You have probably heard about backlinks, in an SEO article or talking to an SEO guru, but may not really know what backlinks are. You might be wondering, what should you look for in a backlink and how do you look for them? In this article we are sharing the 101 on backlinks and how you can improve your SEO strategy with the right backlinks approach.

What are backlinks?

Put simply, backlinks are links from a page on one website to another. If Website 1 links text or an image to Website 2 that creates a backlink for Website 2. Backlinks can be viewed as points of confidence for search engines, when determining how well a certain website answers a user’s search question. The more you are backlinked by other sites, the more likely you are to rank highly on search engines for relevant queries. But, not all backlinks are created equal. 

What are the types of backlinks you should aim for?

High-quality backlinks originate from domains that are reputable and relevant. For example Local business directories and Australian news outlets such as news.com.au would be considered a high-quality domain.  Whereas a website with no meaningful content and just a whole heap of links like https://worldwidetopsiteslist.blogspot.com would be seen as low quality.

Both the quality and quantity of your backlinks can impact how your website ranks. If Website 1 has 1,000 low-quality backlinks from spammy domains, and Website 2 has 500 backlinks from high-quality domains, then Website 2 will rank higher. However, if both had backlinks from high-quality domains, then Website 1 would be ranked higher, due to the volume. So what you are aiming for, is the highest volume of good quality backlinks.

How to check your backlinks

Checking your backlinks is extremely important. There are various tools available to check backlinks including – Google Search Console, SEMrush etc. 

Although you aren’t able to (easily) remove low-quality backlinks, if you are working with an SEO company, checking on your backlinks can help you provide them with feedback to look for high-quality backlinks. This will increase your website discoverability, website traffic and ranking on search engines. 

How do I build good backlinks?

Building strong backlinks can take time and money. A first stop is looking for high quality free directories like White Pages, Yellow Pages and local Business Directories. Then looking at paid listings in premium directories and industry websites.

Media releases where relevant can help create press opportunities and often these mentioned are linked back to your website, creating high value back -links.

Working with complimentary businesses can help create a win-win backlink exchange, by writing a blog post for each other’s sites or creating a “We Recommend” page and featuring each other and other businesses, by featuring other businesses on your site, who agree to do the same on theirs, you create good backlinks with relevant value to your customer on the site.

So what do I do now?

If you have found that most of your backlinks are low-quality and impacting your domain rating, it may be time to call upon an SEO specialist. To learn more about how we can help improve your backlink results, get in touch with us here.