In a bid to improve the quality of the search results it delivers, Google has been constantly tweaking its search algorithm. The Panda and Penguin updates have been coming thick and fast and online marketers and webmasters have had to constantly adapt their strategies to accommodate the changes made by them. In the latest round of updates, Google has targeted link building practices followed by most webmasters for the purpose of search engine optimization (SEO). The verdict is far from pleasant, but only for those websites whose links were not of the quality Google expects from them.

The latest updates have brought on the new generation of link building. The changes made to the link building process include:

• Using link exchanges is a death knoll for a website. You can get as many links as you want using link exchanges, but they are of no value to you anymore. There is no way that you can prove to Google that these links have been gained naturally. Therefore, you stand exposed to a sanction from Google and even a penalty.
• Link buying has also been a favorite tactic for webmasters to increase the number of links to their website. There are a number of online paid directories through which these links can be purchased. However, Google is now going to crack down on any websites that have bought links. What this means is that the money you spent on buying the links is down the drain and you might even have to face a penalty from Google.

So, what is the penalty that Google levies on a website found to be violating its link building guidelines? The most obvious penalty is that the website will lose its current search engine ranking. Even if you managed to reach the first page of Google search results for a particular keyword, the use of poor quality links can have that ranking taken away from you.

The penalty can be avoided should you refrain from buying links as well as using link exchanges to procure links to your website. However, there are some other ways you can improve your link building strategy without facing Google’s wrath:

• Create natural links to and from your website through valuable, engaging and informative content. These natural links can be generated through guest blogging and by joining websites that are relevant to your niche.
• Only acquire links from websites that are ‘trusted’ by search engines. The reason why Google has come down so hard on websites using unnatural links is because they have committed a breach of trust.
• Lastly, you should obtain links from a variety of sources. Putting all your eggs in one basket is not the best way to get the links you are looking for. What you should do is diversify the portfolio of websites from which you have obtained links. Also, make sure that the website you get a link from is relevant to your niche.

These are some of the guidelines you can follow to keep up with the new generation of link building. Doing so will ensure that you don’t lose your search engine ranking and are able to attract more customers while staying on the right side of Google.