Link building involves more than simply acquiring backlinks. Your link strategy should revolve around building high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites, with natural growth. The main goal is to achieve as many backlinks as possible however you can gain them too fast, entering the concept of link velocity. Discover what link velocity is and how it can help your SEO strategy. 

What is Link Velocity? 

Link velocity is the rate at which a website gains backlinks over a specific period. Google measures the quality of backlinks you achieve through its page rank algorithm. Organic increases in backlinks from high-quality websites generally indicate a positive impact on search results. 

However, sudden drops or increases in backlinks can raise alarms with search engines. Manipulative link-building practices are considered as bad and detrimental to your SEO, with such practices involving severe penalties from search engines. This involves significant drops in rankings and even the potential removal from the search engine. 

Does It Matter? 

Link velocity matters because it is how Google determines how trustworthy your website is. Not gaining links at a fast pace you may miss out on climbing search engine rankings. Keep a close eye on the rate you are achieving your backlinks and avoid Google potentially believing there has been any malpractice with your link-building strategy. 

What is a Good Link Velocity? 

A good link velocity is a skewed term as there is no optimal link velocity method. Your SEO strategy should be focused on attaining backlinks using your competitors within your industry as a guide to who you should be targeting. 

A starting point for many SEO experts will be conducting a keyword gap analysis using tools such as SEMrush to determine the top keywords your competitors are ranking for in your industry. Your strategy should then access the amount of referring domains these websites have and aim to attain links at a similar rate.

Hiring a link-building service can further enhance the quality of the links you receive and can help create content with high-volume keywords. 

Tips for Increasing It Safely.

Building link velocity is very much about balance, here are some tips on how to increase it safely: 

Quality  Firstly, prioritise high-quality links over a high quantity of links that are of low quality. Focus on high-quality websites with authority and relevance to your industry. 

Content  Secondly, update your website regularly with content containing high-volume search keywords can increase your chances of obtaining a backlink. Keeping information as relevant as possible will give a higher chance of persuading users to link back to your resources. 

Engagement  Additionally, whilst you are link building for your website you may come across broken links on other websites. There is no harm in getting in touch with the company and suggesting replacing these links with yours if they are relevant. 

Link Velocity – Our Thoughts 

Whilst link velocity is not a direct indicator of being a Google ranking factor, it is a contributor towards your search engine results page’s (SERPs) visibility and is certainly impacted by the domains you refer to. To help build upon your link-building profile get in touch with one of our SEO experts at 020 7112 9117 or email us at [email protected]