Semalt Expert Explains What A Link Pyramid Is And How You Can Benefit From It
The link pyramid concept may sound quite disturbing - in the 21st century, we are probably all highly sensitive to all pyramids (from financial to MLM), and in SEO this link-building practice is also not very popular. So why is it still possible to find sites that offer a link pyramid? What is the link pyramid in the meaning of white hat SEO in 2022 and what distinguishes it from the traditional one, whose golden days have passed more than a decade ago?
What is a link pyramid?
The SEO link pyramid is a strategy for building a multi-level link network. The most important rule in this linking tactic is the appropriate prioritization of links: from the most valuable and difficult to get, through the medium ones, to the least demanding, but the most numerous ones.
The lower in the pyramid, the quality drops, and the quantity increases - and this may be the biggest problem for people who want to conduct their link-building in accordance with the latest trends and good SEO practices, but we can assure you that it can all be reconciled! (You will read about how to do this in a moment.)
What is a link pyramid in the modern sense?
Remember that this is a link-building strategy, not a one-off action. This means that you can have an infinite number of links at each level in the form of a link pyramid, not one, two, or three pyramids - unless you want to divide them up yourself, for example, according to sentences or sub-pages that you position, for internal order.
However, there is no answer to the question "how many pyramids of links are worth having". We also do not recommend buying the magic packages, as this solution is quite far from modern. Good SEO practices focus on natural link growth and taking care of the quality of the created content.
The structure of the link pyramid itself is very useful and nothing prevents you from using it alongside other strategies!
What does the link pyramid look like?
- It has several levels of links, usually around 3.
- Its construction favors the transfer of maximum power to the positioned website.
- The lower the level, the more links there are.
- At the top of the pyramid are the most valuable links (leading directly to the page you want to position), and at its base - lower quality links.
Link pyramid levels
1. Links leading to the website
From the perspective of a positioned website, these are the most important links that directly affect its position. The purpose of the link pyramid is to strengthen them. It should be ensured that they are especially valuable and safe for the website. Importantly, at the very beginning, the first group may include only a few links, e.g. 5, the most important thing is that they should be really valuable in the eyes of Google.
Examples of sites where level 1 links can be placed: industry portals, news portals, high-quality backend (e.g., portals where companies can post their content: clothing for a children's clothes store, recipe hub for a store that sells blenders, about animals for a pet store).
2. High and medium quality links leading to level 1 links
These are the lines thanks to which you will strengthen the most valuable lines of the pyramid. At this stage, it is worth taking care of sharing on social media, which will naturally (without your participation) contribute to improving the operation of the first group of links.
In addition, use all the medium DA domains that you have collected among your favorite spots. You can use both long and shorter forms of content to accompany the links here. There should be about 5-10 times more links in this section than in the previous group.
Examples of sites where level 2 links can be placed: guest blog posts, medium quality backend, social media posts
3. Lower quality links leading to level 2 ones
What is the third level link pyramid? This is where more links come into play, the power of which you pass on to level 2 links. There should be about 5 times more than the previous links. You don't have to pay so much attention to the content here - the most important thing is that you can create and maintain them, even if it would be, for example, a link on your profile with 1-2 sentences of content.
Examples of sites where 3rd level links can be placed: valuable and thematically consistent forums, profiles, blog comments.
Tip: If you're having trouble finding spots, remember to analyze your competition with SEO tools such as the Dedicated Seo Dashboard!
How to build a link pyramid? Step by step
- Start at the top - links leading to the page you want to improve are the most important in the whole process. Their quality is also absolutely crucial. Ideally, this should be the content placed on the most reputable portals with a very high Domain Authority, thematically connected with the industry of the positioned website, e.g., valuable sponsored articles.
- A ready and indexed link from level 1 of the pyramid can now be treated as a landing page for further linking. Make sure that the valuable content also gains natural publicity and high traffic, e.g., thanks to the sharing of interested people on social media. In addition, on the second level of the pyramid, you can create links to minor back-ups and medium-sized Domain Authority websites.
- On the third level, use the power of blog comments, valuable and thematically compatible (very important!) Forums or profiles.
- Remember to index all links!
What NOT to do when creating a link pyramid?
- Do not buy packages of cheap spammy links, even for 3rd level links - it just still doesn't pay off, even in this scheme.
- Don't order a pyramid of links without knowing where the individual links will be located.
- Do not use the link pyramid as the golden mean to achieve reliable success - it's still a laborious practice that only works if it's run correctly.
- Don't further link low-quality links - it doesn't make sense.
- Do not be inspired by advice from years ago! When looking for information, check whether the entry is not from 2010 or 2013.
- Don't invest too much of your time in building third-level links.
- Do not use automatic link generators or link farms or so-called Web 2.0 - these are black hat SEO practices that we strongly advise against!
Is it worth creating a link pyramid? Advantages and disadvantages
Why not just link to your landing page? What is the advantage of the link pyramid over traditional linking? Why create weaker links at all? There are at least several reasons.
Pros:
- Even weaker links (of course, we are not talking about spammer links, but those simply not as good as from the leading industry portals, entries, or more expensive backup facilities) strengthen the power of the best. Without links from level 3, those from level 1 will not be as strong.
- A link pyramid scheme is often a safer practice than a traditional linking structure. If it turns out that a link (e.g., a lower quality link) somehow violates Google standards or does not work in a specific configuration, it will not affect the landing page position, but the page on which the first or second level link was located. This way, in the worst-case scenario, your website (or the website of the client you work for) will lose one link, not your long-earned positions.
- Link pyramids help you build your own backend - remember that in order for such websites to work properly and favor your SEO activities, they must have high parameters, valuable in the eyes of Google. As you well know, the quality of the website is strongly influenced by linking, including the balance between incoming and outgoing links - there must be more of the former than the latter. For you to be able to put links to other sites on your own backend, you must first link them accordingly. The pyramid of links will be perfect for this task.
- This structure is relatively easy to implement, it does not require more competencies than classic linking - it is a clear diagram that is easy to follow.
- A well-structured one allows you to build the website's position in a stable and natural way without overloading it with an excess of incoming links and the risk of imposing penalties from Google.
- It gives the possibility of increasing traffic to the website not only by improving the backlink profile, but also by the possibility of investing in even a small number of 1st level links and strengthening them with links that are cheaper to obtain.
- Linking your own links speeds up their indexing - and as you know, even the most valuable but unindexed link is not worth anything in the eyes of Google.
- Poorly entered link pyramid can make your landing page rank worse - make sure that the person you are commissioning this task (or yourself) knows what he / she is doing.
- An advanced link pyramid is a laborious process. This should be borne in mind when considering whether to opt for classic linking (all links to one side) or a pyramid (investment in "more distant" links reinforcing those from the first level).
- From the perspective of SEO specialists, it is moderately beneficial in terms of business because you rarely get paid for all the links you create. Most often it is profitable because it actually improves the position and strengthens the first-level links, giving satisfactory results, and thus customer satisfaction.
How to build a link pyramid? - summary
Is a link pyramid a black hat SEO? Not necessarily - it all depends on how you create it. Cheap and fast package links will most likely be suitable for Black Hat SEO, but if you follow good SEO practices, you won't have to worry about penalties from Google or a drop in search engine confidence in your website, while maintaining the benefits of this linking scheme.
To build a link pyramid, you shall:
- Start with the most important links, that is, the ones leading to your landing page. Make sure they are of great value, even if it goes hand in hand with the price.
- Each ready link from the first level of the pyramid should be linked with a few lines of the second level.
- On the third level, list links from the second level with the help of comments, forums, profiles, or bookmarking sites.
- Remember to index all links!