Have you ever wondered what is the purpose of backlinks for marketing? It allows users to move from one website to another and this is particularly important for SEO. When it comes to search engine optimization (SEO), it is essential to consider all of the factors that comprise a successful strategy — content, keywords, meta tags, and backlinks. The top 10 sites on Google have nearly 3.8 times as many backlinks as those that rank #1.“Does your content lead readers on a journey, or does it merely stuff them as leads into a pipeline?” Ann Handley, Chief Content Officer of MarketingProfs

In this week’s article, we will discuss the importance of backlinks.

What Are Backlinks?

To put it simply, Backlinks are links from one website to another. They are also called inbound links. A backlink can direct traffic to your site from anywhere such as a news site, a blog, an online directory, or a sponsored listing. 

In relation to SEO, backlinks are beneficial to your business if they come from reputable websites but less valuable if they come from disreputable ones. Why so? Simply because Google views backlinks as a measure of your website’s credibility and popularity.

Why Are They Important in SEO?

Google’s ranking algorithm considers backlinks among its most important ranking factors. If your website provides valuable content, in other words, marketers would think that it would be useful to link your website to theirs, providing the content their audience wants to read. Thus, the better your backlinks, the higher you will rank in the SERPs.

Not to forget, your page rank is determined by how relevant and how many pages link to your site.If you would you to evaluate and compare link profiles, click here.

Types of Backlinks

If you would like to create backlinks, here are the basic types of backlinks that will be useful for you.

–   Nofollow Links

–   Follow Links

–   Sponsored or Paid Links

–   UGC Links

–   Editorially Placed Links

–   Unnatural Links

–   High Authority Links

Click here to understand more about the types of backlinks.

How to Get Backlinks?

–   Ask for Backlinks

You can reach out to different sites and request a backlink.  If you can offer something of value in return, you’re more likely to succeed.

Some ideas are:

Link inserts: Provide your readers with more detailed information by linking to their site from a blog post or article.

Broken Links: Some sites may have dead links to expired resources. 

Guest Blogs: Write a story idea that will be useful to readers on the site.

Resource page link building: Find a list of resources your business fits into and ask to be included

–   Earn Your Backlinks

You can also earn your backlinks by creating high-quality and valuable content. Some useful examples such as blog posts, infographics, and video tutorials.

You can also use keyword research to help you identify what type of content is most frequently searched by users.

Read more about keyword marketing here.

–   Submit Your Site to Directories

You should submit your website to quality directories that focus on your industry or community, especially those that provide value to users. Identify domain names belonging to trade associations, professional associations, networking groups, and industry leaders.

Conclusion

In summation, Backlinks play an important role in SEO.

If you want to increase your ranking and prominence, don’t forget to include them!

 “Backlinks affect search engine rankings more than anything else. The number and quality of them pointing towards your site will largely determine in what position your site ranks in the search results.” – SEO expert and consultant Mark Walters of SEOmark 

Are you a new business and looking to understand more about marketing? Speak to us and we can discuss how we can help improve your brand awareness and generate more leads!