The SEO & Link Building Wiki

Definitions and Basics of Search Engine Optimization

Category: "SEO Basics"

An Introduction to Manual Actions in Search Console
Google

An Introduction to Manual Actions in Search Console

As a webmaster or SEO, there’s nothing worse than getting a message from Google Search Console (GSC) about a manual action that has been placed on your website. In this post, we’re looking at the different types of manual actions - i.e. Google Penalties - websites can receive and ways to deal with them.
SEO Basics

Backlink Profile

A Backlink Profile describes the combined backlinks to a website, in an abstract way. People would say "I have this very strong link in my backlink profile", without specifying which link, and why it was seen as strong. Backlink Profile is often used to…
Backlink Profile Coverage
SEO Basics

Backlink Profile Coverage

Backlink Profile Coverage explains, in percent of the total known number backlinks to a domain, how much was actually covered in a backlink analysis.
Co-Citations and Bad Neighborhood Explained
SEO Competitor Research

Co-Citations and Bad Neighborhood Explained

One of the most important elements for quality and safe link building is a good neighborhood. If you read this article you will learn what a bad neighborhood is and how co-citations can lead you there. Hint: it's NOT the same IP hosting block, as many believe. Also, you will learn how to add valuable co-citations for your site and how to analyze these co-citations.
Disavow Files
SEO Basics

Disavow Files

Creating a disavow file and uploading it to Google Search Console is the first step in invalidating links to your domain. The disavow file is usually created with link audit tools like LinkResearchTools Recover or Link Detox.
Disavow Links
SEO Basics

Disavow Links

What does Disavow Links and Domains mean? When SEOs disavow links, they tell search engines not to count the links for rankings. Some people say that disavowing a link is the same as putting a NoFollow tag on it, but based on our experience this is an…
LRT Classic Metric Packages

DomPop

DomPop stands for Domain Popularity, or Referring Domains.
SEO Basics

Empirical SEO

Empirical SEOs are Digital Marketers for organic search like Google that question what's going on, try to understand the algorithms, filters and changes by observation, testing, and experimentation. This is what SEO was original, before the strong…
SEO Basics

Google Update

A "Google Update" refers to update to Google's way of ranking websites in the organic search results. Usually, this means a change to many, if not thousands of websites positively and negatively. The reason why such a "shake-up" happens is that Google…
SEO Basics

Internal Link

Internal links are links that go from one page on a (sub-)domain to a another page on the same (sub-)domain. They are commonly used in main navigation but are more helpful when embedded in the actual content of a website, to help the reader navigate.…
SEO Basics

Link Building

Link building is the process of generating backlinks to a website through various methods. By obtaining more and higher trusted links thank competitors, Google evaluates a site as a higher quality website than theirs, if content and user-experience are…
SEO Basics

Link Crawl Budget

Link Crawl Budget refers to the total number of links that can be crawled for one or more domains in LinkResearchTools (LRT) and Link Detox (DTOX). Link Crawl Budget is assigned on sign-up and renewal for a given service period (e.g. one month) and then…
Link Detox Genesis®
SEO Basics

Link Detox Genesis®

Spot unnatural links before Google does! The Link Detox Genesis algorithm helps you spot unnatural links that are likely to trigger a Google filter or Manual Action Penalty. We’re using Link Detox Genesis in our link risk rules with millions of data…
Link Detox Risk
SEO Basics

Link Detox Risk

What is DTOXRISK? Link Detox Risk expresses the estimated risk a link has in a backlink profile. Everything value above 1000 very likely causes a link penalty. DTOXRISK® is short for Link Detox Risk®. Link Detox Risk: find toxic links and…
Link Detox Rules
SEO Basics

Link Detox Rules

Link Detox Rules
SEO Basics

Link Growth

Link Growth describes when a domain's backlink profile increases by new links (by whatever technical link type). Link Growth it's the opposite of Link Decline. Link Growth is measured and expressed in various units. Possible units to measure link growth…
Link Juice
SEO Basics

Link Juice

Link Juice - Use 1 Link juice often refers to the link value a link is able to pass on to the target. Many assume this would be only a metric defined by the link graph, e.g. the LRT Power, Ahrefs UR or in the page Google PageRank. Other aspects, namely…
Link Velocity Trends (LVT)
SEO Basics

Link Velocity Trends (LVT)

Look at the link velocity trends and understand what is the natural or unnatural backlink growth for any given linking domain. Link Velocity Trends describe the change in growth or decline. It does not relate directly to the number of won or lost links. Hence it can also be a negative number if a website still earns links, just a lot less than it used to.
Links Important Ranking Factor
SEO Basics

Links Important Ranking Factor

Links are still the #1 ranking factor says Ranking without links is really, really hard. Yes, the external links. - Gary Illyes, Chief of Sunshine and Happiness at Google, October - November 2016.   Links in particular are really important to Google…
NoFollow Links
SEO Basics

NoFollow Links

What are NoFollow links? A NoFollow link has an attribute that allows webmasters to tell search engines “Don’t follow links on this page" or "Don’t follow this specific link." A link can have one or more rel attributes, where “rel” is…
SEO Basics

Ranking Factor

What is a ranking factor? A ranking factor is considered a signal or metric that influences rankings in search engines, often Google. Various "Ranking Factor" studies were published by companies by MOZ, Search Metrics, SEMrush and others, that all had…
SEO Basics

Referring Page

The page where a backlink is originating from is usually referred to as source page or referring page. This is the exact URL the link is placed and implemented on. URL examples of a referring pages could be a website page…
SEO Basics

What are DoFollow Links?

DoFollow Links don't exist. Some people mean a Follow Link when they say DoFollow link. Don't be like them. The correct term to use was and remains "Follow link".
What are Google Filters?
SEO Basics

What are Google Filters?

Google Filters describe effects seen in search results when results are suppressed due to algorithmic reasons that Google won't disclose.
What are Google Penalties?
SEO Basics

What are Google Penalties?

Google Penalties or Manual Actions are issued and often have an immediate and drastic effect on the rankings of web pages rankings in the search results.
SEO Basics

What does Complete Link Audit mean?

A Complete Link Audit takes all possible link data sources, API integrations, and extra uploads into account to maximize the Backlink Profile Coverage towards 100%. Link Detox performs a "Basic Link Audit" on the links and domains found in the past 30…
SEO Basics

What is Backlink Analysis?

Backlink Analysis is the cornerstone of link building and SEO. It stands in the beginning, the middle AND in the end of the link building process. Building links without knowing your backlink profile is like running over a minefield with a blindfold.…
SEO Basics

What is Competitive Research?

Competitor Research refers to analyzing and monitoring your competitors in various aspects, including their search engine optimization (SEO) to learn from their methods and mistakes. Understanding the backlink profiles of your competition and comparing…
SEO Basics

What is Link Detox?

Link Detox (DTOX) is software that automatically rates links based on automated rules we develop. In addition, we calculate and estimate the probable risk for your domain receiving a Google Penalty or Google Filter.
SEO Basics

What is Link Prospecting?

Link Prospecting is the art of finding new pages you want to get a link on. There are many places where you can search for new link sources: The Google search results, your competitor’s backlinks or your competitor’s link targets. With the right…
SEO Basics

What is Link Risk Management?

Link Risk Management refers to the process of doing pro-active maintenance on a domain's backlink profile for the purpose of having Google trust it more and not run the risk of triggering a manual or algorithmic Google Penalty. History of Link Risk…
SEO Basics

What is a Link Audit?

Link Audit is a discipline of SEO that had its debut with the Google Penguin updates. It involves the removal and disavowing of toxic links, link risk management and the overall knowledge of risk factors for you and your niche. Every SEO who already…