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Backlinks 101

Backlinks 101

Backlinks 101

A backlink is when one website links to a page on a different website. It’s like a modern-day citation, showing that the linked site trusts the information on the other page.

They are crucial for search engine optimization (SEO) because they act as votes of confidence from other sites. When another website links to yours, it’s like they’re saying, “Hey, check this out!” This helps search engines like Google trust your site more, which can boost your rankings and bring more visitors your way.

The more high-quality backlinks your website has, the higher it can rank in search results, as search engines like Google and Bing see it as more credible and popular. 

These links, also known as inbound links, not only drive traffic to your site but also help boost your SEO performance. 

While some come naturally, many marketers actively work to create and manage them to enhance their site’s visibility and ranking.

Why are backlinks so Important?

Why are backlinks so Important?

Why are backlinks so Important?

Wonder how Google decides what to put on the first page of results? Google’s main aim is to present users with the best information for their query. Backlinks play a major role in this ranking:

  1. Discovery and Traffic: Backlinks help people find your site. When users visit other websites, they might also click on a hyperlink connecting to your page. More backlinks means more chances for people to discover your website. 
  2. Crawling and Indexing: Search engines like Google use special tools called crawlers or bots to explore the web. These tools follow backlinks from one page to another, discovering and saving new content. For a webpage to show up in search results, these crawlers need to find it first through these backlinks.
  3. Ranking: Backlinks act like votes of confidence. If many reputable sites link to your page, search engines see it as a sign of quality and trust. This can lead to higher rankings in search results.

Basically, backlinks help search engines gauge your site’s authority and relevance. The more high-quality backlinks you have, the higher your site can rank. They can also drive direct traffic, increasing your site’s visibility and brand awareness.

What are the Best Types of Backlinks?


Not all backlinks are created equal.


Some backlinks are so powerful that they can boost your website onto the front page of Google. But other backlinks can pull you off of Google search result pages.


Here are the 4 most important things to look for from your backlinks:


1. Does the backlink come from a high-authority website?

1. Does the backlink come from a high-authority website?

1. Does the backlink come from a high-authority website?

Remember that backlinks are comparable to votes, but when it comes to SEO some votes are more valuable than others.

Google strongly prefers backlinks from websites that have authority. Websites like Wikipedia, Business Insider, WebMD, CNN, BBC, Forbes, dominate the front page of Google for a reason – they have generated a ton of backlinks, and therefore Google trusts them.

This means that getting one from a high-authority site can positively impact your SEO immediately.

In contrast, if you get a backlink from a small, spammy website, not only will it not help your rankings, but it might actually hurt your rankings.

What you should do – Before agreeing to one, always check the website’s authority.

An easy way to check the authority of a website is with Moz’s free domain analysis tool. The higher the number, the better the authority of the website.

2. Is the backlink do-follow?

2. Is the backlink do-follow?

2. Is the backlink do-follow?

There are two kinds of backlinks – no-follow and do-follow.

No-follow backlinks are backlinks that will NOT spread ‘link juice’ from one website to another. So no-follow backlinks have a neutral effect on SEO. In contrast, do-follow backlinks are good for SEO because they help spread ‘link juice’ from the linkers domain to your domain. Needless to say, you’ll want a do-follow backlink.

Tip: When building your backlinks, double check that the backlink will actually be a do-follow. Once the it is live, use a free tool (like this Chrome Extension) to check.

3. Is The Backlink Relevant?

3. Is The Backlink Relevant?

3. Is The Backlink Relevant?

Google is really careful about spammy backlinks, so it looks at how relevant those links are to your website.

For example, if you’re in the travel industry, you should aim to get links from other travel-related websites. Similarly, if you’re in the medical field, try to get backlinks from medical sites.

While having a few outside your niche isn’t a problem, having more links from within your industry makes you seem more like an expert. To get these backlinks, start by connecting with others in your niche. This will help you build valuable links and relationships.

Tip: Focus on building relationships with sites within your industry to get relevant backlinks.

4. Are the Backlinks Placed Naturally?

4. Are the Backlinks Placed Naturally?

4. Are the Backlinks Placed Naturally?

The best backlinks are naturally placed within relevant content, and the anchor text (the clickable part of the link) should be relevant and use natural language. Avoid overusing exact match keywords, as this can look spammy and might get filtered out by Google’s Penguin algorithm.

Tip: Avoid using the same keywords repeatedly in anchor text as it can appear spammy to search engines.

3 Ways To Build Backlinks

1. Create high quality linkable content

1. Create high quality linkable content

1. Create high quality linkable content

In essence, you are waiting for people to link to your business or webpage. But while this can take time and cost you authority, there is one key thing you can do to facilitate this process. Create high quality and helpful content that people would want to be associated with.

The more helpful your content is, the more likely it will get shared around and referenced in other articles. This can also increase the chances of getting linked to sites with high domain authority, like news channels or reputable bloggers.

You could also create linkable assets to expedite the process. Linkable assets are high quality pieces designed to attract links from other sites. These can take various forms, such as infographics, videos, images, downloadable files. To optimize these assets, make sure they align with Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines.

Content that demonstrate the author’s expertise, experience, authority/ credibility, and trustworthiness, can enhance the appeal of your content to publishers.

Say you’re creating a video tutorial on building backlinks. You’ll want to make sure your content is both helpful and accurate, but you’ll also want to show that you’re a reliable source of information people can trust. You might do this by sharing insights from your experience, referencing recent trends or research to show you understand the topic.

No one wants to link to an average piece of content – do they? So every time you create a piece of content, try and make it special.

2. Reach out for backlinks

2. Reach out for backlinks

2. Reach out for backlinks

The second most common way that backlinks are built is via outreach. This means that you will reach out to owners of other websites, and ask them to backlink to your website.

Usually this outreach is done by email. Sometimes owners of websites will be willing to give you a free backlink just for asking, but most likely they will require some sort of payment.

Currently backlinks cost anywhere from $99 USD to $2,000 USD depending on where the backlink is coming from.

The more authoritative the website is, the more powerful the backlink, will be – therefore the more costlier the backlink will cost.

How to reach out for backlinks – The most common strategy is through email, but Facebook is becoming increasingly popular as well.

But if you are serious about growing your backlink profile, the best way is to hire an agency who already has a network of link-partners in place.

3. Other black hat techniques

3. Other black hat techniques

3. Other black hat techniques

Anything not covered previously will go into the category of ‘black hat’, and ‘black hat’ is always the wrong decision.

Here’s why…

While Black Hat SEO techniques might seem appealing, they are rarely effective, and most of the time they are a complete waste of money.

And if the techniques ARE effective, it will only be so for a short period of time.

This is because Black Hat techniques will almost always come back to haunt you later (in the form of a Google penalty.)

How to avoid Black Hat Techniques – Before hiring an agency, be sure to ask how they will be building backlinks for you.

Any answer other than ‘outreach’ is a bad sign.

What Matters More For Backlinks: Quality Vs Quantity?

The Case For Quality Backlinks

The Case For Quality Backlinks

The Case For Quality Backlinks

What are “quality” backlinks?

High-quality backlinks come from websites with high domain authority—these are sites that are trusted and well-regarded by both search engines and people. For instance, a backlink from a well-known site like Forbes or CNN is considered high-quality because these sites have strong reputations and are trusted by search engines. Such backlinks can boost your SEO quickly by passing on some of the authority of the linking site to your own.

Benefits of quality

High-quality backlinks offer several benefits. 

  1. They improve your SEO rankings because they’re seen as more credible by search engines. 
  2. They can aso drive more targeted traffic to your site since readers trust and visit these reputable sites. 
  3. They can enhance your brand’s reputation, as being mentioned on trusted sites makes your brand seem more credible.

Drawbacks of quality

The downside is that getting these high-quality backlinks can be challenging and time-consuming. It’s not easy to earn links from top sites like Forbes, and it often requires a lot of effort and persistence.

The Case For Quantity Backlinks

The Case For Quantity Backlinks

The Case For Quantity Backlinks

What are “quantity” backlinks?

Quantity backlinks refer to having links from a large number of websites, regardless of their authority.

Benefits of quantity

The benefit of quantity backlinks is that they are generally easier and faster to get. But focusing too much on quantity can lead to lower-quality links that might not provide significant SEO benefits. 

Additionally, if some of these links come from unreliable sites, they could negatively impact your SEO.

Drawbacks of quantity

While this approach can quickly increase the number of links pointing to your site, it doesn’t guarantee quality or relevance. Some of these sites might be small or spammy, which won’t help your SEO and could even hurt your rankings.

Are You Ready To Explode Your Website’s Authority?

Are You Ready To Explode Your Website’s Authority?

Are You Ready To Explode Your Website’s Authority?

Growing traffic on your website is a marathon, not a sprint, but building quality backlinks is one of the best ways to expedite the process.

If you are serious about building links to your website, contact us today to speak with a Digital Strategist.

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