Backlinks, or inbound links, are an important factor in how search engines like Google evaluate the value of a website.
Pages with more backlinks connecting to them typically receive more organic search traffic, which can be leveraged to increase a website’s exposure.
There are numerous options available for generating these backlinks.
A professional SEO service, like Peaks Digital Marketing, is one option, but you could also handle it yourself or hire a freelancer.
What Is SEO?
Knowing the meaning of search engine optimization can help you appreciate the significance of backlinks in any serious advertising effort.
SEO, or search engine optimization, is a set of techniques aimed at improving a website’s visibility in search engine results and attracting more visitors.
The benefits of an effective SEO campaign for a growing online presence are self-evident: more site visitors mean more potential buyers.
The greater the number of visitors a firm can attract to its website, the better its chances of persuading customers to make a purchase after they’ve seen its polished and persuasive design.
Competition for the Google Snippet, or even just getting that coveted first page, is strong, and SEO tactics assist a single web page stand out from the crowd. Given that the average Google searcher doesn’t wander into the forbidden wasteland known as “Page 2.”
Websites that rank higher on a search engine’s Search Engine Results Page (SERP) are more likely to attract the attention of users and earn valuable clicks from them.
For instance, if you type in “SEO agency Denver,” the most pertinent results will be displayed.
Multiple organisations are likely to participate.
Competent SEO strategists have contributed significantly to the success of each of these businesses.
Organic Vs. Paid Placement:
Comparison between Organic and Paid Search Engine Marketing
Pay-per-click (PPC) ads, indicated by the tiny “Ad” lettering next to the URL, make up a sizable portion of the search engine results page (SERP).
Below these are the organic search results, which are highly sought after because they indicate that the website has performed well in the relevant algorithm.
It is impossible to improve a website’s organic search ranking; it is entirely dependent on proper search engine optimization practises, such as building quality backlinks.
Why Do Backlinks Even Matter?
When one website links to another, this is known as a “backlink.”
These can be either the anchor text of the linked sentences or a plain URL in the page’s footer.
Hyperlinking from one website to another is an effective approach to refer directly to sources, allowing the reader to visit the source website at their convenience.
With each new visitor that clicks through from a search engine result, the page that received that traffic becomes more popular in the eyes of the search engines.
Backlinks can be compared to votes made in favour of a website.
Similar to how Reddit users “upvote” things they find entertaining, useful, or otherwise noteworthy, backlinks can be thought of as the “upvote” of search engine algorithms.
When other websites link to yours, it shows the algorithm that the content you provide is valuable and widely used.
SEO and backlinks:
When you realise that backlinks are like tokens exchanged for a higher organic rating on major search engines, the connection to a full SEO plan becomes evident; remember, you can’t buy a higher rank on Google.
All that matters are the quality of the content and the SEO techniques employed.
The specific concept of backlinks has been a component of Google ever since the inception of the PageRank algorithm.
Even though Google’s algorithm has undergone thousands of tweaks over the years, backlinks continue to play a significant role in the company’s primary ranking system.
Andrey Lipattsev, Google’s Search Quality Senior Strategist, has described content, backlinks, and RankBrain, Google’s machine learning algorithm, as the three most important criteria in organic search rankings, confirming the relevance of backlinks.
Domain Authority:
It’s surely no surprise that not all backlinks are equivalent.
In determining a site’s rating, Google takes into account the importance of the website that includes the backlink, or the “weight” of that backlink.
Therefore, backlinks from sites that have already established a positive reputation with Google’s algorithm tend to carry more weight.
Anchor Text Based On Search Terms:
Anchor text that incorporates the target keyword of the linked page is another frequent indicator used to evaluate the quality of backlinks.
Backlinks from other sites with anchor text like “best pet food,” “healthy pet food,” or “best value pet accessories” would be quite helpful to a pet company’s Google rankings, for instance.
The use of the company’s name in an anchor text link is also helpful.
Self-Backlinking:
Almost all of the most popular websites also use internal linkages to different sections of the same page, demonstrating the importance of internal backlinks as part of a comprehensive backlinking strategy.
A typical example is a CNBC piece discussing Netflix’s new growth in the third quarter of 2022 (thank you for the hyperlink, by the way).
Pretty usual fare, but if you dig deeper you’ll find a plethora of links to other CNBC stories, which are, in turn, full of links.
These methods not only enhance the amount of time a user spends on a page, which is a key metric for measuring the quality of a website, but they also boost the number of inbound links.
Indicating to the algorithm that a visitor is engaged with the site for an extended period of time and is likely following backlinks by reading multiple articles after clicking on a single link.
The Bottom Line:
When other websites link to yours, you get backlinks.
Backlinks are embedded in other pages, blogs, and videos that desire to refer to the material on the target website.
When a visitor clicks on the link, it tells the search engine that the material on the backlinked page is pertinent to the user’s query. This, in addition to other Search Engine Optimization tactics, can increase the site’s organic search traffic.