Home > Our Thoughts > What Are Backlinks And Why Are They Important?
What Are Backlinks And Why Are They Important?
Simply put, backlinks are used as a reference when one website links to another. While this might sound straightforward, backlinks are the most treasured commodity by SEO analysts because of their ability to improve a site’s visibility, traffic, and authority in its niche.
Backlinks are essential for websites starting out because it is seen as a “vote of confidence” from one website to another. This essentially sends a signal to search engines that others are vouching for your website and the quality of your content. It inadvertently allows search engines to show your website on the search engine results pages (SERP).
An easy way to think of backlinks is like a conversation among websites.
If blog A writes an exciting topic and gets noticed by blog B, blog B can use the article as a reference when sharing their perspective on a similar topic. The more authorities or ‘backlinks’ you have linking towards your website, the more search engines will see you as a credible source on a particular topic.
Types of Backlinks
Backlinks are divided into two main categories:
- NoFollow Backlinks
- DoFollow Backlinks
A no-follow backlink tells search engines to ignore the given link. If you are receiving no-follow links back to your website, this means it won’t provide value or ‘link juice’ back to your site, potentially hurting your chances of gaining visibility or ranking for keywords.
Do-follow links tell search engines to pay attention to this, allowing search engine bots to follow the link. It is a valuable resource that every website owner looks forward to having. It works best when received from websites that are related to your niche.
There is a catch, however. There are do-follow backlinks that are considered toxic or harmful when linked back to you. These usually come from suspicious and spammy websites that have been breaking search engines’ rules and are using black hat tactics to rank. Having those can harm websites or, even in some cases, cause it to receive a penalty by Google, resulting in a de-index.
Therefore, it’s essential to understand that not all backlinks are created equally. Conducting a backlink audit will allow you to check where your backlinks are coming from, helping you pick quality over quantity.
How Do We Get More Backlinks?
Getting backlinks is essential to your off-page SEO. The process of gaining backlinks is commonly known as link building or link earning. It’s necessary to note that backlinks take time and is an ongoing process because it is essentially a form of building trust with your audience.
This can be achieved through the following methods:
● Continuously post high-quality content on your social media platforms
● Conduct a Google search for articles that are ranking well and post a better and improved version
● Conduct backlink gap analysis of your competitors to steal lost backlinks
● Conduct keyword research relevant to your niche and answer search queries
● Reach out to other blogs requesting a guest post that links back to your website.
● Post your website on directories that allow you to showcase your website’s services, giving you an easy dofollow link.
● Create videos relating to your blog post that drive traffic and engagement.
Final Thoughts
Gaining backlinks can be an arduous and tedious process that can take time to achieve. New websites may find it difficult to take off, but it can save time and energy with the proper knowledge.
Researching a competitive backlink can help ease that process. It can help identify where your competitors are receiving their backlinks. In most instances, reaching out to them will help you gain valuable backlinks and help you rank over time.
Unravel digital marketing provides SEO services that can help improve your website’s presence in the long run. With impeccable services that can help gain backlinks, enhance visibility, and offer high-quality targeted keywords, which can help your business rank on Google.