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❌ Netlinking mistakes you should absolutely avoid
Even seasoned professionals can make mistakes when it comes to netlinking. Here are the most common pitfalls and how to avoid them to protect your site:
🚫 Buying uncontrolled links
The trap : Acquire backlinks on dubious platforms or networks of poor quality sites.
Why is it risky : Google is constantly improving its detection algorithms. A link purchased on a site that is not related to your theme or comes from a “link farm” may result in a manual penalty.
Good practice : If you are exploring netlinking platforms, choose those that offer quality thematic sites with real audiences. The ideal remains to create natural partnerships with sites in your sector.
⚠️ The abuse of exact anchors
The trap : Systematically use your main keywords as anchor text (example: always “Paris SEO agency” for a link to your site).
Why is it risky : A link profile with 80% accurate anchors seems artificial. In real life, people create links with various anchors: “click here”, “this site”, your brand name...
Good practice : Aim for this natural distribution:
- 40% brand anchors and URLs
- 30% generic anchors (“read more”, “this article”)
- 20% partial correspondence anchors
- Only 10% accurate anchors
💡 The underestimation of NoFollow links
The trap : Completely ignore NoFollow links under the pretext that they do not transmit “SEO juice”.
Why is it a mistake : These links bring qualified traffic, strengthen your reputation and make your link profile more natural. A site with only DoFollow links seems suspicious.
Good practice : Integrate 20-30% NoFollow links into your strategy. High-quality social networks, forums, and blog comments remain valuable.
🔄 The lack of diversification of sources
The trap : Get 50 links from the same site or only from directories.
Why is it a problem : This abnormal concentration signals manipulation. Google values diversity: blogs, media, forums, institutional sites...
Good practice : Vary your sources:
- News sites in your sector
- Recognized thematic blogs
- Business partners
- Professional associations
- Customer testimonials on their sites
🏠 Forgetting internal networking
The trap : Focus only on external backlinks by neglecting links between your own pages.
Why is it a shame : Internal networking distributes the authority acquired by your backlinks and improves the user experience. It's free and 100% controlled netlinking!
Good practice : For each new content, create 3-5 relevant internal links. Use descriptive anchors and link to additional pages that provide value to the reader.
💰 The bonus tip
Before any netlinking action, ask yourself this question: “Would this link exist if Google did not exist?” If the answer is no, rethink your approach to make it more natural and sustainable.
Manage and optimize your netlinking strategy over time
📈 Adopt a natural and gradual pace of acquisition
Google favors link profiles that are built naturally over time. Growth that's too fast can trigger alerts.
| 🕒 Website Age | 🌐 Referring Domains/Month | 🎯 Recommended Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| < 1 year | 3–7 |
• 🔍 Focus on niche backlinks • 🗂️ Submit to high-quality directories • 🤝 Link exchange with specialized blogs |
| 1–3 years | 5–15 |
• ✍️ Guest articles on thematic websites • 🤝 Industry partnerships & co-created content • 📢 Webinars and interviews for visibility |
| 3+ years | 10–30 |
• 📰 Press relations and press releases • 🌐 Create viral content (studies, infographics) • 🎤 Host events and conferences |
💡 Practical advice : Create an editorial calendar including your netlinking actions. Alternate guest articles, partnerships, and “linkable” content creations to maintain steady progress.
🔍 Analyze the key metrics of your link profile
Beyond the number of backlinks, watch out for these essential indicators:
| 🔧 Metric | 📖 Meaning | 🎯 Ideal Value | 🚨 Alert Signal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🔒 Trust Flow (TF) | Quality and reliability of inbound links | > 30 | < 10 |
| 📈 Citation Flow (CF) | Total volume of backlinks | Balanced with TF | CF > 3× TF |
| ⚖️ TF/CF Ratio | Balance between quality and quantity | Close to 1 | < 0.3 |
| 🌐 Referring Domains | Number and diversity of sites linking to you | Consistent growth | Stagnation for > 3 months |
🎯 Example:
- Site A: TF 35/CF 40 = Healthy profile ✅
- Site B: TF 10/CF 60 = Too many low quality links ⚠️
🛡️ Adapt to Google updates
The algorithm is constantly evolving. Here is your action plan:
Preventive actions according to updates
| 🔄 Update Type | 📈 Potential Impact | ⚙️ Recommended Actions |
|---|---|---|
| Core Update |
• Widespread ranking fluctuations • Affects pages across all industries |
• Conduct a full backlink profile audit • Verify content quality and relevance • Strengthen E-A-T (Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness) |
| Spam Update |
• Penalties for sites abusing artificial links • Sudden drop in organic traffic |
• Disavow toxic links via Google Search Console • Remove or fix spammy backlinks • Implement monthly new link monitoring |
| Penguin (Integrated Core) |
• Sanctions for anchor text over-optimization • Devaluation of unnatural links |
• Diversify anchor texts • Balance dofollow/nofollow links • Strengthen branded and generic anchor links |
| Link Spam Update |
• Increased detection of purchased links & PBNs • Significant ranking drops for spam networks |
• Clean up PBNs and satellite blogs • Build natural links through high-quality guest posts • Monitor via Backlink Audit tools |
| Page Experience Update |
• Prioritizes mobile-friendly, fast-loading pages • Impacts Core Web Vitals scores |
• Optimize LCP, FID, CLS metrics • Switch to HTTPS if not already implemented • Improve responsive design |
| Helpful Content Update |
• Favors useful, user-centered content • Penalizes thin or purely SEO-focused content |
• Rewrite pages with deeper, actionable insights • Merge or remove duplicate/low-value articles • Regularly update content with reliable sources |
| Product Review Update |
• Boosts rankings for detailed, practical reviews • Drops for superficial or copied test content |
• Add real-world testing & data-driven results • Include user-generated reviews & rich media • Revise old content for greater depth |
| Mobile-First Index |
• Mobile version prioritized in indexing • Rankings affected if desktop and mobile versions differ |
• Ensure mobile and desktop content consistency • Optimize mobile performance (images, scripts) • Test using Mobile-Friendly Test tool |
| Local Search Update |
• Strengthens local search results • Impact varies by geographic competition |
• Optimize Google Business Profile • Acquire local citations (directories, reviews) • Add schema markup “LocalBusiness” |
Post-update checklist
✓ Analyze traffic trends over 14 days
✓ Check positions on 20 main keywords
✓ Compare with 3 direct competitors
✓ Identify the most impacted pages
✓ Adjust the strategy if it falls > 20%
🔬 Analyze the competition to identify opportunities
4-step “Link Gap Analysis” method:
| 🔬 Step | 📝 Action | 🔧 Tools | ⏱️ Estimated Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Identification |
• List 5 direct competitors • Check their backlink profiles |
SEMrush (Organic Research) Ahrefs (Site Explorer) |
30 min |
| 2. Extraction |
• Export all backlinks from each competitor • Retrieve anchor texts, URLs, and link status |
Ahrefs – Link Intersect SEMrush – Backlink Analytics |
1 h |
| 3. Filtering |
• Keep domains with DR/DA ≥ 40 • Select links thematically relevant • Exclude spammy sites or PBNs |
Majestic – Trust Flow/Citation Flow Ahrefs/SEMrush – Advanced filters |
30 min |
| 4. Prospecting |
• Write a personalized email (subject + value proposition) • Propose content exchange or guest post • Track follow-ups and responses |
Hunter.io (verified emails) Gmail / Outreach.io (follow-up tracking) |
2–3 h |
📊 Monthly netlinking dashboard
Create this dashboard for optimal monitoring:
| 📈 KPI | 🎯 Monthly Goal | 🔍 How to Measure | ⏱️ Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🌐 New Referring Domains | Based on site age (e.g., +5% monthly) | Ahrefs / Google Search Console | Weekly |
| 📊 TF/CF Evolution | TF/CF ratio ≥ 0.7 | Majestic SEO (Trust Flow & Citation Flow) | Monthly |
| 🚦 Referral Traffic | +10% compared to previous month | Google Analytics (Acquisition > Referrals) | Bi-weekly |
| ✅ Acceptance Rate | > 20% of outreach requests accepted | Spreadsheet tracker / CRM (status of outreach) | Monthly |
| 💸 Netlinking ROI | 3€ generated for every 1€ invested | Attributed revenue from netlinking / Netlinking cost | Quarterly |
🚀 The secret of sustainable netlinking: Think of each backlink as a business relationship. The best relationships come from real partnerships, not one-off transactions. Invest in long-term relationships with quality players in your sector.
Final thoughts
Links are an exchange of value based on leverage.
This is not a low-quality tactic or a Black Hat netlinking. It is a construction of White Hat links on steroids, and few brands or SEOs know its power.
If you don't add value, even the best netlinking strategies can fail.
Instead of writing guest post awareness emails in order to get links, focus on promoting and offering links.
Instead of worrying about the perfect tactic, like broken netlinking or recovering links, focus on building a real and mutually beneficial partnership.
What do I gain?
This system of bartering and exchanging values is exactly the same when it comes to creating relationships and develop a successful blog.
Increasing your authority in netlinking creates a snowball effect:
- The more links you get, the higher you rank.
- The higher you rank, the more traffic you get.
- The more traffic you get, the more passive links you get.
And you have to start somewhere.
If you're new to netlinking, you need to scramble, build relationships, get guest posts, create a surplus of links, and use that surplus to exchange value in the digital world.
FAQ
What is the difference between a dofollow and nofollow backlink?
A dofollow backlink transmits “link juice” and reinforces authority, while a nofollow tells engines not to take it into account for SEO. Both contribute to a natural profile, but dofollows take priority.
How many backlinks do you need to improve your SEO?
Quality takes precedence over quantity. 10 backlinks from authoritative sites (e.g. Trust Flow > 30) are more effective than 100 links of low quality. Aim for gradual growth.
Is buying links risky?
Yes, if the links come from spammy sites or if the anchors are over-optimized. Integrate link buying into a diversified strategy and use platforms like Getfluence for contextual links.
How do you detect a toxic backlink?
Use Ahrefs or Google Search Console to identify links from sites that have low authority, are not indexed, or have no traffic. Disown them via Google's disavow tool.
What content attracts natural backlinks?
Infographics, case studies, in-depth articles, and free tools (e.g. calculators) are ideal for linkbaiting. Post on trending topics in your niche.
