you refine and develop your backlink profile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"03a182261069\">FAQ<\/h2>\n\n\n<div id=\"rank-math-faq\" class=\"rank-math-block\">\n<div class=\"rank-math-list \">\n<div id=\"faq-question-1629797998959\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h4 class=\"rank-math-question \"><strong>What kind of links should I build to keep my link profile natural, yet effective?<\/strong><\/h4>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>You should aim to build different kinds of backlinks. We covered some strategies in <a href=\"https:\/\/crowdo.net\/blog\/link-building\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">this article<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-1629798004938\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h4 class=\"rank-math-question \"><strong>How often should I audit my backlink profile?<\/strong><\/h4>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>That depends on the scope of your website, but doing a backlink audit once a month seems like a good benchmark.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-1629798014342\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h4 class=\"rank-math-question \"><strong>Is there any winning formula to build up a perfect link profile?<\/strong><\/h4>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>There is not, it depends on a lot of factors.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-1629798024266\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h4 class=\"rank-math-question \"><strong>How frequently should I use Google Disavow to remove toxic links?<\/strong><\/h4>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>We really don&#8217;t recommend you to use it more often than once every 3 months. Otherwise it will look suspicious to Google and they can simply discredit all the ranking weight from your link profile. Remember, that Google doesn&#8217;t want you to use the Disavow tool frequently.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-1629798034670\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h4 class=\"rank-math-question \"><strong>I have a hard time figuring this stuff out&#8230; Can you guys help?<\/strong><\/h4>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>For sure! We offer an <a href=\"https:\/\/crowdo.net\/audit\">SEO audit service<\/a>, and complete investigation of your link profile is included in every package<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There is no perfect backlink profile. However, there are certain rules of thumb, that will help you to keep your links natural and effective.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1752,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdo.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/303"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdo.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdo.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdo.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdo.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=303"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/crowdo.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/303\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2270,"href":"https:\/\/crowdo.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/303\/revisions\/2270"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdo.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdo.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdo.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdo.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}