In the early days of Google’s existence (back in 1998), “link popularity” was the primary metric for determining a site’s credibility in order to return relevant search results.
Google faced a difficulty, however, when webmasters began manipulating the system through the use of spammy link building techniques. Since then, Google has released a number of anti-spam algorithm improvements, including EMD, PMD, LSI, Penguin, and Panda. Even worse, according to Matt Cutts, they started ranking sites without considering the relevance of their backlinks.
Now, the SEO community frequently discusses the concepts of co-citation and co-occurrence. Bookmarking, article submission, directory submission, and blog commenting have all been rendered obsolete by Google as it rolls out its myriad anti-spam improvements.
Co-citation and co-occurrence, which Rand thought would replace these methods in late 2012, have instead become widely used. But what exactly do these words mean?
Explain the concept of co-citation
If two external links (A and B) point to the same website (C), we say that C is “co-cited,” and we may assume that A and B will benefit from C’s prominence. Furthermore, co-citation stipulates that connection A and B will develop into an interrelationship and share some value by association. When two websites A and B are not directly linked to each other but are both mentioned on website C, this is called a co-citation.
Co-Occurrence: What Is It?
The term “co-occurrence” is used to define the closeness and frequency with which two or more terms appear on a website and the connection between them. Co-occurrence is essential to Latent Semantic Indexing.
Co-occurrence creates connections across sites through shared term and phrase usage rather than by directly associating them.
What Impact Do They Have on Future Link Building?
If you’re still utilizing antiquated methods of creating links to your site, you may have already seen a drop in traffic and visibility in search engine results, or even seen your site de-indexed. Updating Google’s anti-spam measures have made it more important than ever to employ sophisticated link building strategies for optimal search engine rankings.
The question of what effect co-occurrence and co-citation will have on link building now arises. They will, fortunately, only improve it and produce superior outcomes. Techniques for acquiring high-quality backlinks can be inspired by the ideas of co-citation and co-occurrence. I’ll explain how to use co-citation and co-occurrence to boost your rankings in search engines in the following tutorial.
Don’t make anchor text based on keywords
An outdated strategy that flourished on the premise that more of these connections would lead to better ranking was to make anchor text a precise match to the keywords being targeted. While this strategy formerly yielded results, those days are long gone.
Anchor text keyword variation including “best,” “affordable,” “leading,” “top,” etc., must cease immediately. In order to keep oneself safe, you should abandon this outdated method from the past. Your brand’s identity is more important than keywords at this stage. A natural link is one that does not require any extra effort on the part of the reader.
Include links to reputable external websites as sources
I want you to take a moment to reflect on how much time you’ve spent reading Wikipedia pages before I continue. For each fact, figure, or assertion that could be deemed invalid, citations are the fundamental things that assist sustain the confidence of Wikipedia material.
Here, the citation leads to a reliable resource or website where qualified authors can double-check the facts offered in the article.
When you publish an article or post, you should provide links to reputable sources like Wikipedia does. By doing so, you’ll build credibility for your page among your sources.
Type in the Search Terms People Use
Focus your writing on things that people are actively looking for on the Internet. When using Google, it’s best to use long-tail keywords because the search engine is built around conversational queries. You may have noticed that high-ranking sites are highlighted even when the title doesn’t contain the exact keyword, even though you know that having a keyword in the title always boosts your content higher in the SERP. Have any idea why? The answer lies in the quality of the links that point to them. Many metrics, including domain authority, citation value, trust value, and others, are indicative of a website’s quality link profile.
Invest in Content Promotion
Following Google’s spam upgrades, content marketing has emerged as a crucial method of attracting the right audience to your website. Only content with organic inbound links will benefit from the use of co-citation and co-occurrence. Therefore, disseminate as much unique, interesting content as possible, preferably in the form of captivating infographics and films. Keep up a steady stream of updates to your website, but remember that quality trumps quantity in every case.
Create a Profile of Organic Links
I feel compelled to bring this out because it is so often overlooked while being the primary cause of sanctions for popular websites. Websites that aren’t updated on a regular basis have a much easier time being monitored by Google because of their poor link profiles. The day a new Google algorithm update is released is when you will see a shift in your ranks.
Conclusion
To sum up, co-citation and co-occurrence are critical for assisting you in formulating a link development plan and materializing a high-quality link profile. Even if anchor texts and links are depreciating with time, this remains the most important metric by which websites are judged and likely will for the foreseeable future. Using the aforementioned recommendations for co-citation and co-occurrence, you can ensure that your website is always prepared to face the most recent upgrade. These cutting-edge methods of link building will help you create a natural link profile and rank higher in search engines.