In SEO, backlinks are still one of the most crucial ranking factors. However, not all backlinks are created equal.
This blog post will discuss five things you need to know about backlinks to succeed in SEO in 2024.
After working with hundreds of new bloggers and ranking my content through building links, I think I've finally learned the truth about backlinks.
TL;DR:
- Link-Building works for any niche
- You need to build relationships with high-domain authority blogs
- Building domain authority is a gradual process
- High-volume links don't mean high quality
- This SEO method is time-consuming but worth it
- Always check back for broken links
Are Backlinks Really Important?
To increase traffic and build your domain authority, backlinking is crucial to help you overcome competitors.
It can also depend on your niche and other websites ranking on the first page of Google.
Some niches have way lower competition, meaning you won't have to do as much link-building as a site in the online business space or personal finance niche.
Overall, I recommend including high-quality backlinks in your SEO strategy for your website. Here's a great example of one of my blog posts that sits on the first page of search engines.
This brings in organic search traffic through backlinks and organic search traffic.
My strategy for building backlinks has proven successful, but making high-quality links takes a lot of time and dedication.
7 Truthful Things You Need To Know About Backlinks
Let's go over a few things you need to know about backlinks and why a good link vs. a bad one can make the most significant difference in your SEO rankings.
1. You Need High-Quality Links From Authority Sites
Have you ever heard of the term quality vs. quantity?
This applies to your link-building strategy as well. You have no reason to get thousands of spammy web pages pointing back to your site.
Instead, focus on getting quality inbound links from high-authority sites in your niche or industry.
These links will be much more valuable than any low-quality links you could get by paying for them or buying them through a link-building service.
An example that worked for me was getting a backlink from a high domain authority site like JVzoo and TheNextScoop.
My DR went from 23 to 30+, so you need more link quality over quantity. You also don't want to generate backlinks from the same website repeatedly.
2. Avoid Blackhat SEO Methods
If your link velocity has increased dramatically, that can bring red flags to Google, and your website can suffer.
Also, black hat SEO methods can get you penalized by search engines and make it harder to grow your website in the long run.
To avoid any adverse effects on your site, focus on creating content other sites would be happy to link to, such as linkable assets.
I'd recommend doing these methods:
- Broken link building
- Skyscraper Technique
- Reverse Link-Building
- Unlinked Mentions
- Guest Blogging
Quality articles and link building through guest posts are the best ways to avoid black hat SEO and sustainably build your backlink portfolio.
3. Backlinks Can Help You Scale Much Faster
In the world of search engine optimization, backlinks are everything.
A backlink is simply a link from one website to another, and search engines see it as a vote of confidence.
The more backlinks you have pointing to your website, the higher you will rank in search results.
As a result, many businesses use link-building strategies to increase their backlinking.
However, there is a lot of misinformation about backlinks floating around online. Some believe backlinks are no longer essential or can even hurt your ranking.
Others believe that the only way to get backlinks is to buy them.
The truth is that backlinks can still be extremely valuable and help you scale much faster. Search engines place a high value on backlinks because they indicate the popularity of your website.
Doing SEO audits and building your authority will change everything for your blogging business.
If you can build up a strong network of backlinks, you will see a dramatic increase in your search engine ranking and more traffic to your site.
Link building takes time and effort, but it is still one of the most effective SEO strategies.
So don't be discouraged by the naysayers. Focus on building quality backlinks, and you will see actual results.
4. You Need To Set The Perfect Anchor Texts
Did you know the anchor text you use for those backlinks can significantly impact your results?
Referring domains are the websites that link to your content. They signal to search engines that your content is relevant and trustworthy.
Anchor texts are one of the most important search ranking factors and let Google's search engine determine their relevancy.
Search engines will give more weight to referring domains relevant to your content and with a high authority score. That's why setting the perfect anchor text when requesting links from other websites is essential.
Anchor text is the text that appears in a hyperlink. When choosing anchor text, you want to ensure it is relevant to your content and includes keywords you're trying to rank for.
For example, if you're trying to rank for the keyword "SEO tips," a relevant anchor text would be "Click here for some great SEO tips." Including keywords in your anchor text increases your chances of ranking for those keywords.
So, if you want to improve your SEO, ensure you get the perfect anchor text on your backlinks! It's one of the easiest and most effective ways to improve rankings.
5. Be Careful With Link Velocity
Link velocity is the rate at which new links are created, which can significantly impact your SEO.
If you build links too quickly, Google will flag your site as spammy and penalize you.
On the other hand, if you're not building links fast enough, you'll miss out on the SEO benefits of having a strong backlink profile.
So, what's the correct link velocity? Unfortunately, there's no easy answer to that question. It depends on various search ranking factors, including your niche, competition, and link-building strategy.
However, as a general rule, it's best to err on caution and build links slowly and steadily. That way, you can avoid potential penalties from Google and give your site the best chance to rank well in search results.
6. Leverage SEO Tools
If you're looking for a way to write guest posts faster and impress content managers, I'd recommend using content optimization software.
Many SEO tools can help you optimize your content for the web, and they can also help you write guest posts faster.
Using these tools, you can focus on the most important aspects of your article and optimize your time.
Running my guest post through a content audit such as Surfer SEO has impressed the webmaster of many popular websites and can help you stand out.
7. Always check back with your incoming links
Regarding backlinks, site owners should always be aware of broken outbound links.
Over time, a link may become stale and no longer lead to the intended site, and this often happens when other site owners move the website or opt for a new site structure.
Therefore, you should regularly check for useful backlinks that have since become broken.
A valuable link can give your site more authority with search engines and potentially drive even more traffic to your site.
So it's essential to contact the site's content manager or owner who has linked out from their site and ask them to update their outbound links.
What Are Backlinks In SEO?
Backlinks are one of the most important aspects of SEO and can help you rank a web page to the first spot in Google.
A website's total number of backlinks is a major factor in its authority. They are links that lead back to your website from another website.
Why? Because Google crawls this data in its search algorithm, it lets Google know what other relevant content links to your blog post.
When I started building links, I didn't see any growth initially, but let me tell you that all that changed after a few months.
My organic traffic increased by thousands, and my website's authority increased.
Are There Any Risks Associated With Backlinks?
We all know backlinks as part of your SEO strategy can help to improve your search engine ranking.
However, there's also the risk that the site linking to you could be penalized by Google or that the link could be considered spam. The risks can far outweigh the benefits.
As a result, it's essential to carefully consider the risks before adding backlinks to your own website.
When done correctly, backlinks with quality content can be a valuable blogging tool.
So, Exercising caution and only adding a link from a high domain authority website is important. Adding too many low-quality links can hurt your content marketing efforts and damage your reputation.
Google Search Console will send you a manual spam action message if it detects too many low-quality backlinks.
FAQ About Backlinks
Backlinks are an integral part of off-page SEO and can be regarded as one of the essential factors in maintaining your search engine rankings. When a website links to another, it shows Google that the content on that page is relevant, credible, and authoritative.
This helps to decide how appropriate your website is and subsequently affects your search engine rankings. Please don't get that confused with link spam and other shady methods.
It is not enough to accumulate backlinks. However, paying attention to where those backlinks come from is essential. Quality is just as important as quantity when it comes to websites linking to each other, so make sure you take the time to create relationships with reputable sites when building link profiles for your website.
When it comes to buying backlinks, it can be a bit of a gamble. You won't always know if the link is from an authoritative source or if it will be of good quality for SEO purposes.
That’s why experts suggest trying guest blogging or using HARO queries (Help A Reporter Out) as an alternative to purchasing backlinks.
These guest posts should come from high-authority websites and provide reliable content to boost your website's credibility. Additionally, by appearing on podcasts, you can get quality backlinks while providing valuable insights and building relationships with others in your industry.
If you purchase backlinks, do thorough research on the website you're buying them from first.
You must be careful with the number of links you point back to your blog. If your site is brand new, you'll want to focus on content and go for 3-4 links per month.
Link velocity often becomes a heated debate topic when the number of backlinks one should acquire daily is brought up. Link velocity, in its simplest explanation, refers to how quickly or gradually you build your link profile.
For most SEOs, it's best to receive only quality links and do so slowly. Not too few, but not too many. If you're trying to outrank competitors, naturally, adding only one link per day isn't going to cut it.
On the other hand, getting too many links for each post could look like link spam and create more harm than good.
High-quality backlinks are links from authoritative websites that link to and from a specific linking page or website.
These backlinks, usually from authoritative sources, can increase the credibility and authority of a website. The more authoritative websites that link to a particular page, the more ranking potential it has in search engine results.
To ensure high-quality backlinks, it’s essential to avoid getting links from news websites that talk about anything and everything, sites with too much external linking, and websites with no search traffic.
High-quality backlinks can be created by focusing on authoritative websites and directing all external linking efforts to targeted pages.
Backlinks are essential for organic search engine traffic as they signal to search engines that your content is valuable and reputable.
By having organic traffic from backlinks, you identify yourself as an expert and leader in your field. Additionally, referral traffic from organic backlinks provides consistent engagement for your website.
Search engine bots index pages with organic backlinks more often, which helps to ensure visibility in organic searches.
Therefore, organic backlinks are fundamental to gaining more organic traffic and helping establish yourself as a credible source of information.
Final Thoughts: The Truth About Backlinks
After working as a blogging coach for Adam Enfroy's blogging course, we have seen our students sell SEO services to other businesses and improve their own SEO rankings.
So, while it can seem intimidating to build backlinks at first, it's pretty simple when you know what methods to use.
Mix that with high content velocity and strategic keyword research, and you'll see the first results quickly.
This can lead to higher search positions and more revenue from your blogging business.
