There are many theories on the percentage of the algorithm that relates to on-page vs off-page.
Some theories have linked being over 50% of the algorithm. In last year’s SEO Rockstars presentation, Josh Bachynski suggested that user metrics were going to become 50% or more of the algorithm and that links would lose their effectiveness over time.
In SEMRush’s latest ranking factors study, they found the top 4 factors all revolved around user metrics.
The next 4 factors are related to backlinks.
In the initial test on on-page vs off-page, we found that on-page factors stack, i.e. having the keyword in the title and URL ranks better than having it only in the Title.
At the time of the last test, there was no movement from the DA1 PA 1 link with exact match anchor text.
However, in our results on the 23rd of November, the page moved up into the #4 position (It took 70 days to take effect). For this test, we check if links to a poorly optimized page can beat highly optimized pages with no links.
Test Downloads
Transcription Below
What we are going to do?
We are going to send 5 TF10+ links to this page.
It indexes for the keyword and the reason it indexes for the keyword is because it has anchor text one that page one time but it doesn’t have any other optimization.
It is extremely poorly optimized for that particular keyword.
The rest of the pages in this environment – it is a twelve page environment, twelve different sites that are ranking for the keyword, they are all highly optimized or correctly optimized, if you will, might be a better way to say it.
The idea is, will a page that has a keyword on it one time but is now getting decent links, will it beat pages that has no links but are more properly optimized, is the concept.
It is actually linking to that page. The results were, the page that was getting the link jumped, what had the links were driving links to that page actually got a nice boost and stayed there a little bit before actually dropping back down and there is an immediate kind of stack boost.
What is interesting?
The page now that was getting those 5 links, the TF10s, it really did not move that much. It was in the 12-13 spot then it moved up to the number 9 so it is just a handful of spots. Basically the good on pages beat the links, in this situation.
The idea here is that you really need to nail your onpage.
You can beat some pages, clearly, and some of the pages in this environment was beaten and that can happen.
But what it really comes down to it, when you want to do things the right way, you really need to nail your onpage to get the most boost and then start putting the links in, and then start doing the link stacking techniques cause it clearly works and there is a benefit in there.
I think in a more real environment, it would have had a chance to stay if maybe it got some click through rate and stuff like that.
Really the bottom line is, spend your money on on-page first then get the links.