Introduction
Backlinks are a critical part of any SEO strategy. Getting backlinks from high-quality websites is one of the most effective ways to increase your website traffic, but it can be difficult to track down the right sites to approach.
What is a backlink?
A backlink is a link from one website to another.
You may have heard of something called the backlink anchor text, which is often used to describe the text in the link that connects your website with someone else’s. For example: “We make great websites” is a perfect example of anchor text because it tells users what you’re about (making great websites) without giving away too much information or sounding spammy. The more relevant and useful your anchor text, the better!
How do you get backlinks?
You can’t just buy backlinks. You can’t just ask for backlinks. You can’t just create them yourself.
What you need to do is create content that’s so valuable and useful that other websites want to link to it in return for traffic and/or sales. And this takes time! The best way to start getting links is by creating great content – like blog posts, infographics or videos – that people will want to share on their own sites, social accounts, etc., which will then lead back to your site and increase its overall authority in the eyes of search engines like Google (which means better rankings).
Why are backlinks important?
Backlinks are important for your website because they:
- Give you a higher ranking in search engines. Search engines like Google and Bing reward websites with high-quality content and backlinks by ranking them higher on their results pages.
- Help build your credibility as an expert in your field by showing that other experts have recommended you or linked to you.
- Help people find your website online (and hopefully click on it). Backlinks are one of the main ways that search engines decide how to rank websites, so having many quality backlinks will help increase the chances that people will find your website when they’re searching for something related to what you do!
Do all backlinks have the same value?
Good backlinks are more valuable than bad backlinks
We’ve all heard the old saying, “you get what you pay for.” When it comes to SEO, this is absolutely true. The quality of your backlinks can make or break your website’s ranking on search engines. There has been an abundance of research conducted on the value of different types of backlinks, and there are several key takeaways:
- When a person searches for something in Google, they want to see results that appear relevant or useful to their query (i.e., they want information). If someone clicks on a link that takes them away from their search result page and onto another page with little-to-no relevance to their original query—or worse yet—a page filled with spammy ads and nothing but empty promises? They will probably never return! In fact, Google knows this too; they have penalized sites that do not produce good user experience by dropping them lower in rankings over time (this is called “Google Penguin Update”).
- High quality websites tend to have better content overall than low quality ones (think about it…you wouldn’t trust someone who looks like a homeless person selling magazines on the street corner for his advice about investing stocks). Similarly, we can assume that if someone does the work necessary to create good content for their site then they are more likely going put more effort into creating original copy and engaging visuals which would attract more readers/customers who eventually will link back through shared articles and tweets—thus helping build traffic from within.. That said…”
Does the number of links matter, or the quality?
The answer to this question is simple: both.
It’s true, the number of links you have matters, but the quality of those links also matter. The more high-quality backlinks your website has, the better it will be ranked. It’s all about balance—you can’t have a thousand low-quality backlinks if you’re trying to rank for a competitive keyword.
However, having no links at all is also not ideal because then you don’t have any outside sources telling Google that your content is worthy of being ranked highly in their search results page (SERP). The key here is to find a good balance between quantity and quality so that when people do click on one of your pages from Google’s SERP page they’ll find something worth reading or watching rather than another site filled with junk ads and other spammy content aimed at getting clicks for money instead of providing useful information people need/want!
How do you improve your content so that other websites want to link to it?
How do you improve your content so that other websites want to link to it?
- Write content that is useful, unique and informative. This means writing about topics that are different than any other site out there, providing your audience with information they can’t get anywhere else. For example, if a website were going to write about “the best places in New York City,” they’d be competing with thousands of other sites that have already written on this topic. While the article may still be useful for some people in light of the fact that there is no shortage of things to do in NYC, it’s nothing new or unique since there are so many similar articles out there already.
- Answer questions that readers have been struggling with or are interested in learning more about. For example: “What’s the difference between SEO and PPC?” Or “How do I get rid of acne?” You get the idea! People search Google every day looking for answers on these topics—and if you provide them with those answers in an easy-to-understand way (not just regurgitating industry jargon), then chances are good that people will share it on social media because they think it was helpful! It may take some time before anyone links back up again but at least now their followers know where else they might find similar information!
What’s the difference between a white hat and black hat link building strategy?
White hat is a process that follows Google’s guidelines for earning backlinks (i.e., having content on your website that other people want to link to). Black hat is an unethical way to get backlinks – meaning it’s against Google’s guidelines. It involves tricking search engines into believing that you have more authority than you actually do, by using shady tactics like buying links or using “keyword stuffing” in order to rank higher in search results pages (SERPs).
What’s the difference between an outbound link and an inbound link?
Let’s say you have a website about digital marketing and you want to give your readers some additional information about digital marketing. You could link to the Wikipedia article on the subject or another website that contains great information on the topic. This is an outbound link, because it’s linking away from your own website.
In contrast, let’s say you’re writing about how to use social media for business purposes and include links in your post that direct readers to other websites with detailed information on how they can use social media for their businesses (for example: “Click here for step-by-step instructions.”). These are inbound links because they direct users back toward your site (the “inbound” part of “inbound”).
Is it possible for bad backlinks to hurt my website rankings?
Yes! Links that have nothing to do with your website can hurt your rankings. For example, if you have a blog post about dog training and you find a link to a site that sells puppies, it’s unlikely that Google will think this is relevant enough to pass through their Natural Backlink Filter.
Google has gotten better at detecting spammy links and suspicious backlinks, so if you want to keep your rankings high then take the time to find high-quality sites for your backlinking efforts.
Remember: not all links are equal! Don’t think of them as equal because they aren’t—some will be more important than others when it comes down to ranking factors such as relevancy and trustworthiness.
How are backlinks changing with the recent shift towards mobile-first indexing?
While backlinks are still relevant, they are changing. This is largely due to the shift towards mobile-first indexing and Google’s goal of providing people with the most relevant content for their search queries.
In order to earn high-quality backlinks, you need to create great content that solves a problem. You should also be sure that your website can support these types of links by:
- Having a well-designed site structure
- Creating engaging content on each page (images, videos, etc.)
Backlinks are very important for SEO, but they must be earned.
One of the most important things to understand about backlinks is that they must be earned. Backlinks are not created equal, and it’s not enough to just ask for them. You have to earn them by providing valuable content that people want to share or link back to.
To make this even more clear, consider this example: You want a link from a big news site like CNN or Buzzfeed. These sites get thousands of emails every day asking for links, but they rarely give them out unless you have something truly special that warrants being linked on their site (and probably even then only if you know someone at the company). But let’s say there was an obscure blog with only a few hundred readers per month who wrote an article about what kind of sandwich would win in a fight between peanut butter and jelly – would CNN take notice? Would they write about such a silly topic? No way! What makes sense here is that if we want attention from high authority websites, we need high-quality content.
Link building is an important part of SEO, but it’s not just a numbers game. You need to earn those links: by creating quality content that others want to link to, and by carefully selecting which sites will link back to yours. It can take time, but with these tips, you’ll be well on your way toward earning the links that will bring visitors back again and again!
