What are backlinks? Everything you need to know

Understanding backlinks

Backlinks, also known as incoming or inbound links, are essential for SEO, facilitating traffic exchange and enhancing a website's credibility. They enable webpage creators to cite sources, add context, and make recommendations. Additionally, internal links within a website contribute to SEO efforts. If you're keen on delving deeper, follow this internal link to a top-notch Search Engine Journal article on optimal practices for leveraging internal links in SEO. (Notice the subtle hint?)

What constitutes an effective backlink?

Back in 1998, during Google's infancy, it introduced an algorithm known as PageRank. Among its considerations for determining the relevance of a webpage to a user query was the presence of backlinks. However, even in those early stages, not all backlinks carried the same weight. While the quantity of inbound links influences search rankings, their quality is equally significant.

Let's dissect this: In terms of quantity, a higher number of websites linking to your webpage sends a strong signal to Google that your content holds value and merits linking.

Generally, if your page boasts more backlinks compared to a similar one, it will rank higher in organic search results. This is because each backlink serves as a validation of your content's accuracy and credibility.

However, don't assume that any website linking to yours is beneficial. While some links may not contribute much, others could potentially harm your search ranking. Therefore, it's essential to prioritize the quality of your inbound links.

It's akin to judging someone based on the company they keep, a principle that translates well to the internet.

Consider this scenario: Which website would you trust more - one endorsed by a governmental agency, a reputable university, or a well-established foundation, or one solely associated with your Uncle Joe's conspiracy blog?

Undoubtedly, the former carries more credibility, not just for visitors but also for search engines. Consequently, it's unsurprising that a webpage with fewer links from high-quality sites would outrank a competitor with numerous links from questionable sources.

Speaking of dubious sources, if your site garners backlinks from link farms or other unnatural sources, you risk facing penalties from Google. Should spammy sites link to your pages, the best course of action is to disavow them to avoid any association with them. We'll delve into this further shortly.

However, it's not solely the domain reputation that influences Google's assessment of the value of inbound links. The search engine also considers the relevance of the referring site to the topic at hand.

What makes backlinks essential?

Now that we've established what a backlink entails, let's address the pivotal question: Why are they crucial? 

At its core, backlinks pass PageRank, a fundamental metric that search engines utilize, among numerous other factors, to gauge your website's quality and determine its ranking on results pages.

They serve as indicators of your website's popularity among users and are indispensable components of any robust SEO strategy. Furthermore, backlinks significantly contribute to your discoverability, as both users and search engine crawlers follow links from external sites to your page.

You might be thinking, "Fantastic! Let's start amassing as many inbound links as possible to soar up the search rankings." However, it's not that simple.

If SEO were that straightforward, there wouldn't be a plethora of professionals in the field. Let's delve into the nuances of distinguishing between good and bad links.

What's the count of my backlinks?

Now that you grasp the significance of inbound links and their impact, it's crucial to assess the ones already in place. How can you identify the sites directing traffic your way? There are two methods: one revealing who's linking to your site and another enabling you to scrutinize your competitors' inbound links.

Inspecting your links using Google Search Console

Google Search Console serves as a vital tool for webmasters, offering an array of valuable tools and reports for performance tracking and issue resolution – all at no cost.

After creating an account and verifying your site, navigate to the "Links" option in the sidebar. Here, you can access details regarding both internal and external links. Focus on the external links for now. Under this section, you can access three reports: top linking pages, top linking sites, and top linking texts. These reports allow you to identify who is linking to your site and from which sources.

Reviewing links with external tools

While Google Search Console provides insight into your site's links, it's limited to your own domain. However, third-party backlink checkers such as Majestic SEO, Semrush, and Ahrefs offer a broader perspective, enabling you to analyze your competition's strategies and potentially acquire similar links.

Now that we've covered the fundamentals of backlinks, their significance, and tracking methods, let's delve into the main focus: the art of building backlinks.

How can I obtain backlinks?

There are several methods to encourage other sites to link to yours, but most of them entail some effort on your part. The simplest approach is to pay for links. However, it's crucial to heed this important caveat: participating in a paid link-building scheme can lead to penalties from Google.

The practice of buying links has long been a subject of debate among SEO experts, with some advocating for it while others caution against the risks involved.

Ultimately, the decision is yours to make. However, we recommend exploring organic link-building strategies before considering paid links as an option.

Another method for generating backlinks is by creating them yourself. This typically involves submitting your website to business directories or engaging in blog and forum commenting with a link to your site in the signature. Keep in mind that the quality of these links can vary. For more insights, refer to the video below.

A more effective approach to generating inbound links is through earning them, although this method is somewhat more challenging.

To earn backlinks, you need to create valuable content that offers genuine utility to others.

For instance, consider a webpage showcasing your top five favorite immersion blenders. This content can be valuable not only to blender manufacturers, who would appreciate the recognition, but also to individuals in search of a new blender and kitchen appliance websites seeking informative content.

Using statistical content is an effective strategy for attracting high-quality backlinks. Statistics serve as compelling evidence to support arguments and address objections.

By offering pertinent statistics related to your niche, you position your site as an authoritative source and stimulate a considerable number of inbound links. Alternatively, conducting surveys and sharing the findings on your blog as news can also be beneficial.

Promoting your news through social media platforms increases the likelihood of others finding your survey data valuable and linking to it in their articles.

With valuable content that resonates with a specific audience, you'll gradually accumulate backlinks organically.

Promote your content through social media or paid campaigns targeted at your desired audience. Your article's usefulness may prompt others to link to it.

Alternatively, utilize third-party tools highlighted in the previous section to identify a relevant page with numerous inbound links. Create superior content compared to your competitors' and reach out to the linking domains, requesting them to redirect their links to your page instead.

Additionally, search for broken links or those leading to 404 error pages on relevant websites. Upon discovery, notify the webmaster via email, suggesting they replace the broken link with your page on the same topic.

For further insights into these strategies and additional approaches, refer to this article.

Begin establishing your backlinks

So, there you have it: a quick guide to link building. At this stage, you should have a solid understanding of backlinks, their significance, and methods for building them.

However, remember that SEO is a long-term endeavor, not a quick fix. It's highly improbable to witness immediate results.

Stay patient, consistently produce high-quality content, and actively seek out opportunities to acquire links. With time, you'll gradually amass a plethora of inbound links.