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 In Articles, Business, Linking Strategy, SEO

seo marketing kansas cityHow does Google determine Rankings you ask? As a small business owner, you’re asking the right question. Recently, we broke down the first secret to cracking the Google code. Creating the right content on your website is one of the most impactful ways of showing Google you’re an authority figure in your niche. In our most recent article we discussed the importance of building out pages on your website that show Google the products and services you are selling, and also build out a solid blog strategy for creating content to show Google your authority in your area on your niche.

Building Content Isn’t Enough

Like most businesses, there are lots of companies that do the same thing you do in your area. Right? Think about how many lawn services, plumbers, painters, electricians, chiropractors, or restaurants are in your area. So, how the heck does Google know which site to rank at the TOP of search in your area?

How does Google know which site to rank at the top, you ask? Again, as a savvy business owner, you’re asking the right questions. In addition to creating a solid website and useful blog content, there is a second key ranking signal that Google looks at when determining who gets ranked for which keywords or phrases in your area.

Building The Right Links

Whether you understand backlinks or backlinking strategies doesn’t matter. What matters is that as a business owner you trust reliable data about how Google views solid links. As of the date of this article, links are still a major ranking signal for Google and to our knowledge aren’t going anywhere soon!


Links are still a major ranking signal to Google. Trust us, they aren’t going anywhere soon. We place a lot of trust in Brian Dean, founder of Backlinko. Forbes recently listed Backlinko as one of the top 20 blogs to follow. That’s saying something! Anyway, Brian recently posted this correlation between the total number of referring domains and the Google Ranking Position. Even if you’re not an actuary, the chart is pretty simple to understand and easy to see that links are a major ranking factor.

Are you still struggling to understand the importance of what links are or how they impact the rankings of your small business?

You can think of links like “votes.” When Google sends out their bots, they see other reputable sites linking to your business, it’s like seeing other websites VOTING for you so to speak.

So, how does Google determine rankings? Keep reading!

Not All Links Are Created Equal 

Over the years we’ve witnessed some pretty shady stuff happen in the world of backlinks. It’s unfortunate but there is a dark side to the industry. Over the years, Google has worked really hard to weed out companies using unethical tactics for financial gain. If you’re wondering, Google doesn’t approve of you purchasing five hundred links and blasting them to your site.

Google was pretty clear in their Penguin updates and most recently through Core updates. In 2021 and well into the foreseeable future,  it’s all about getting high-quality links back to your business website. Remember our ‘voting’ analogy from earlier? Well, think of it this way. Some links (votes) are higher-quality and worth more than others. Bottom line, Google values trust and will reward businesses for playing by the rules.

Trouble Ahead in DIY SEO

SEO OptimizationSome business owners know just enough to get started but that’s where the trouble starts. High-quality links aren’t easy to acquire for the average business owner and the minutia of a winning linking strategy gets complicated.

To be successful, you must understand the nuances of a linking strategy:

  • Getting the right link types
  • Getting the right link velocity
  • Using the right anchor text
  • Keeping anchor text ratios correct

It can get complicated if you don’t know what you’re doing! It’s not wrong to reach out to an SEO expert like 316 strategy Group in Omaha and have them create an individualized plan of attack for your business or non-profit. We still see business owners trying to wing it like it’s the wild west! They are purchasing link packages from shady company’s and waiting for their business to rank on Google. No, this won’t work. Meanwhile, your competition hired an Omaha SEO company to help you dominate the Google rankings for your product or service.

In the coming days, we will tell you more about our award-winning strategy for helping Omaha businesses rank for their products or services. You can wait for that article to come out, or you can learn more about our SEO services in Omaha by checking out our website.

Until then, don’t buy any backlink packages! Just don’t do it!

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