Want to get Google’s vote of confidence for your website? You need to leverage powerful backlinks.
The right kind of SEO backlinks can save your website in two ways:
- By improving ranking – The greater the number of backlinks for your web pages, the greater the chances of your website ranking higher for relevant search queries.
- By improving discoverability – Search engines tend to go back to popular pages more frequently. Backlinking your website to these pages means your content may get discovered faster (than normal).
What Is a Backlink?
Quite simply, a backlink refers to a link on a page from another site that links back to your website (hence, the name ‘backlink’). A backlink has many names, with inbound link or incoming link being the most popular alternatives.
The primary job of a quality backlink is to get your website to rank higher on search engines.
Why Are Backlinks Important in SEO?
Let’s understand why a high authority backlink is important for improving your SEO backlinks efforts:
1. Improved Search Engine Rankings
Backlinks are a major contributing ranking factor as per Google’s PageRank algorithm and link authority guidelines.
According to Backlinko’s study on link-based ranking factors, they’ve found one correlation: The number of backlinks from unique websites (referring domains) correlates strongly with organic search traffic and increased visibility.
Let’s look at an example to understand this better. Let’s assume the example:
- Focus Keyword = “time tracking software”
- SaaS Company = “Clockify”
First, you’ll need to add this to Ahrefs to understand how many backlinks to use for Clockify to come up each time someone inputs the keyword – ‘time tracking software.’
In the following image, a Keyword Difficulty of 79 means that it’s very difficult to rank for this keyword. More importantly, a SaaS player will need backlinks from 329 websites to rank within the top 10 results for this keyword:
In the next image, you can study the connection between Clockify backlinks and the rankings data:
The SaaS industry’s competitive landscape is vividly demonstrated by the rankings of Clockify, Zapier, and Paymoapp for the keyword “time tracking software.”
Clockify’s second-place ranking with over 15,000 backlinks, compared to Zapier and Paymoapp’s 5th and 7th positions with considerably fewer backlinks (2,571 and 2,616, respectively), underscores the principle that the more authoritative backlinks a SaaS website secures for highly competitive keywords, the higher it ascends in search engine rankings.
2. Increased Website Authority and Trust
Considering that backlinks can give your website the stamp of approval it needs, you must include authoritative and relevant backlinks within your site, as Userpilot demonstrates below:
Remember that there’s a direct correlation between Backlink Profile, Domain Rating (DR), and a higher number of backlinks.
The higher the number of backlinks (18.9K in this case), the higher will be your website authority.
The metrics, authority, and credibility can be directly connected with your Domain Rating (DR).
Authoritative backlinks may come from partnered institutions, NGOs, publishers, and other high authority backlink websites. This will help you to establish credibility and trustworthiness in the search engine’s eyes.
Bonus: Here’s a free backlink checker you can try to assess the status of quality backlinks for your website.
3. Enhanced Indexing and Crawling
Think of backlinks as pathways for search engine bots. They can accelerate the discovery and indexing of web pages. This, in turn, can lead to higher chances of appearing in search engine results.
Here’s how you can get your website indexed faster:
- Action-Oriented Content: Create content that prompts immediate action and engages your readers.
- Direct Address: Use direct language, addressing the reader with “you” to establish a personal connection and encourage engagement.
- Logical Flow: Organize your content logically and guide readers smoothly from one point to the next.
- Quality Backlinks: Focus on building authoritative and relevant backlinks to your site, signaling its importance to search engines.
- Regular Updates: Publish fresh, high-quality content consistently to demonstrate the site’s relevance and encourage faster indexing.
4. Referral Traffic and Audience Reach
Backlinks act as bridges between your website and external links. You must leverage backlinks to drive targeted referral traffic to your website. This supercharges your website’s potential to attract new audiences and customers.
Here’s an example of how to see your referral links from Google Analytics:
Six Types of Backlinks
There are six types of SEO backlinks that you can use to build your overall link building strategy:
1. Do Follow Links
<a href=”https://www.clickass.io/”>this is a follow link</a>
Do-follow links are clickable links that pass authority from one webpage to another and help boost your SEO backlinks efforts.
How It Works: When you include a do-follow link on your site, search engines will recognize it as a recommendation. This can boost your chances of ranking higher in search results.
Example: Let’s assume you’re writing about digital marketing. You can include a do-follow link to a reputable marketing guide to supercharge your content’s credibility.
2. No Follow Links
<a href=”https://www.clickass.io/” rel=”nofollow”>this is a nofollow link</a>
No-follow links are links that don’t directly impact SEO. That said, they are essential for directing traffic and ensuring a natural link profile.
How It Works: When you add a no-follow link, you’re telling search engines not to pass authority through that link. However, this link will still guide visitors to valuable resources.
Example: If you mention an informative industry blog in your post, using a no-follow link ensures that you’re referencing it without endorsing it for SEO.
3. Sponsored Links
<a href=”https://www.clickass.io/” rel=”sponsored”>this is a sponsored link</a>
Sponsored links are paid connections that uphold transparency. They allow you to show your audience that a link is a paid advertisement.
How It Works: When you collaborate with partners and use sponsored links, you can generate additional income and provide useful content– without misleading your audience.
Example: If you’re reviewing a product and have an agreement with the manufacturer, using a sponsored link to their site clarifies your relationship and helps you earn from referrals.
4. UGC Links
<a href=”https://www.clickass.io/” rel=”ugc”>this is a UGC link</a>
UGC links come from user contributions (think: comments, forum posts, or guest articles). With this, you can enhance your site’s authenticity and interaction.
How It Works: By encouraging users to share their insights with UGC links, you can foster a sense of community and diversify your content.
Example: Allowing readers to comment on your blog post and share relevant links adds depth to your topic and keeps readers engaged.
5. Editorially Placed Links
Editorially placed links are contextually relevant connections that your content naturally references.
How It Works: As you create valuable content, include links that fit seamlessly, enhance user experience, and demonstrate your expertise.
Example: If you’re discussing website design, adding a link to a detailed guide on typography can improve your content’s quality and usefulness.
6. Link Schemes
Link schemes involve manipulative practices that aim to artificially boost rankings. By extension, they can violate the search engine guidelines.
How It Works: Engaging in link schemes might seem tempting, but they can lead to penalties. This can affect your website’s visibility and reputation negatively.
Example: Purchasing links or participating in link exchange networks can quickly lead you down the path of link farming, which can harm your site’s credibility and long-term SEO prospects.
6 Traits of a “Good Quality Backlink”
Trait #1: The Link Comes from Trusted + Authoritative Websites
A valuable backlink is one with a trustworthy and authoritative source. If a high authority is backlinking to your website, it signals to search engines about your website’s high quality.
This can improve your website’s credibility, boost organic rankings, and increase visibility, of course.
Let’s look at an example to understand this better.
Step 1: Search for the keyword: “HR Software” in Google. You will see People Managing People within the top 10 search results:
We will now go into Ahrefs to see how People Managing People possesses great quality backlinks.
Step 2: When you search the backlinks in Ahrefs backlinks checker for domain – peoplemanagingpeople.com/, – you will be able to see a compre