Is white hat link building still relevant?
Senior SEO-specialist
SEO experts are increasingly questioning the relevance of white hat link building. Search engine algorithms are changing and the main focus is good quality content. Marketers and CMOs strive for sustainable online growth and visibility. Is this approach to link building still appropriate for this purpose?
White hat link building
White hat link building is about obtaining backlinks in a way that is in line with search engine guidelines. This way, the focus is on valuable content that naturally attracts links and building relationships with other websites. With this strategy, do not buy links, but earn them. This makes the website more sustainable and credible.
Quality content for natural link growth
The most important thing for a good white hat link building strategy is quality content. This way, you automatically attract links from other websites. Quality content is seen as a valuable resource, which means other sites will refer to it. Link growth strengthens SEO and increases a website’s authority.
Read more about white hat link building
- What is black hat SEO?
- What is cloaking and does it still work?
- Recovering from a Google penalty?
- What is a Google penalty?
- What is a link farm?
Create content that is both shareable and informative to gain more natural backlinks. Continuously connect with the interests of the target audience and make sure the content is shareable on social media and other platforms. Some examples are informative blog posts or research reports that answer specific questions within an industry.
Content types
There are many different types of content. Some species are more interesting to share than others. Below is an overview:
| Type of content | Degree of divisibility (1-100) |
|---|---|
| How-to guides | 85 |
| Infographics | 95 |
| Interactive quizzes | 75 |
| Lists and top 10s | 80 |
| In-depth research reports | 70 |
| Videos and tutorials | 90 |
| Podcasts | 60 |
| Personal stories | 65 |
| Case studies | 70 |
| Blog posts with expert opinions | 80 |
Visual elements
Visual elements such as videos, infographics and interactive content help generate backlinks. These forms of content are more appealing and easier to share. This increases outreach. Visual elements also present complex information in an accessible way. Other websites and social media also pick up the content faster.
Guest blogging
A popular white hat link building technique is guest blogging. Write valuable content for other websites to earn backlinks to your own site. It also increases brand awareness and reach. Write guest blogs for relevant and high-quality websites within the industry to improve SEO.
Note: Do not purchase guest blogs, but write quality content for another website. The content will not be posted on the competitor’s website.
The right platforms for guest blogging
have a good reputation. A strong readership and high domain authority are also important. Both one’s own site and that of the host should benefit from the collaboration.
Quality guest blog
Guest blog content should be qualitative and valuable to readers. Properly research the target audience and style of the host website and tailor the content accordingly. In this way, you not only obtain backlinks, but also strengthen your reputation in the field.
How to get backlinks through relationships?
Building relationships in the industry can be an effective way to get backlinks. Partner with other companies in the industry, influencers and other websites. These relationships allow you to exchange links naturally. Any collaboration must have benefits for both parties.
Networking
To build personal relationships with other businesses, networking is key. Networking can be done through online networking events, webinars, social media or face-to-face meetings at conferences and workshops. Actively seek contact and be involved and helpful. In this way, natural recommendations and mentions are created, leading to quality backlinks.
Link entries by relationship
There are various forms of professional relationships that contribute to stronger link building. See the overview below:
| Relationship type | How to request a link |
|---|---|
| Local businesses | Approach local businesses you work with or that are complementary to the company. Suggest promoting each other’s services or products through a link on each other’s websites. |
| Industry peers | Contact colleagues in the same industry for guest blogging opportunities or sharing content of mutual interest. |
| Industry influencers | Approach influencers in the industry with a proposal for collaboration, such as a joint project or sharing unique content on their platform. |
| Local community groups | Become active in local community groups and suggest sharing relevant content or events on their websites. |
| Professional organizations | Join professional organizations and contribute to their publications or blogs in exchange for a link to the site. |
| Educational institutions | Work with educational institutions to provide guest lectures, internships or joint research projects, and ask for a link on their website. |
| Non-profit organizations | Support nonprofit organizations and in return ask for a listing on their partner page or in their sponsorship section. |
| Events and conferences | Attend or sponsor industry events and conferences and ask for a link on their website or in their promotional materials. |
| Suppliers and partners | Approach suppliers and partners for reciprocal link exchanges based on the business relationship. |
| Customers | Ask satisfied customers to mention the company in their testimonials or case studies on their websites. |
When asking for a link listing, emphasize the mutual benefits and always remain professional and respectful. Clearly explain how the link can add value to their website on audience.
Link building is an important part of the SEO roadmap. Inform the potential partner of this as well.
Collaborations and partnerships
Collaborations and partnerships with influencers or other companies in the industry also helps to get backlinks and rank higher in Google. For example, make joint promotions or create joint content.
In this way, both parties obtain relevant backlinks and both have a stake in the success of the joint project.
Social media
Nowadays, social media plays a big role in link-building strategies. Plaftorms like LinkedIn, X, Facebook and Instagram are efficient for expanding your network and building relationships with industry influencers. Be active on these platforms and share valuable content regularly. Also be interactive et the followers.
For better results and higher SEO rankings, it is important to choose the social media platform that best matches the target audience. Make sure you are active on these platforms. Don’t just post content, build relationships with potential link partners. Respond to others’ posts as well.
In addition, create “shareable content. For increased visibility, it is important that people share the content. Thus, the content must be both informative or engaging and match the interests of the target audience.
For example, use interesting infographics or inspirational quotes. Blog posts and videos also contribute. The more often people share the content, the more backlinks you obtain.
Local SEO for local link building
Local SEO is important for businesses that target customers in a particular region or city. Local SEO not only improves local search results, but also creates opportunities for local link building.
List the company in local directories, build relationships with local media and businesses, and participate in community activities. Local backlinks increase a website’s relevance and authority in a particular geographic region.
Local directories and citations
List a business in relevant local directories and citations such as Google My Business, Yelp and local business directories. Always keep company information up-to-date to increase local visibility and obtain quality backlinks. This strengthens the ranking in the search engines.
The most interesting directories
The table below shows some of the largest local directories in the Netherlands. These were rated on a scale of 1 to 100 based on how interesting it would be to get a link from them to a Web site. Factors such as relevance to local search results, directory authority and potential impact on SEO come into play.
| Local directory | Score (1-100) | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Google My Company | 100 | Essential for local visibility and SEO. |
| Yelp Netherlands | 90 | Important for reviews and local search results. |
| Phone Book | 80 | Good for local business listings. |
| Foursquare | 75 | Useful for local findability and reviews. |
| Business page | 70 | Helps with local SEO and visibility. |
| Opening hours | 65 | Useful for businesses with physical locations. |
| Entrepreneur’s Guide.com | 60 | Suitable for local business profiling. |
| Cylex Business Directory | 55 | Offers both company listings and reviews. |
| NetherlandsinBusiness | 50 | Useful for a wide range of businesses. |
| Hotfrog Netherlands | 45 | Useful for company listings in various industries. |
The above results are indicative and vary depending on a company’s specific sector and location. Listings on platforms that rank high – think Google My Company – are very valuable. Always keep company information up-to-date and consistent. This can greatly improve SEO performance.
Local events and sponsorships
Actively participate in local events and sponsorships to gain local backlinks. Engagement leads to valuable relationships and increased visibility. Some examples of involvement include sponsoring a local sports team or participating in charity events. From this, a business can obtain links from local organizations, news websites or schools.
Analyze and monitor link profile
Analyze and monitor a link profile regularly to assess the effectiveness of the link building strategy. Look not only at the number of backlinks you obtain, but also at the quality. Their influence on search results is also important.
Monitor a link profile to gain insight into which strategies are working and whether aspects need improvement. Also see if there are any malicious links that negatively affect SEO.
Tools for monitoring backlinks
Several tools help monitor backlinks, think Ahrefs, SEMrush and Moz. These tools show detailed information about the backlinks, including the source of the links, the authority of the linking sites and the anchor text. The tools also show whether the links are dofollow or nofollow.
This information helps understand the impact of efforts in terms of link building and gain insight into areas for improvement.
Quality and relevance of a link
Not only is the quantity of backlinks important, look at quality and relevance. High-quality links come from relevant sources and have a positive impact on SEO.
Low-quality links, on the other hand, are harmful. Therefore, always check that the links obtained are from reliable and authoritative websites. This improves ranking in Google search results and brand credibility.
Summary
White hat link building is and will continue to be a valuable strategy within SEO. This method takes a little more time, it also produces sustainable results that strengthen the long-term integrity and authority of the website.
Nowadays, the quality and authenticity of links are becoming increasingly important factors for search engines and white hat link building is essential for companies looking to increase their online presence in an effective and ethical manner.
