Why Are Backlinks Important?<\/h2>\n
Now that we\u2019ve covered what exactly a backlink is, it\u2019s time for the $10,000 question: Why do they matter?<\/p>\n
The most basic answer to that question is that your site\u2019s backlinks pass PageRank, and search engines then use this in their algorithm (along with many other factors) to help determine the quality of your website and where it should rank in results pages.<\/p>\n
They indicate your site\u2019s popularity with users and are a vital part of any SEO strategy<\/a>.<\/p>\n Backlinks also play an important role in your discoverability, as both users and search engine crawlers will follow links from external sites to your page.<\/p>\n \u201cGreat,\u201d you may be saying right now. \u201cLet\u2019s get out there and start generating as many incoming links as possible, so we start rocketing up in search results.\u201d<\/p>\n Slow down. You didn\u2019t really expect that to be all it takes, did you?<\/p>\n If search engine optimization were as easy as all that, there would be a lot of SEO professionals looking for a new line of work.<\/p>\n First, let\u2019s talk about good versus bad links.<\/p>\n Back in 1998, when Google was just getting started, it implemented an algorithm named PageRank<\/a>. One of the things this took into account when deciding on how well a webpage matched a user query was backlinks.<\/p>\n But even in those early days, not all backlinks were created equal. And while the quantity of your incoming links is factored into your search ranking, the quality also plays an important role.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s break it down: Quantity-wise, the more sites that link to your webpage, the stronger the signal to Google that your content is valuable and, therefore, worth linking to.<\/p>\n And generally speaking, if your page has more backlinks than a similar page, it will appear higher in organic search results.<\/p>\n This is because each time a site links to your content, it is essentially vouching for its accuracy and veracity.<\/p>\n But don\u2019t for a second think that just any site pointing to your webpage is a good thing. Not only can some links do nothing for you, but some can actually hurt your search ranking. This means you need to be concerned with the quality of your inbound links.<\/p>\n It\u2019s the internet version of judging someone by the company they keep \u2013 which makes sense if you think about it.<\/p>\n For example, which site would you trust more: one linked to by a governmental agency, a reputable university, or a well-respected foundation \u2013 or the one that\u2019s only linked to by your Uncle Joe\u2019s conspiracy blog?<\/p>\n Obviously, the former is going to carry a lot more weight, not just for visitors but for search engines as well. Thus, it should be no surprise that a page with fewer links from high-quality sites will outrank a competitor with more links from disreputable sources.<\/p>\n And speaking of disreputable sources, if your site gets backlinks from link farms or other unnatural links<\/a>, you actually risk being penalized by Google. If you have spammy sites linking to your pages, the best thing you can do is disavow them<\/a> to avoid being seen as guilty by association. We\u2019ll talk more about that in a bit.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s not just domain reputation that tells Google that inbound link A is more valuable than inbound link B. It also looks at the referring site\u2019s relevance to the topic.<\/p>\n If your Fantasy Football blog has an inbound link from ESPN and one from Crochet.com, Google will make a (logical) judgment call that the first link is more valuable.<\/p>\n We can follow several wormholes about link placement, anchor text<\/a>, and the impact of nofollow links<\/a> on your search rankings, but let\u2019s leave that discussion for another day.<\/p>\n For a detailed explanation of determining the value of a backlink, be sure to read this piece<\/a>.<\/p>\n Now that you know the importance of inbound links and their value, it\u2019s time to start thinking about the ones you already have. How do you know which sites are directing traffic your way?<\/p>\n There are two ways to do this: one that only tells you who\u2019s linking to your site, and one you can use to snoop on the competition\u2019s inbound links.<\/p>\n Checking Your Links With Google Search Console<\/b><\/p>\n Google Search Console<\/a> should be your best friend if you\u2019re a webmaster. It\u2019s packed with all sorts of useful tools and reports to help you track performance and fix issues \u2013 and it\u2019s free.<\/p>\n Once you have created an account and verified your site, you can use it to track your backlinks. In the sidebar, there\u2019s an option called \u201cLinks.\u201d<\/p>\n If you click on that, it will show you details of both your internal and external links. The external ones are the ones we\u2019re interested in right now.<\/p>\n Under external links, you can run three reports: top linking pages, top linking sites, and top linking texts. Using these, you can determine who is linking to you and from where.<\/p>\n Checking Links With A Third-Party Tool<\/b><\/p>\n The only downside of using Google Search Console\u2019s link tracking is that it only allows you to see details about your site.<\/p>\n But by using third-party backlink checkers like Majestic SEO<\/a>, Semrush<\/a>, and Ahrefs<\/a>, you can see what your competition is doing, as well \u2013 and maybe steal some of those links.<\/p>\n Now that we\u2019ve discussed what backlinks are, why they matter, and how to track them, let\u2019s jump into what you\u2019re really here for: building backlinks.<\/p>\n There are several ways to get other sites linking to yours, but most of them require a bit of effort on your part.<\/p>\n The first and easiest way to get links is to pay for them<\/a>. But before you pull out your credit card, pay attention to this one important caveat: if Google catches you participating in a paid link-building scheme, you will be penalized.<\/p>\n Buying links has been a matter of some debate for SEO experts for a long time, and some will swear by it, while others insist it\u2019s not worth the risk.<\/p>\n You make your own decisions, but our advice is that you give organic link-building a try before considering if paid links are a path you want to explore.<\/p>\n The next way to create backlinks is by creating them. This generally means submitting your website to business directories or commenting on blogs and forums with a link to your site in the signature. These links can be of varying quality. For more information, watch the video below. <\/span><\/p>\n [embedded content]<\/p>\n A better way to generate inbound links is by earning them<\/a>. But, of course, this is a little trickier.<\/p>\n To earn backlinks, you must have useful content that provides value to others.<\/p>\n For example, you may have a webpage that lists your five favorite immersion blenders. This page can provide value not just for blender manufacturers, who will appreciate the shout-out, but also for people shopping for a new blender or kitchen appliance websites.<\/p>\n Statistics content<\/a> is always a good way to attract quality backlinks. Statistics are a great way to prove a point and overcome objections.<\/p>\n By providing relevant statistics about your niche, you\u2019ll establish your site as one of authority, and generate a lot of inbound links. Or, you can run surveys and publish the results on your blog as news.<\/p>\n Then you can promote your news via social media, where others may find your survey data useful and link to it from their articles.<\/p>\n If your content is good and it speaks to a niche, it will slowly begin to generate backlinks all on its own.<\/p>\n But what if you can\u2019t wait that long? What if you want backlinks right now?<\/p>\n Promote your content via social or paid campaigns to the target audience. Someone may find your article useful and link to it.<\/p>\n Or use one of the third-party tools mentioned in the previous section to find a relevant page with many incoming links. Then create better content than the competition\u2019s, and ask the linking domains to direct their links to you instead.<\/p>\n You can also look for broken links or those that redirect to a 404 page<\/a>. Once you\u2019ve found one of these on a relevant site, send the webmaster an email notifying them. And don\u2019t forget to suggest they replace the broken link with your page on the same topic.<\/p>\n For more in-depth information on these strategies, plus others you can use, be sure to read this article<\/a>.<\/p>\n So, there you have it: a crash course on link building. By this point, you should have a good idea about what backlinks are, why they\u2019re important, and how to build them.<\/p>\n Just don\u2019t forget that, like all things SEO, it\u2019s a marathon, not a sprint. You\u2019re extremely unlikely to see results overnight.<\/p>\n But remain patient, create great content, and look for opportunities to build links; you\u2019ll have loads of incoming links in no time.<\/p>\n More resources:<\/strong><\/p>\nWhat Makes a Good Backlink?<\/h2>\n
Why Are Backlinks Important?<\/h2>\n
How Many Backlinks Do I Have?<\/h2>\n
![\"Google](\"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/backlinks-what-they-are-and-how-to-get-them-via-sejournal-brianfr07823616.png\")
Screenshot from Google Search Console, October 2022<\/span><\/div>\nHow Do I Get Backlinks?<\/h2>\n
Start Building Those Links<\/h2>\n