How Link Profiles Have Changed the Online Marketing Landscape

Recently, SEOs may have had difficulty relying on link building strategies that previously helped create page authority within Google's SERPs.  Google's new link evaluation process is definitely taking a toll on low-quality links and is forcing developers to find better methods of building backlinks.  Despite Google's apparent emphasis on link evaluation lately, backlinks are still an important factor in organic SEO success.  The question on the mind of many SEOs at the moment is: "How can I build high-quality, relevant links that Google won't penalize as spam?"  The answer may be more obvious than some might realize.

Search engines, particularly Google, are now making a point to eliminate backlinks that may appear to be "spam" to users.  The problem this presents for SEOs is that link building strategies are a traditional staple of most search engine optimization campaigns.  The recent crackdown on low-quality backlinks has already affected the organic rankings of many pages and introduced a new challenge to optimizers.  Some link building companies have even been de-indexed by Google and were subsequently rendered obsolete.

The solution to the problem lies in social media.  The very future of link building may rely on networking sites to increase the number of high-quality and relevant backlinks to pages.  Google's algorithm cares about social engagement and as such, social factors can help determine certain ranking factors.  Thousands of sites have been hit by algorithm changes over the past several months and many others will be affected due to ongoing Panda and Penguin update refreshes and other monthly changes.  Many industry experts believe that search is going to get more social and SEOs would be wise to follow suit.

The ongoing integration of social media marketing and traditional SEO will be on the rise in 2013.  With many business owners turning to social networks to help promote their brand and the ever-increasing authority of social media within the SERPs, the value of relevant backlinks from sources such as Facebook, Google+ and Twitter will rise, as well.  Online marketers should continue enhancing their social profiles and expanding campaigns in order to achieve better rankings through social engagement factors.