Did you know that the numbered links to web pages when you inquire from search engines such as Google, Bing, or Yahoo, are known as search engine rankings?
Search engine results pages are ranked according to standards set by organic search traffic. No website can buy a position in the rank of search engines. Hence, this is where SEO comes in.
Search Engine Optimization or simply SEO is the process to achieve a higher rank on the search engine algorithm. But does a higher SEO rank really matter? It does.
Page rank defines the visibility of your page. If your web page lands on the second page, that might as well mean death for your site because most people do not go beyond the second page of search engines.
As a site owner, how will you have a higher rank on Google and other search engines? There are several ranking factors to consider to get the favour of Google. One SEO strategy to achieve this is by addressing these ranking factors.
One of the factors that can make your page rank higher on Google’s algorithm is by building backlinks. Rank matters to SEO and the world of digital marketing. To be recognized by Google being the top search engine means success for site owners.
What are backlinks, and why do they matter to SEO? Let’s find out!
What are Backlinks?
Backlinks are hyperlinks from other websites that lead to your website. When you link other websites to your page, it means they received a backlink from you. On the other hand, when other sites link their page to yours, you gain backlinks.
Backlinks are also referred to as inbound links, incoming links, or one-way links. Regardless of how they are called, there is the undeniable fact that backlinks matter to SEO, thus its search rankings relevance.
Importance
What are backlinks’ significant roles in SEO? How does it help in organic search traffic? Why are backlinks important?
Backlinks are relevant for site owners. When external sites create backlinks pointing to one website, this establishes quality and authority. Having the generated links to your site is akin to being vouched as one of the quality websites.
When external links lead to your site, Google takes this as a signal of your authority and that your content is relevant. Having a number of backlinks can make your page qualify as one of the authoritative websites.
During a Google search, backlinks to your site are an advantage to organic traffic. These website links will help your site’s ranking position. Being one of the top-linked pages defines link popularity and it accounts for the page’s authority.
Being linked to one website is not enough to establish quality and authority which is why there is a need for editors to adhere to link-building opportunities. It is imperative to analyze Google and its organic traffic search and the top linking sites to establish a stronger backlink profile.
To guarantee domain authority, it is important to gain quality backlinks which can be done by creating link-building strategies. The need to have backlinks to your site is crucial. This aspect will be discussed further later.
Types of Backlinks
When it comes to establishing a trustworthy link profile, not all backlinks are the same. For link building to be relevant, it is vital to know the type of backlinks that matter to SEO.
There are two basic types of backlinks – nofollow and dofollow. They are discussed below.
Nofollow
The first type is the nofollow backlink. This type does not give any value from one website to another. This nofollow tag basically prompts Google and other search engines that it doesn’t pass trust.
Since nofollow links do not pass link equity, they do not really do anything to boost your backlink profile. As such, this type of link is futile to SEO and search engine ranking.
Dofollow
The other type of backlinks is the dofollow links. Unlike nofollow links, dofollow links are essential to building a good link profile since they pass link equity. These types are quality backlinks that are beneficial to search engine optimization.
There is also truth to the claim that there are dofollow links that are regarded as bad backlinks. These links emanate from untrusted sites or are obtained by terminating the search engine terms of service.
External links from quality websites are the ones that matter to better search rankings. It is not just about the number of backlinks but the quality of the backlinks gained. This is an important insight to consider when considering site linking.
Characteristics of Good SEO Backlinks
Though it is a general truth that backlinks pose an important role in SEO, it is also significant to analyze the type of backlinks generated. As such, it is vital to find links that will lead to your success as a site owner.
The first characteristic to consider is its relevance. Google values resource pages that are relevant to your backlink profile. This algorithm is set by the click received by the linked pages.
Another attribute that determines good SEO backlinks is authority. The more authoritative the resource linked to your profile, the better the link building is safeguarded for your web page. Authority is also enhanced by internal links coming from the same website.
Traffic is another attribute that dictates the gaining of high-quality backlinks. The referral traffic given by backlinks from authority website links poses a positive correlation with rank.
Even the visual placement of backlinks also matters as a characteristic. When backlinks are easy to find and see from a webpage, there is a higher tendency to receive a frequent click towards your site.
The type of backlinks also poses a significant role. As aforementioned, nofollow links do not influence the ranking of search engines, unlike dofollow links. In this sense, it is better to prioritize opportunities getting the latter.
Another feature to consider is the anchor text. The anchor text or the hyperlinked words forming the backlinks imposes a significant role in improving search engine rankings. The anchor text helps Google obtain more data about the site hence a better position in the search engine results pages.
Tools you can use to Check Backlinks
Backlinks are a crucial aspect of SEO especially since they play an important role as signals that Google interprets for ranking web pages. This is also why it is important to do link building as it strengthens credibility.
Since backlinks are vital to SEO, it necessitates efforts to study and analyze them. As follows are some of the tools to check and gather insight about backlinks.
Google Search Console
Google Search Console provides detailed information about your link profile. Though this tool does not provide any details about your competitors’ backlinks, it shows comprehensive data on your backlink profile.
Google Search Console gives information about external links, top linked pages, top linking sites, and even the top linking text.
All these data can be accessed by simply logging into the console, navigating toward the bottom of the left-hand menu, and clicking the link option. This will give an overview of your link profile.
Ahrefs
Unlike the Google Search Console, this tool is more often used to analyze a competitor’s linking page in terms of backlinks. This is easy to use since all you have to do is enter the URL and click the panel for Check backlinks.
This will give a comprehensive report on the total number of backlinks including the referring domains which are the links from a unique website.
Apart from the referring domains, it also provides important details such as the target page, domain rating, URL rating, traffic information, and the anchor and surrounding link text.
SEO Spyglass
Another useful tool to check backlinks is the SEO Spyglass. This can also check any website’s backlinks data, your own, and your competitors.
This gives complete details on aspects such as referral traffic, and keyword research. It can help generate the best keyword research. Tt also analyzes anchor text and it can even help you build the exact match anchor text you can use.
It will also let you view the exact number of clicks your page receives as visits. In addition, it helps identify the specific links that bring real visitors. Data can also be backed up and updated.
SEMRush
SEMRush is another tool that also gives in-depth evaluations and comparisons of backlinks. It is a good way to monitor link-building efficiency. It also determines all incoming links and linking domains.
This tool allows you to evaluate inbound links, linking domains, subdomains, URLs, and their categories. You can also scrutinize each aspect including the referring domain’s authority and location.
Same data can also be obtained from competitors. This can help when doing competitive backlink research to see what may be effective as a digital marketing strategy for your own company.
How to Grow your backlinks?
Backlinks’ important role in SEO is a solid premise that has been established. As mentioned earlier in this article, the need for backlinks is crucial. What are the ways to obtain backlinks?
The first best way to gain backlinks is earning by establishing quality and authority with useful and meaningful content. Building up credibility is a long and tedious process but a venture worth embarking on. These kinds of backlinks that are earned through organic means will pave a long way for your page to rank higher.
Another way to secure your way up to search engines is by creating backlinks pointing back to your website. this can be done by communicating with other sites, targeting online directories, and leaving blog comments. This kind of interaction just like commenting on a blog post promotes the generation of inbound links.
Link building by reaching out to site owners is another process. You must have valuable input to make this possible which is why developing link-building strategies is very vital.
One SEO method that can be applied is by doing guest blogging. Guest blogging or when you write guest posts for another site will not only help to promote your page. It will also help build backlinks that can aid in better organic search traffic.
Another way that can be done is broken link building. This method requires you to look for dead links on other sites and if your link is relevant, you can suggest it as a replacement. This building strategy will
Similar to the last mention is the process of searching for unlinked mentions of your page. If successful you can ask the author to make mention a working link. This will help boost your backlink profile.
Another way to do this is to choose target content with numerous relevant links. You then craft better content and ask those connected to the original link to connect to you instead. This will generate more backlinks to your site thus elevating your search engine rankings.
Conclusion
Though many ranking factors affect link popularity, backlinks are one of these factors that should be attended appropriately. SEO rankings are all about the internal algorithm that lies behind the context dept, relevance, quality, and authority. Thus competitive backlink research should be done and solutions should be employed strategically for the efforts to rank higher materialize.
If you want to create a sturdy pillar for your webpage, it is necessary to build backlinks. Doing so is like creating a strong backbone to better SEO performance for your company.
