Backlinks

What Are Backlinks?

A backlink is a link that points from one site to another site. If you have a website, a backlink is a link on another site that points to your site.

Backlinks are also known as inbound links since they are links pointing from another site to your site. If you have a link pointing from your site to another site, such a link is called an outbound or external link.

When clicked, the link takes the visitor to the site receiving the link. For example, the image below shows a link from that goes from our blog to the Google Analytics homepage.

When we click on the link, we are sent to the Google Analytics homepage.

Backlinks are an important ranking factor as search engines consider them a vote of value, confidence, and credibility. Sites with lots of backlinks tend to rank higher on search results pages.

Why Backlinks Are Important

Backlinks are important because of the positive effect they have on rankings. Back in the early days of search engines, multiple search engines had different methods with which they determined what content to display on their results pages. 

However, Google came up with PageRank, which used backlinks to determine where a site appeared on its search results page. The usage of backlinks was based on the premise that other sites will always link back to relevant, high-quality content.

Google has other algorithms and systems that determine a page’s rankings. It has also modified the original PageRank algorithm and still uses a variation of it today. However, Google still considers backlinks an indicator of value, making them a crucial determinant on how sites ranked on Google and other search engines. 

However, quality beats quantity with backlinks. So, the more high-quality backlinks you have pointing to your site, the higher your rankings on search results pages.

Characteristics of a Good Backlink

All backlinks are not equal. In fact, some backlinks are not worth it at all and you will want to avoid them pointing to your site. Even good backlinks have different characteristics and benefits, as some are more beneficial than others.

1 It is a Dofollow Link

Links can be dofollow or nofollow. A dofollow or follow link passes link equity and PageRank to the site it points to. Search engines consider them a vote of confidence from the URL providing it to the one that is being linked to.

In the case of backlinks, dofollow links improve the ranking of the page they point to and increases their chances of ranking on search results pages. A nofollow link, on the other hand, does not pass link equity and thus, does not improve your PageRank.

2 It is Relevant to Your Content

A good backlink should be contextually relevant to the content it points to. This signals to search engines that the content on both URLs are related. An irrelevant backlink, on the other hand, could signal the existence of a black hat link scheme.

3 It Comes From a High Authority Domain

Links from credible and authoritative sites have more weight and influence in search engine rankings. High-authority domains have a history of trust and reliability, which Google recognizes and trusts. They can increase the authority of the site receiving the link.

4 It is Positioned Within the Main Content

A good backlink is embedded within the main content on a page. This means it is within the content that the visitor is interested in and not in the header, sidebar, footer, or widget. This placement within the main text suggests that the link is relevant to the content. 

5 It Uses Descriptive Anchor Texts

A good backlink is embedded within an anchor text that describes the content on the page receiving the link. The text should be natural and should not be excessively optimized with keywords, else it becomes keyword stuffing.

6 It Comes From Multiple Domains

Backlinks from a variety of unique domains signal diversity in your backlink profile. This diversity is generally favored by search engines and indicates broad interest in your content. Links from many sites carry more weight than multiple links from the same site.

7 It Originates From Sites With Low Spam Score

A low spam score indicates the site does not contain a lot of spam, indicating that the site is unlikely to be considered low quality by search engines. On the other hand, backlinks from a site with a high spam score can harm your SEO and hurt your rankings.

Types of Backlinks

Backlinks generally fall into two categories: natural and manual. Manual or built backlinks are earned due to the outreach and marketing efforts of the blogger seeking the link.

Natural links, on the other hand, are links earned organically without any effort from the site receiving the link. They are considered to the most valuable types of backlinks as search engines consider them high-quality.

1 Guest Post Backlinks

Guest post backlinks are created when you write an article for another website and include a link back to your own site within the content or author bio.

2 Editorial Backlinks

Editorial backlinks are backlinks that are given out by other websites and blogs without any solicitation from the site receiving the link. These links are typically earned because the content is deemed relevant or valuable to the audience.

3 Directory Backlinks

Directory backlinks are links obtained from business directories that list websites based on category, industry, or location. These links are often used for local SEO purposes and will usually include the details of the business, including its name, address, phone number, and website URL.

4 Social Media Backlinks

Social media backlinks are links from social media sites. The links could appear in the comments, posts, or profile of users. The links are typically nofollow. 

5 Resource Page Backlinks

Resource page backlinks are links obtained from pages that curate and list valuable products, tools, or content related to a topic or industry. Besides the SEO benefits, these backlinks also generate traffic to the URL being linked to.

6 Press Release Backlinks

Press release backlinks are links that result from distributing a press release to various media outlets and news websites. Each time a press release is picked up and published, it will include a link back to the company’s website.

Link Building Techniques to Avoid

Not all backlinks benefit your site. In fact, some backlinks could get you into trouble with Google. These backlinks will cause Google to issue you with a manual actions penalty. When that happens, Google may demote your rankings or remove your site completely from search results pages.

1 Paid Links

Paid links are links given to a site in exchange for money or other item or service of value. Google requires these links to include a nofollow or sponsored link attribute to indicate that they have been paid for, otherwise they will violate Google Search Essentials guidelines.

2 Link Exchanges

A link exchange occurs when a blogger links to another blogger in exchange for a link from that blogger. Google permits sites to exchange links. However, the link should be relevant to the content. It should also be done in moderation as aggressive link exchanges violate Google Search Essential guidelines.

3 Link Farms

A link farm occurs when multiple sites link back to one another. Link farms violate Google’s Search Essential guidelines and are considered an attempt to manipulate search rankings. 

4 Private Blog Networks

A private blog network (PBN) is a group of blogs that link to another blog. The sites link to the blog but the blog does not link back to them in return. These too are considered a link scheme and an attempt to manipulate search results pages.

5 Automated Link Building

Some SEOs use bots to generate backlinks to their site. One common method is to use software to post comments on other blogs and sites. Bloggers can protect themselves from the effect of these sorts of comments by including a user-generated content link attribute to the comments left on their site.

6 Backlinks With Keyword-Rich Anchor Texts

Google uses the anchor text to better understand the content on the site receiving the link. While it is good practice to include your keywords in your anchor text, you should ensure it is natural otherwise it becomes keyword stuffing. Keyword-stuffed anchor texts violate Google Search Essential guidelines.