What is Backlinking?
Backlinks, also known as “inbound links” or “incoming links,” are created when one site links to another. An example of this is your Facebook page linking your profile with the main Facebook website. These links are very important when it comes to your overall SEO standings.
Why are backlinks important?
Think about backlinks as a “vote” or “vote of confidence.” The more votes your site has, the more reliable Google will rank your site. Don’t just take our word for it. Here is what MOZ.com has to say about backlinks:
“In essence, backlinks to your website are a signal to search engines that others vouch for your content. If many sites link to the same webpage or website, search engines can infer that content is worth linking to, and therefore also worth surfacing on a SERP (Search Engine Results Page). So, earning these backlinks can have a positive effect on a site’s ranking position or search visibility.” – MOZ.com
All backlinks are not created equal.
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- Guest Blogging Backlinks – Most Important!When you guest write for a well-established site that is in your industry, they may include a backlink to your site. This is a major factor in your ranking!
- Backlinks in Business Profiles – Most Important!
Create business profiles on listings and directories that are most-popular in your area or industry. Examples of this are chamber sites, industry directories, and other types of sites that list other websites. Google views these entries as evidence that you and your site are well established. If you haven’t gotten listed on popular directories in your industries, now is the time. If you need assistance, let’s schedule a call to get started today. - Editorial Backlinks – Most Important!
The most common type of editorial backlinks is when your information is cited on another site that links back to your website. Notice how we linked the moz.com passage above? This links back to where the information was found. This helps your website tremendously! - Free-Tool Backlinks – Most Important!
Offer a tool that will help your industry for free. An example of this could be a loan calculator for a bank. The other bank linked on your site can link back to you. You could also create an app that has a lite and a paid version, so people are always clicking on links back to your website. - Backlinks From Webinars – Most Important!
Become a sponsor of a webinar in your industry. Now, your website is linked to a website where hundreds or thousands of people in your industry will be clicking! Some may even land on your website! - Guest Post Bio Backlinks – Somewhat Important
This builds on our first item, guest blogging. If the site that you are guest blogging on doesn’t allow backlinks, you can usually add a backlink in the author’s bio. It will not offer as much return as a full link in the blog, but it is better than not having one. - Comment Backlinks Somewhat Important
Do you have the answer to someone’s question in your industry? Comment on their question on industry forums with relative links back to your site! This creates both a backlink and a possible new web visitor. - Badge Backlinks – Somewhat Important
Have you seen those “Voted number one” in your city by the community, and there is now a little badge on their site that links back to the contest page? Or maybe it’s a blog on the local chamber’s website. That is called badge linking. You can also earn badges from certain associations or you have a certification. - Backlinks derived from press releases- Somewhat Important
Do you have a newsworthy announcement? Put out a press release and let your community know! Make sure that you link back to a blog or your site throughout so that people can learn more about you. - Paid Backlinks – Avoid!
Do not buy backlinks. Google will flag your site as an unsafe site, and all the work that you put into building up your SEO will go away. You know that saying: if it looks too good to be true, it more than likely is. - Backlinks in press releases that are not newsworthy – Avoid
Don’t make a press release just to get a backlink. People will see it as spam and not click through to your site. - Low-Quality or Irrelevant directory links – Avoid
Make sure the directories where you list your site are relevant and well established. Don’t just make a profile on every directory. It will waste your time and if it is not a well-established site, it could hurt your overall SEO rankings.
How can I improve my backlinks?
Now that you know these types of backlinks and which ones are going to help you or hurt you, you’ll want to come up with a backlinking strategy. Here is our easy 5 step plan to help you improve your backlinks. For help building the best backlinking strategy for your business, give us a call today!
- (STEP 1)
Do Your Research. – Like we said, one of the quickest ways to to gain more backlinks is adding your brand to directories. You want to make sure that these directories make sense for your company. If you haven’t already, look into your Chamber of Commerce, industry associations, and listings page that your clients go to. Examples could be yelp.com, psychologytoday.com, or angi.com. - (STEP 2)
Show You Are The Expert: Start writing a blog. Tag relevant information from other companies that your clients trust. Become a guest writer on forums and other blogs that relate to your industry. The more times that you can get your name out there on relevant blogs that show you are the expert in your industry, the better. - (STEP 3)
Connect With Your Clients: Create joint blogs with your clients. This will not only help your site and add additional blogs, but it will help your clients increase their backlinks as well! It’s a win-win for both companies. - (STEP 4)
Be Active: Is there a place that you know your customers tend to frequent online to gain answers? This is dependent on your industry, but look for posts that have to deal with recent content you have written. If you have the answer, quote it and link it back to your blog article. - (STEP 5)
Keep At It! Just like everything with SEO, there is no direct finish line. It is something that can always be improved and added to. As long as your links are relevant and working, you can always add them.
Want to talk more about SEO and how backlinking could help your business? Feel free to give us a call. We would love to talk shop with you and see how we can help!
