There are over 1.5 billion websites in the world. With so many companies competing for viable real estate (aka the top pages of Google), it’s more important than ever to stand out from your competition.

But, what are backlinks? And how can they help you elevate your website to the next level?

Let’s get into what you need to know!

What Are Backlinks?

A backlink is a simple premise. It merely means one website is linking to another site using a clickable link. They often show up as a different color and with an underline to the text.

Backlinks show website authority. Think of it this way. If a well-established website displays an article with a link to your website, that shows that they value what you have to say. That means their audience will likely appreciate what you have to say, too.

Backlinks are also commonly known as inbound links.

Why Do Backlinks Matter?

In a nutshell, the number of backlinks provides a reliable indicator of the popularity or authority of a particular website.

That means they are critical for SEO because search engines, like Google, place special priority to websites that have a high number of quality backlinks. Google will consider those websites more relevant and significant than others in their result pages.

Back in the day, obtaining backlinks was everything, and it also developed somewhat of a poor reputation. That’s because webmasters could create and launch a site and pepper it with links from all over the web. They could instantly rank on the first page of Google for pretty much any keyword.

Today, Google is increasingly stricter with its ranking standards. You need to have both a good quantity and quality of backlinks to improve your SEO.

What Defines a Good Backlink?

A good backlink is one that comes from a website with high domain authority (DA). DA is a metric that essentially refers to the trustworthiness and credibility of a particular site.

The premise here is simple: the higher the DA, the more trustworthy and reputable the link will be. With the high amounts of spammy websites floating around on the world wide web, Google is eager to reward quality sites.

Typically speaking, anything between 60-100 refers to an excellent backlink, 30-60 is good, and 20-30 is ‘decent enough.’

It can be challenging to achieve a good backlink because these sites often have rigorous standards and requirements for contribution and posting.

Dofollow vs. Nofollow

You also should know the difference between dofollow and nofollow links. A dofollow link enables search engines to follow the link and reach to your website via the anchor text. Nofollow links do not allow search engine bots to follow the link.

Nofollow links are not completely worthless, but it’s always better to receive a dofollow link.

How Do You Get a Good Backlink?

There are several ways to generate backlinks. One of the easiest ways is through building relationships with other bloggers and writers.

This is a slow process. You need to find leading experts in your niche and cultivate a working dynamic with them. This typically starts with liking, favoriting, and commenting on their blog posts and social media channels.

Take the time to reach out and get to know these people on a human level! Running a website can be a lonely job, and you’d be surprised how many people want to get to see what you’re doing if you equally share an interest.

This is a method that can inadvertently generate your backlinks. If they appreciate what you have to offer, you just may get a link back to your site.

Guest Posting

Guest posting is a popular way to build backlinks to your site. Many websites accept guest posts and contributions in exchange for a link. You will typically need to provide them with a few pitches or an entire article.

To find guest posting opportunities, it’s wise to start with a simple Google search. Simply identify your niche and try the following combinations:

• Your niche + guest post opportunities
• Your niche + now accepting guest posts
• Your niche + write for us
• Your niche + contribute for us
• Your niche + submit an article here
• Your niche + now accepting contributors

You can also reach out to different websites directly. With that said, it’s always best to build a relationship with the author first. Otherwise, you risk getting ignored, and that’s not helpful to your reputation!

How Do You Get More Backlinks?

As mentioned, the quantity of your backlinks also matters. Fortunately, there are several strategies to generate backlinks without much intense effort.

First of all, you should always add testimonials and links back to your own website on any social media channel that you use. This is a quick way to generate ‘link juice’ back to your site.

Reaching out directly to website owners and offering them a free service, product, or review can generate a higher volume of backlinks. You should reach out directly with email, provide them the service or product, and leave a brief note indicating that you’d love for them to mention it in a blog post or review.

Some people will be intrigued; others will ignore you. However, with time and practice, you’ll generate some relationships and build some links.

Final Thoughts On The Importance of Backlinks

If you were asking what are backlinks, you now know that they are a fantastic method for improving your SEO strategy. They introduce new readers to your site, and they help improve your company’s overall reputation and credibility.

Are you interested in learning more valuable tips about improving your online presence? Want to grow your business with the best SEO experts around?

At Tuscon SEO Service, we’re passionate about creating solid SEO and local online marketing strategies for our clients. Contact us today.