What’s more important: SEO or content marketing? Link building or relevant content? These questions plague the minds of many, since Google updated its Penguin algorithm in 2012. The question has been discussed with even more enthusiasm after John Mueller declared that he would allegedly like to avoid link building completely.
The idea under discussion is that since the Penguin algorithm was updated back in 2012, any efforts to build links through spammy and low-quality tactics were destroyed. Moreover, further updates and data refreshes are just making the system better, so Google can track if your website is involved in black-hat SEO tactics. Taking into account this fact, SEO experts, marketers, bloggers and other specialists involved in SEO have been divided into two camps: those who believe that link building is dead and those who think that link building is still alive and will be alive for a very long time.
So, where is the truth? Is link building already dead? And, if yes, how should we promote our websites? And if no, how is link building changing? These questions have bothered me since I started my career as an SEO expert. And as a professional, I owe it to myself personally, as well as to my clients, to find out the answers.
The other reason that makes ranking without links almost impossible is Google Penguin. Links are a significant part of the Penguin algorithm and, in fact, links are how Google determines a website’s relevance. So, until the algorithm operates this way, link building will remain important.
When I was searching for information about what Google thinks about link building, I came across an interview with Matt Cutts, who confirmed that links continue to be a valuable ranking factor.
Of course, Google can control the quality of links and change the rules of how links should look, but links will invariably stay one of the primary ways information is shared on the Internet.
Funny news, I also discovered this while searching the topic: Google Chrome was caught buying links for $35,000. I think that proves the fact that quality content is not the only thing you need to pay attention for.
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