At Branded3's Leeds Digital Festival event, Leeds Loves Search, Stephen Kenwright looks at link in 2018. How important are links for SEO performance in 2018? What are the most important factors we need to consider when we’re building links? Steve talks through two large-scale recent studies undertaken by Branded3, looking at ranking factors and link metrics – and how we can use these to drive better results.

1. Redefining relevance: links in 2018
#LEEDSLOVESSEARCH

2. @STEKENWRIGHT
Ever heard someone say there are
200 ranking factors?

3. @STEKENWRIGHT
Maybe it was true here

4. @STEKENWRIGHT
0
500,000,000,000
1,000,000,000,000
1,500,000,000,000
2,000,000,000,000
2,500,000,000,000
1999 2000 2001 2004 2009 2012 2016
When Google processed
this many searches
SOURCE: SEARCH ENGINE LAND

5. @STEKENWRIGHT
Not even Google knows how
it ranks websites now

6. @STEKENWRIGHT
As SEOs our job is to know what works

7. branded3.com/blog/seo-ranking-factors-2018
@STEKENWRIGHT

8. @STEKENWRIGHT
9.47
7.72 7.64
3.88
3.50
4.25
0.00
2.00
4.00
6.00
8.00
10.00
Domain-level link authority Quantity of unique linking
domains to the domain
Raw quantity of links from
high-authority sites
IMPORTANCE EASE
Top 3 link-based ranking factors

9. @STEKENWRIGHT
Links are still the single most
important ranking factor
#1
Domain-level link authority

10. @STEKENWRIGHT
#1 #13 #14
Domain-level link authority Quantity of unique linking
domains to the domain
Raw quantity of links from
high-authority sites
11 factors in between

11. @STEKENWRIGHT
“Getting a link from a high PR page used to
always be valuable…today it’s more the
relevance of the site’s theme to yours.
Relevance is the new PageRank.”
EX-GOOGLER ANDRE WEHER (2012)

12. @STEKENWRIGHT
Meaning this Not this

13. @STEKENWRIGHT
6.60
5.58
5.265.38
1.38
4.50
0.00
2.00
4.00
6.00
8.00
Topical relevance of linking
pages
Topical relevance of linking
domains (page level)
Topical relevance of linking
domains (domain level)
IMPORTANCE EASE
Links from relevant pages > relevant sites

14. @STEKENWRIGHT
Relevant *pages* means content
hits the mark

15. @STEKENWRIGHT
8.76
5.58
6.13
1.38
0.00
2.00
4.00
6.00
8.00
10.00
Page-level keyword and content-based
metrics
Topical relevance of linking domains (page
level)
IMPORTANCE EASE
Focus on how relevant *your* content is

16. @STEKENWRIGHT
7.33
7.02
4.38
2.75
0.00
2.00
4.00
6.00
8.00
Trust of the domain (TrustRank, MozTrust,
Trust Flow etc.)
Popularity of the domain (MozRank, PageRank
etc.)
IMPORTANCE EASE
Trust is a better metric anyway

17. branded3.com/blog/relevant-linkbuilding-study
@STEKENWRIGHT

25. searchleeds.com
14/06/18

26. slideshare.net/branded3
OR
stephen.kenwright@branded3.com
GIFS FROM GIPHY.COM