What Are Backlinks And Why Are They Important For Your SEO

What is a backlink? Do you really need backlinks or is on-page SEO enough? Learn more about backlinks, their importance, and how to get backlinks to your site.
SIA Team
August 26, 2023

Here we are on another article that will help you with your Search Engine Optimization (SEO Strategy) for getting ranked in Google Search results.

This time, we will be talking all about backlinks and why they are an important factor in your SEO campaigns.

To start, what is a backlink?

What are backlinks

Backlinks are links from one website’s page to another website’s page. A backlink is created when someone links to your website. Meaning, if you connect to another website, you are providing them with a backlink.

Let’s say you wrote a piece of content (any type of content) then you mentioned a video, so what you did is link it to YouTube, giving them a backlink from your page.

Importance of backlinks

Backlinks are beneficial in three ways – Rankings, Discoverability, and Referral Traffic.

When it comes to rankings, backlinks are seen as votes of confidence by search engines like Google. In general, the more votes your web pages receive, the better chance they have of ranking for relevant searches.

How do we say so?

Simply because we observed link-based ranking variables before and we always come up with the same conclusion: the quantity of backlinks from unique websites (referring domains) is closely correlated with organic search traffic.

Search engines find new material by checking for new links on pages they already know about.

Search engines revisit popular pages more frequently than unpopular pages, getting backlinks from popular pages may help search robots find your material faster.

Backlinks are used to direct users to useful sites. They’re clickable because of this and you gain referral traffic when someone clicks on a link from a page to your website.

Google algorithms are constantly changing. Despite the constant algorithm updates, backlinks have remained to be one of Google’s top-ranking factors.

Marketers and SEOs are constantly adapting to all these algorithm updates to improve their website’s search rankings.

One of the most important aspects of SEO is building backlinks. 

You may quickly level up your website by getting links from trustworthy and reputable websites. Although the amount of backlinks is important, if you receive backlinks from well-known websites, you can easily rank at the top of the search engine results pages. Quality is still more important than quantity and the more quality links you have from authoritative sites, the better your rank would be. After all, Google takes backlinks as a vote of confidence and approval and getting such links from authoritative sites means that your website is trustworthy and is worth ranking.

Another thing to take note of is that link value is influenced by three primary factors: the linking site’s authority, the do-follow vs. no-follow status, and the website location. So, keep these in mind whenever you’re planning to build a broad backlink profile.

When it comes to link-building types, the list is rather long. 

But, to make this content relevant and even more useful for you, I have listed the different types of backlinks that will boost your ranking position in Google search.

Guest posting

Guest blogging or guest posting is one of the most popular and straightforward methods for obtaining backlinks. 

You will have the ability to add an editorial hyperlink to your SEO content whenever you post a piece of content to another high-quality website. 

You can simply develop authority and trust through other popular publications by putting a good piece of content on another high-quality website.

The question to ponder is, how do you acquire high-quality backlinks?

Building a site with high-quality content and initiating outreach to authoritative sites is one of the simplest approaches. If you’re unfamiliar with the notion or don’t have the time, consider outsourcing your guest blogging efforts.

Editorial links

Editorial backlinks is another type of link that you could build to your site. Editorial backlinks are when another authoritative website organically link to your website or page. This is often done voluntarily and is often done by sites when they deem your page or site as having relevant information to their content.

Most webmasters determine whether your piece of content is a good source of information; whether you are the developer of an infographic; whether your website includes a roundup on a specific issue, or whether you are interviewing someone linked to your website, etc., they will link to your site if your content has information that provides more information or supports their claim or content.

To earn editorial backlinks, create compelling and shareable content that helps people understand the subject.

relationship-based backlinks

The third type of link is a relationship-based backlink. It could be thought of as a variation of an editorial link. 

When you effectively construct a strong relationship with webmasters or journalists, these are usually created.

Relationship-based link building occurs when they prefer to refer and link to you when writing thwir content and they need to include links to a valuable source.

You can quickly convert editorial links into relationship-based connections by contacting the website you use as a source. You can also propose high-quality material to understand the type of relationship you can form with a particular website or journalist to build relationship-based links for your link-building strategy.

The fourth SEO-boosting backlink that can assist you in improving your website’s ranking and branding are acknowledgment backlinks.

When your company sponsors an industry event, has a representative speak, etc., this form of backlink is frequently published.

Since you are a sponsor or you are a quest speaker, they will often have an acknowledgement area where they will introduce you as a sponsor or speaker, and you have the option to add in your link in them.

Free tool backlinks

You can also use free tools to attract high-quality sites to connect to your site. Consider using a free tool like a loan calculator to quickly get backlinks.

More individuals will connect to your material if the tool or resource is valuable and relevant. This will also allow you to include an enticing CTA that can increases website exposure, and help convert visitors.

A creative strategy for earning a high-quality backlink is the badge backlink. A badge is a type of award that is made or given by other websites and is used as a status symbol.

You can earn badge backlinks by finding a collection of sites that can be qualified and creating a badge.

You can use tools in your link-building efforts to identify sites and themes that are similar. Remember that the more branded websites you get links from, the easier it is to rank higher in Google.

You can post a comment with a link whenever you leave a comment on a specific blog post. However, you need to be careful because spammers frequently exploit this type of link.

If you opt for this path, the rule of thumb is to be sure you don’t go overboard. Only leave comments on worthy content that is related to your industry and make sure that your comment is also relevant to the post and not just a spammy comment for backlinking purposes.

The last but not the least approach for obtaining significant backlinks is to use a press release. Backlinks obtained from news releases will serve as a foundation for marketing and press release strategies. You can use press release backlinks to get backlinks from media outlets and draw attention to your site on its own.

You can get these types of backlinks by contacting local outlets and asking if you can publish a press release that links to your website.

what is a good backlink

Backlinks aren’t all made equal. Here are some of the many factors that influence the quality of a backlink.

Relevance

Relevant backlinks are more valuable to Google since people are more likely to click on them. This is something they discuss in their patent for the “decent surfer.”

What does it mean? 

If a lawyer gets backlinks from two pages, one about singing and the other regarding DUI, the latter is likely to be the most valuable.

This concept is also evident at the domain level.

Authority

Backlinks from authoritative web pages normally carry more “authority” than those from less authoritative ones.

However, backlinks from authoritative pages do not always convey additional authority.

According to Google’s original patent, all external links on a web page share equal authority.

So if you have backlinks from two pages, and one has more outward connections than the other, the link from the website with fewer external links will transmit more authority, all else being equal.

Traffic

High-traffic pages will normally send you more referral traffic than low-traffic pages. That is self-evident. 

The actual question is whether backlinks from high-traffic pages have a greater beneficial impact on rankings than backlinks from low-traffic pages.

In an observation made by other marketers when looking at the organic traffic to the pages that link to the top-ranking pages for 44,589 non-branded keywords, they discovered that there is a minor but discernible association between rankings and backlinks from pages that receive organic search traffic.

However, page-level authority and the sheer amount of backlinks from unique websites (referring domains) appear to be more important.

Placement

Some links on web pages are likely to pass more authority than others since people are more inclined to visit based on link popularity.

Follow vs. Nofollow Link

Follow vs Nofollow links

Nofollow link rarely affects the rankings of the linked page so it’s best to prioritize gaining followed links, especially since link building requires time and work. 

If you get a nofollow link, don’t make a big deal about it. It could still be useful for SEO. In fact, we have tested in SEOIntel the value of nofollow links and found that nofollow links help with rank.

Anchor text

If you’re not aware, the clickable words that make up a backlink are referred to as anchor text.

In their original patent, Google claims that anchor text affects rankings.

It is said that the page rank, anchor text, and proximity information are among the strategies used by Google to improve search quality.

However, the connections between anchor text and rankings were modest across 384,614 pages.

While anchor text is vital, it isn’t as important as other factors.

Now that you know what backlinks are and their importance to SEO, let us talk about how to get backlinks to your site.

Develop Shareable Content

Shareable information is exactly that: shareable. It allows you to have your expertise spread over the Internet and increases the likelihood of your website being linked to from different websites and platforms. Any shared material can be delivered with a call-to-action (CTA) urging content users to distribute the information as they see fit, whether you decide to publish a well-researched blog post, practical eBook, or informative infographic.

Social media is another excellent source of backlinks, though they are often no-follow, they can still be valuable links to your sites and are often free. Make sure your social media posts links to your blog posts, case studies, infographics, and other high-value sharable content. If someone finds your work and ideas useful, there’s a chance they’ll share it also, link to it in a blog post or on one of their web pages.

The initial outreach can be done via social media, with hashtags and other targeted distribution strategies to reach individuals in your field.

A Backlink From Your Own Website

Creating well-researched blogs that link to other useful content in a given sector as another kind of shareable content. Creating countdown posts to your favorite CRM tools or vacation blogs, for example, allows you to link to recognized web material while also giving that respected site the ability to share your article and link back to your website.

When it comes to building backlinks, it’s all about putting your best foot forward, so why not give a shout-out to the products, services, or content providers who make your life easier?

You may also make a simple content round-up to gather useful tips and ideas for a specific topic or theme. If this is the case, Feedly can help you identify relevant material. Feedly allows you to search through accessible information for articles and blog posts that are relevant to a particular topic or area. Once a week, create a content round-up to keep your readers up to date on issues of interest and link back to any websites mentioned.

Write More Guest Post

Guest blogs are a great method to demonstrate your industry knowledge while also obtaining high-quality backlinks. A brief writer biography appears at the beginning or end of most websites and blogs, allowing for backlinks.

Collaboration with others not only helps you create a professional rapport and cultivate a brand personality but also allows you to exhibit your skills by writing guest posts. Reaching out to large-following websites can be intimidating, but it will be well worth it if your guest blog idea is accepted!

Allow Others to Credit Their Work for You

People are always wanting to construct portfolios to exhibit their best and most recent work, from web designers to copywriters to entrepreneurs. Often, these portfolios will include a link to your website so that users may evaluate a service provider’s work.

Allowing backlinks from portfolios, not only benefits the individual who helped you improve your business, but also helps you rank higher in Google search results.

Network Online

You’ve certainly heard this advice before, whether you’re an internet entrepreneur or a successful business owner: networking is essential for business success. With platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook for business, networking has now entered the digital sphere.

With the ability to pitch guest blog pieces, offer valuable content, and even agree to backlink to the websites of those with whom you have a close professional relationship within your business or area, networking has never been more beneficial.

Everyone benefits from networking and it helps you to concentrate on your professional communication and open up opportunities for you that you may not have anywhere else.

Get Creative

It’s time to get inventive with your techniques if you want to accelerate your backlink development. Why not use your imagination to start a new project and get backlinks? Shareable content is a high-value, high-return venture.

Linking to your website on various social media sites is beneficial, but you should utilize it selectively rather than linking to it in every post you make. Why not utilize your expertise to share the work you’ve done for other clients if you’re an industry expert? Case studies and reports on previous client work or customer experiences can be freely posted on social media sites to demonstrate your knowledge and value to future clients.

You can encourage clients to share the case study you prepared on their project on their social media profiles in the same way you allow your designers and digital service providers to advertise their work for your website. When you’re trying to land a guest posting arrangement with a large-scale website, case studies can help you show that you care about your work and are proud to share it with others.

Collaborate on Creative Projects

Collaborative creative projects are an excellent strategy to increase backlinks to your website while also reaching a larger audience. Podcasts have become increasingly popular among creatives and company owners because they allow them to share their knowledge while also allowing them to connect back to their website in each episode description.

Stick to Your Niche

Networking and opting to swap backlinks can be beneficial to all parties involved if done correctly. Take the time to learn about the professional, their company, and how your material will suit best on their website. If there are no direct linkages, it’s pointless to share an in-depth case study on a coaching client on a leadership development blog.

When it comes to developing backlinks, your niche counts, therefore, make sure your link-sharing strategy matches your niche to retain a clean “record” and to optimize your SEO rankings.

Conduct Interviews and be Interviewed

Interviews are conducted regularly, regardless of business, to provide shareable content for websites and magazines. This strategy may be a decent choice for improving the number of backlinks to your website, if you’re a strong public speaker or have time to create a thoughtful response to a list of suggested interview questions.

The most critical aspect of building backlinks is ensuring that every website from which you are connected is committed to providing high-quality content. Although we don’t know the specific criteria that Google uses to determine whether a website is “excellent” or not, a few high-quality backlinks can help your SEO ranks significantly.

Conclusion

Backlinking is a time-consuming process, but if you’re committed to building high-quality backlinks on a variety of websites and social media profiles in your field, you may stay in Google’s good graces and see a rise in rank and web traffic, over time.

Keep in mind that the quality of your website and content goes a long way toward creating relationships and cultivating a professional rapport with other website owners who may hyperlink to you.

To develop the types of backlinks that can positively affect your SEO rankings, make your material helpful and actionable, target high-rated websites, and maintain online professional relationships.

Check out our other articles for more information, tips and tricks on building backlinks to your site.

Curious about what backlinks work and what does not? In SEOIntel, we test different backlink sources so you know which backlinks are worth your time, effort, and money, and which ones are not.

Having a hard time building links organically? Check out SEONitro.com for high-quality PBNs that would help you get your site up to the top.