Are you looking to improve your website rankings? Is your goal to get more love from Google and reach the top of SERPs?
So far, you’ve been focusing on keywords, and that’ll bring you results, for sure, but have you tried to up your link building game yet?
Backlinks are one of the most important Google ranking factors, yet, more than 55% of pages on the web don’t have a SINGLE one.
If you don’t want to be among websites that are constantly missing out on the opportunity to rank higher, it’s time to learn what backlinks are and how to use them to get more search traffic.
The Definition of Backlinks
So, what are backlinks anyway?
As the name suggests, backlinks are created when one website links to a page on another website. Backlinks are also referred to as inbound links, incoming links, or external links.
Simply put, you have a backlink on every website that links to any of your pages anywhere in their content.
Is Any Backlink Good?
You may be familiar with the saying that any publicity is good publicity. Well, backlinks don’t really work that way. You want to look for specific attributes in a backlink to make the most out of it.
For example, a backlink will be more clickable when attached to appropriate anchor text that naturally fits the content and invites people to find out more about a certain topic. Also, a backlink will work even better if the anchor text contains a keyword you’re trying to rank for.
And what about domain authority? Aim for backlinks from websites that already have Google’s trust. If you get a backlink from an authoritative website, you will definitely get more organic traffic to your site.
Finally, a good backlink should be placed somewhere in the main content of a page, rather than remain hidden somewhere in the footer where no one will notice it.
With this in mind, a single high-quality backlink can pay off more than having a hundred poor-quality backlinks.
Why Do Backlinks Matter?
When writing an article on a medical topic, will you back up your claims with links to Mayo Clinic’s blog posts or to some random articles without references or author’s name?
You’ll choose Mayo Clinic because linking your post to their website gives you credibility. Someone who links to your website gives the same credibility to you.
Backlinks tell Google your content is high quality and trustworthy. In fact, backlinks are one of the three most important factors that Google considers when deciding where to rank your website.
The Bottom Line
Have we cleared your doubts?
Backlinks may not be easy to earn, but they are a valuable asset that helps websites rank better in search engine results. Moreover, they give your website authority, which contributes to your brand reputation.
The more backlinks you have, the more people will trust you. That’s a pretty good foundation for building a top-quality online presence and achieving the website ranking goals you’ve set for your business.