Backgroundlinks: What They are and why you need These
In the myriad of aspects that constitute search engine optimization (SEO), backlinks are one of the hardest to grasp and may be more difficult to acquire. Backlinks form part of off-site SEO, that, in a way means the promotion of your site on other sites (think social media). These little gems persuade users to come to your website so that they rank higher on search engine results. Backlinks are a type of advertisement that's viewed by search engines as a vote of confidence, so to speak, on behalf of other sites in the sense that your website's credibility is assured and that your information is valuable. In short, it's one website that is vouching for or "backing," another.
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Does it sound simple? It is, at least in theory. In practice, it's more complicated.
Basics of Backlinks
There are some things to know up front about backlinks, and the way they function. The first is that not all backlinks are created equal. They include no-follow links Do-follow, low-quality links, and internal links. Understanding the distinction between these can assist you in understanding how to receive--and give!--these online endorsements of your confidence.
No-follow when you hyperlink to a web site that you don't think is reliable, or you do not want to provide a vote of confidence, you can add a no-follow tag to the end of the backlink code. You do this by adding the no-follow tag to the HTML. This informs search engines that although you're linking to a different website, you aren't vouching for the contents of that site. When you link to a website you do not wish to endorse You'll have to include the code to your links, otherwise the links will default to do-follow hyperlinks.
Do-follow: When you create the backlink on a web page by using HTML0, you're telling search engines they can trust the site's content and have given it a vote of trust. As mentioned, links are, by default, do-follow. Therefore, you aren't required to add any additional information to them to convert them into do-follow (in other words, there is no do-follow tag necessary).
Link that are not of high quality There are times when you may consider buying backlinks to improve the SEO of your site, however it's typically not a wise choice and will most likely come back to bite you. These low-quality links come from untrustworthy sources such as spam or automated websites. You don't want these types of websites that link to yours. So you should, as we'll talk about later do not buy backlinks since more often than not they're the type that you'll get in the event you purchase them.
Internal hyperlinks The Internal links are an element of SEO on-site because they're located on your site, connecting the pages on your domain. Linking to other pages or blog posts on your site will not only help visitors find the content you have posted It also assists the search engines index your content and decrease bounce rates for visitors.
The Reasons You Need Backlinks
The backlinks you have on your site can help it get:
- higher search engine ranking (the closer your site is at that top spot on the list it is more likely that people searching for it will come to it);
- It is indexed more quickly by search engines and makes it more noticeable for users.
- Referral traffic is low in bounce;
- brand authority and establish your status as an authority on your subject;
- relationships with influencers in your field.
- promotional opportunities to spread the word about your business and products.
How to Get Links
There are many ways to get backlinks. However, each requires a certain amount of work. The first step is to get out there and start researching, sharing, commenting on writing, or even providing backlinks to other people. If that sounds like a lot of work and takes a long time, no worry, as, in fact the best way to earn backlinks is to create them gradually. Keep in mind that buying backlinks is an unwise thing? Also, is it a good idea to earn more than enough backlinks at a rapid pace. Purchased backlinks, as stated previously, could be sourced from spam websites, and receiving too many backlinks in a short period of time seems suspicious. Avoid artificial links, which are considered illegal SEO practices. The best way to earn backlinks is to earn them, instead of taking the simple (and possible shady) way.
It is important to be familiar with, and keep up-to-date with the Google's Webmaster guidelines for creating backlinks. If you attempt at all, or even unknowingly, to get backlinks that aren't in line with Google's guidelines it is likely that your website will be penalized.
But, again, there are legitimate ways to earn backlinks:
- Write compelling content worth sharing. It gives you credibility as an authority on your subject and shows you're able to participate in discussions within your area of expertise.
- Examine which platforms on social media best suit your company You can then add the sharing buttons on your website. Buttons make it easier for users to share their content quickly.
- Get in touch with influential bloggers and websites that are in your area You can pitch them to write guest blog posts on their websites.
- Engage influential bloggers to write articles for your website and blog.
- Do backlink research for a site whose target audience is similar to the one you want to reach.
- This can be done by looking at the hyperlinks that lead to that particular site using a backlink research tool that includes Open Site Explorer by Moz and site explorers by Ahrefs and CognitiveSEO.
- Do unto others as you would have them do for you. That's the old adage. Give someone else a backlink to your site, by including a link to their website in your article or on your website in general, and they'll likely see it and provide you a backlink too. Make sure the backlink you provide is appropriate to your website as well as appropriate to theirs, as it's true that no backlink is the same. Every backlink is unique in significance--a backlink that comes from a significant market leader or influencer has a much higher value over one that comes from a friend's blog. In addition, although it's great to provide a backlink someone who owns an example of a site on quantum physics but if you're in the cooking business this backlink isn't going to provide any value since, after all, what cook needs to know about photons and electrons when baking lasagna?
The most important thing to remember when getting backlinks and earning money is to treat it as if you were sending someone to a different information source. For instance, if your job is as an exercise instructor and recommend that your clients buy protein shakes to help the workouts go smoother, where could you direct them to buy the best shakes? And remember! Take your time. The old saying says, "Good things come to those who wait." The backlinks that are worthy of having--will come with a little time and effort.
How do you get backlinks? Are you using a tool like the ones we've mentioned, or are you using a different method you'd recommend? We'd like to hear about your experience.
Lindsay Flanagan Lindsay Flanagan is a senior editor and Social Media and project manager. She graduated with a Master of Arts in English as well as Creative Writing and spent over 10 years working in higher education before joining Eschler. Eschler team. The couple are proud parents to two brilliant daughters and make their home located in Heber, Utah.