Incoming links, or backlinks, continue to have importance in SEO, but they are becoming less critical for Google. Google’s team has repetitively pointed this out over the years.
In November, Duy Nguyen from Google’s search quality team echoed this sentiment, suggesting that link-building campaigns are no longer worthwhile investments. He advised that SEO spending should rather focus on creating excellent websites with top-notch user experience and helpful content.
“…you probably should not waste your money in spamming links. That money is much needed in creating a great website with great user experience and helpful content.”
However, I believe that dedicating your entire SEO budget solely to UX and content is not sufficient to boost organic search results. Focusing only on links won’t suffice in most markets either.
A balanced SEO budget is necessary, although achieving that balance can be challenging.
To establish an effective SEO budget, prioritize tasks that noticeably impact performance. Read on for insights.
The ‘Good Old Days’ of Backlinks Aren’t Over Yet
When I began in SEO in 2004, many often-empty sites ranked highly on Google. It became apparent that shady practices were at play behind those projects.
“SEO spammers” were using various tactics to build links to otherwise non-valuable sites. Essentially, these “over-optimized” sites, as Google later diplomatically termed them, served mainly to generate money for their creators.
At the end of 2022, Google launched another link spam update addressing:
- (Exact) match anchor text links
- Irrelevant links
- Foreign language links
- Other unnatural links
Google mentions that spammy links are neutralized, meaning any credit gained from these unnatural links is lost.
Thankfully, the days of rampant link spam are behind us.
Backlinks remain a ranking factor but, due to Google’s robust ranking signals, they can identify and eliminate sites with unnatural link profiles from the SERPs, favoring the most relevant and useful results instead.
In December, Google also updated the E-A-T concept to include “experience,” transforming it to E-E-A-T, to prioritize authors with proper first-hand experience.
Allocate a significant portion of your budget to linkable assets and outreach efforts to secure future links. Exceptional content should attract links naturally, which could be more effective than spending on link building.
Investing in building links to empty or shallow content sites is futile. Conversely, quality content will naturally earn links.
UX as a Google Ranking Signal
User experience (UX) as a ranking factor is not a new concept. Google introduced UX signals to its ranking algorithm years ago, shifting the landscape.
Previously, poorly designed websites with simple HTML pages often ranked well. Today, human quality raters and AI algorithms can distinguish between user-friendly sites and those merely optimized for ranking.
Actual visitors can no longer be ignored; outdated SEO tactics are no longer sufficient. Traffic alone won’t ensure success.
Creating findable and usable websites starts with compelling titles and meta descriptions. Various UX aspects must be considered to match searchers’ and Google’s expectations:
- Findability: Content hard to find on-site is less likely to be crawled and indexed. Highlight important pages prominently.
- Load times: Despite being a major part of Google’s Core Web Vitals, it’s still overlooked by many. Speed can significantly affect site performance. Consider reducing third-party scripts and image sizes.
- Look and feel: Overloading pages with ads or having a cluttered interface leads to poor performance on Google. Improve text formatting and limit elements to essentials.
- Readability: Avoid tiny, unreadable fonts and ensure sufficient white space. Google prioritizes readable content.
- Value proposition: Clearly define what your site offers. A specific and concise unique selling proposition helps Google understand your site.
Meeting the needs of people with disabilities, who comprise about one in four people in the U.S., is crucial. Accessibility also benefits non-disabled individuals and improves the crawling and indexing process.
Google, to a large extent, perceives websites through code. Ensuring accessibility can facilitate this process.
Content’s Ever-Growing Importance
For those following web and Google search evolution, content’s importance is clear. Google favors content that is:
- Evergreen
- Fresh
- High quality
- Helpful
Editorial links still influence webpage ranking. Content without partners’ endorsements remains largely invisible amidst abundant mediocre content.
Investment in SEO necessitates high-quality content and avoiding low-quality pieces intended merely to appease Google bots. The helpful content system focuses on rewarding valuable content for humans.
Past strategies like adding “SEO content” in the footer for Google are outdated and ineffective.
Instead, focus on linkable assets or “link magnets.” The former requires PR or outreach, while the latter naturally attracts links due to its superiority.
How to Allocate Your SEO Funds in 2023 and Beyond
Given SEO’s multidisciplinary nature, a holistic approach is necessary. Consider social media integration and broader online presence.
Avoid Thinking in ‘Strictly SEO’ Terms
SEO is not just about appealing to search engines; it’s about meeting human searchers’ needs. As Google mirrors human expectations more closely each year, adopting a holistic website optimization philosophy is crucial.
Assign SEO Importance to Actual Tasks
Evaluate whether tasks like information architecture, UX design, web development, content creation, and PR/outreach are necessary for SEO. If your answer is “no,” you’re still adhering to a “strictly SEO” mindset.
These tasks contribute to various SEO elements like internal linking, findability, readability, and more.
Divide the Budget by Departments
For companies with multiple departments, allocate your SEO budget to different areas (technology, content, marketing, sales). Even for solo efforts, distribute your time wisely among technical, content, and outreach tasks.
A solid technical foundation might mean less budget for tech, shifting focus to content and PR instead. Align your spending based on needs and current standings.
Let SEO People Help Other Teams
SEO experts often face challenges within established business structures. Their expertise should be integrated and respected; their contributions enhance overall team efforts.
Assign a specific SEO budget, allowing the SEO practitioner to allocate it across various tasks.
Balance SEO Spend Based on Results
Evaluate the success of distinct SEO efforts regularly:
- Did the content engage the target audience and attract links?
- Was the outreach effective?
- Did infrastructure upgrades improve speed and indexing?
Measure performance indicators to guide future investments and adjustments.
