By now, you’ve probably implemented just about every recommended SEO tactic under the sun. However, have you heard about backlinks? If not, read along to find out about what they are, what they do and some common link building strategies.
What are Backlinks?
In essence, backlinks, otherwise known as inbound links, are incoming hyperlinks from other websites that direct users to your site. Think of them as a digital signs that point directly to your website. In recent years, Google’s algorithm has started taking them into account when determining ranking.
In a sense, they serve as a vote of confidence in your site. Google figures that, if an established site is linking back to you, you must be important. In that case, users might find you important, so you deserve to rank higher than others.
What Makes a Good Backlink?
Relevancy
Believe it or not, not all backlinks are created equal. For instance, if you’re a law firm and you’re receiving inbound links from a pool supply store, they won’t be as effective when calculating your ranking, since Google takes relevancy into account.
Ideally, backlinks are much better when they’re coming from something relevant or related to your content or industry.
Authority
Just like anything else in life, you want to receive your recommendations from someone who knows their stuff.
That’s why an inbound link will hold a lot more weight if it’s coming from a site with significant authority. Basically, links from websites that have a high ranking are preferred to those that rank low or were launched yesterday.
Indexing
In terms of websites linking to you, only the indexed sites will count. Since non-indexed sites are completely invisible to search engine crawlers, any inbound links from them will essentially not count towards your ranking.
The Top Link Building Strategies for SEO
Content
Basic content creation is the most fundamental link building strategies of all. When you create relevant, engaging content, websites will naturally want to start linking to you. After all, good content hardly ever goes unnoticed.
Start Linking
One of the best link building strategies is to increase your number of outbound links. Outbound links are just inbound links from a different perspective. They are links from your website to other sites. When you link to other businesses, they might notice and start linking back to you.
Stay Social
Another link building strategy is to utilize social media, especially to share content. By opening yourself up to a wider audience, more businesses and individuals will stumble upon your brand. Also, on your website’s content pages, include social sharing widgets, so that users can broadcast them to their audience, as well.
If you’re looking to explore an SEO best practice that you never have before, try these common link building strategies!
