Are hidden backlinks sabotaging your SEO efforts before they even get started? It’s important to understand what these tricky tools are, how they can be used to your advantage – and how they can set your SEO efforts back without you even knowing it.
Hidden links, also known as hyperlinks, are tagged text or images that link to another website without being obvious. While text is usually highlighted, icons and images can be much more stealthy. This can be a way to increase prominence on a search engine – but it can have some major drawbacks if not used properly.
How Can Hidden Backlinks Hurt Your SEO?
Hidden backlinks might seem like an effective way to boost your search engine ranking in a sneaky manner. After all, you’re placing links to your site in locations where people will click on it without really knowing what to expect, and the next thing they know, your product is in their face inviting them to click further. It doesn’t seem to have any negatives for you – and Google knows that.
Google considers this tactic deceptive and won’t weigh clicks from these sources highly. A pattern of this behavior can get your website’s ranking penalized. Google’s rankings change constantly, but the one thing that will remain consistent is that they’re looking for high-quality links and content rather than clickbait that gets traffic without context.
Google keeps a close eye on websites for multiple types of hidden backlinks, many of which are hidden pretty well. The more hidden it is, the more likely a website is to get away with it – but the more likely Google is to consider it actively deceptive if it gets caught. A few of these common tactics include.
⦁ Changing the color of the link to white and placing it on a white background, making it invisible.
⦁ Placing text behind an image makes the image clickable without any visual indicator.
⦁ Hiding links by only hyperlinking one letter or character in the text.
⦁ Shrinking the font size to the smallest possible option, making it a near-invisible backlink that can easily be overlooked.
⦁ Using CSS or similar programming languages to hide link text off the visible screen.
All of these frequently get penalized by Google, but there are ways to use hidden backlinks without arousing Google’s wrath. These include using the descriptive text on images or videos to provide a link. People are more likely to click when it’s associated with a visual aid.
Types of Links You Should Avoid
Many types of backlinks won’t get you penalized by Google but still won’t deliver the search engine ranking boost you’re hoping for. Here are some of the Types of backlinks You Should Avoid.
Non-Contextual Backlinks
Non-contextual backlinks are those you get a site to agree to post but have no real relevance to the context or audience of your site. No one on a sports medicine site wants to hear about artisanal chocolates, most likely.
To get the most out of each backlink, ensure you’re seeking potential partners who exist in the same commerce space as your business. They don’t need to be direct competitors – it might be better that they’re not – but ideally, a customer who is interested in your project should have an interest in the place your backlink is found as well. That’s how you get the most clicks.
Foreign Language Links
You should also be avoiding foreign language links, as the odds are few who click on these links will be able to understand the context. Thus, you’re likely to get clicks but not any meaningful conversions. Links to sites from a different language can make Google suspicious if it seems to be a strategy, but more often, this is just a waste of effort.
Are there any exceptions? Yes – but it depends heavily on your business. If you’re a company that caters to travelers, you might find that catering to bilingual visitors in different countries can pay dividends.
Private Blog Networks
You should also avoid anything that seems too good to be true. This includes hiring link builders on sites like Fiverr or Craigslist or working with private blog networks designed to generate traffic.
Google is on to these tactics by now, and they know how to differentiate genuine traffic from spam traffic. Companies like Purelinq that specialize in generating organic traffic and sustaining it are usually far better bets.
Link Your Way to Success
So what’s the best strategy to rank up on Google’s SEO system? Persistence and building an audience will pay far better dividends than quick fixes. Avoiding spam links and growing your reputation will result in a lasting boost.
