Backlinks or one-way links are simply linking that point to your website from another website. The best part of backlinks is that they help promote your blog or website just by being hyperlinks to you from another source. Important! you need quality backlinks.
A good backlink is an important component of a successful website.
SEO Tips: Why Backlinks Are Important – How To Improve Your Rankings
Here are some SEO tips about how to get quality backlinks and why backlinks are important.
It’s unbelievable but an incredible 94% of websites do not even have a single external backlink!
Stats show that 4 of the top 8 ranking factors are related to link signals. There are many ways to get backlinks, but not all links are created equal.
There are large differences in link elements that make some links more valuable than others, such as the anchor text, URL factors, clickability, and whether they are follow or no-follow links.
Also, you need to build trust, diversity, and relevance. Focus on making long-form content that answers the questions of your target audience. When you create helpful and quality content, the backlinks should come as a result.
Backlinks to your website are a signal to search engines that others like your content. If many sites link to the same webpage or website, search engines can infer that content is worth linking to.
So, these backlinks can have a positive effect on a site’s ranking position or search visibility. (SEO and SERP Effect)
- Backlinks and Value
Some backlinks are more valuable than others. Followed backlinks from trustworthy, popular, high-authority sites are the best backlinks to earn, while backlinks from low-authority sites are typically not valuable.
Even just being mentioned on high-quality websites can give your brand and website a boost.
Links you create to other sites also differ in value. When linking out to an external site, the choices you make regarding the page from which you link (its page authority, content, search engine accessibility, etc,) the anchor text you use, whether you choose to follow or nofollow the link, and any other meta tags associated with the linking page can have a heavy impact on the value you confer.
- Referral Traffic and Backlinks
Backlinks also provide another way for web visitors to find your website. If a visitor is reading an informative blog and sees a link pointing back to your site and finds the topic interesting, they could click the link and be directed to your site.
This is known as referral traffic and it can have a positive impact on your website’s online reputations.
- Listing Your Website
Listing your website in local or online directories will give you a strong backlink, although, it may be a nofollow backlink. Regardless, directories like Yelp, Yellow Pages, and Four Square make it easier for potential customers to find your website, read reviews and determine if your site is useful and trustworthy for them.
Also, Google’s My Business pages allow you to list your business and website on Google Maps, making it easy for customers to find you. Be sure to use the correct name, address, and phone number across all online directory listings to avoid potential confusion.
- Guest Blogging
One of the best strategies to gain high-quality follow backlinks is to guest blog for other websites in your industry. This is more time-consuming than the other options, but this is the best way to build high-quality backlinks.
To perform guest blogging, you will need to research quality sites in your industry and find out which ones accept guest blogs.
- SEO and SERP
Backlinks affect your SEO and your SERP (search engine results page) ranking. Search engines use algorithms to gather information and rank pages, and they use bots and spiders to crawl your site for content and backlinks.
Search engines aggregate the volume and relevance of all of the pages linking to your site which impacts your page rank. So the better the backlinks, the better your SERP.
- Plan and Backlinks
There are different types of backlinks and various ways to get them, it is important to have a plan in place. Acquiring backlinks doesn’t require any technical skills, it is more about networking and relationship building.
The best way to get organic backlinks is through quality content since another site will link to you if you give them a compelling reason to. Here are some ways you can improve your chances:
Write articles, press releases, blog posts, and general quality content. Don’t forget infographics!
Regularly add new blog content and guest post on other blogs.
Use social media and always link back to useful content on your site.
Use quality search directories and directory sites
Make it easy for people to share what you create with social share tools and links.
Many SEO experts say that Backlinks affect search engine rankings more than anything else. The number and quality of them pointing to your site will determine in what position your site ranks in the search results.