Link building is a critical aspect of SEO, which increases your website’s credibility in the niche, contributing to higher rankings on results pages. Hence, it is important to hire a white hat link-building service agency that can model campaigns in alignment with the goals you have in mind for your brand’s online presence. However, not all agencies will be using ethical and organic link-building campaigns. For the sake of showing quick results, some agencies may use manipulative or spammy links created with unauthoritative, unrelated websites. This can harm your website’s performance and hamper its SEO rankings. Outsourcing the whole link-building strategy to an external agency can be a big investment for your business. So, it is important to be aware of the red flags in case your link-building agency is unable to deliver the desired results.
When you should consider calling it quits with your link-building agency: SEO red flags to note
Crafting a link-building campaign requires a thorough analysis of websites in your niche whose content can be relevantly connected with your website. The goal of links is to ultimately draw in audiences who will be genuinely interested in what you have to offer. Hence, creating links with content that your target audience will like to consume on a platform that already has a dedicated audience is important. However, if you think your current link-building agency is doing more harm than good to your SEO campaign despite having these goals chalked out, it might just be a good idea to consider hiring another one. Here are some key indications that will help you figure out whether your current link-building agency is no longer working out for your SEO goals –
- You see a sudden spike in low-quality backlinks: One of the easiest things to spot is a spike in spammy or forced backlinks with websites that are not directly relevant to your brand. If your backlink profile has links in huge numbers from unrelated blogs, directories, or sites, then it is a red flag. Google’s algorithms can quickly detect these manipulative linking patterns, so it is best to discontinue the partnership with the agency.
- No transparency concerning link building methods: A credible agency that creates organic link building campaigns will provide absolute transparency regarding their methods at every step of the way. If they are vague when you ask how they secure backlinks or do not provide regular, detailed reports, chances are they may be using unethical methods to achieve faster results.As highlighted in Choosing the Right Link-Building Strategy If you are also not able to see where your links are being placed, that is a potential red flag to stop availing of their services.
- Overuse of exact-match anchor text: Over-optimization with anchor texts can be dangerous for your website, as it can look unnatural to search engines. It can lead to a drastic fall in SEO rankings if algorithms flag your site for manipulative practices. A natural backlink profile should have a blend of branded, generic, and partial-match anchors.
- Links from irrelevant content: Even if your website looks alright superficially, you should pay attention to the content surrounding your backlinks. If the links are placed in articles that have no relation to your niche, products, or services, it can negatively affect your SEO score. Relevance is the key to ranking on top of the results pages. Google values links that appear naturally and in the proper context. Hence, if your link-building agency is not able to place links according to context and niche, then it is likely to affect your SEO in the long run. You should consider switching to a link-building company that can build links within content and that matches your industry.
- Fluctuating SEO rankings: If your search engine rankings are constantly rising and falling unnaturally, maybe it is time to investigate whether your link-building campaigns are being crafted ethically or not. Spammy link practices can cause temporary boosts, and fluctuating scores mean links are being removed quickly after being placed. Your website’s growth in SEO should be gradual over time, not fluctuating between rising and falling ranks.
Conclusion
Hiring link-building agencies can save time and provide professional expertise, but only if they follow ethical and contextual link-building strategies. If you notice sudden spikes in spammy links, a lack of transparency and reporting regarding campaigns, or fluctuating SEO scores, maybe it is time to call it quits with your agency.
