When to not build links
Google uses links as part of its search engine rankings, and building links is a much discussed topic in SEO for that reason. Most agencies seem to recommend some level of link building for their clients, and they rarely recommend stopping a campaign after the initial wave of links have been built.
So when is it not appropriate to build links?
Outside of the type of links described here, you need to turn your focus away from building links to focusing on your site itself and how people interact with it.
The reason why I say this is that, once you have covered this list, you’re unlikely to get significant link value by blogger outreach to mummy bloggers to boost your rankings further in the medium to short term. Therefore, you should try to keep your existing levels of website traffic from bouncing and convince them to convert instead.
Where should I focus my efforts?
Look at your web analytics package. If you don’t have one, Google Analytics is free and relatively easy to install.
As a first port of call, see what the overall bounce rate is. If it is higher than 50%, that signifies a problem. If it’s over 70%, the problem is serious. Really look at what sections and pages on your site have high bounce rates and imagine you are coming to this page for the first time via Google search.
Does this page meet your expectations? Can you take the further steps required to convert, be that signing up to a newsletter, making a purchase or filling in an enquiry form? If not, these are issues that need to be explored.
Next, look at your product offering next to your competition. Do they have a more professional looking package? Are your prices in line with theirs? Do they offer free shipping with less caveats than you? If you have an eCommerce website selling products 20% higher than your competition, it is no wonder that people are more likely to bounce when they come to your website in the hope of finding cheaper products elsewhere.
Moreover, user experience is a ranking factor for search engines in and of themselves. If your products landing page has a bounce rate of 75% and you’re no. 8 in search results, lowering that to 30% by improving your navigation, making the copy more engaging and optimising the site for mobile and voice search is much more likely to boost your rankings than links from random no-name mummy bloggers.
Site improvement is holistic
So to conclude, while links are important, outside of the areas I outlined in my article on how to find and build links, effort and money is better spent on a holistic review of your website that will yield results long term.