Backlinks

Backlinks are an important strategy for improving your site reachability on the web. Below we provide information about backlinks, why they are important and what you should check before having another website link back to you. Before you decide if you need to focus on backlinks, you need to know where your website traffic originates. If the site in question gets most traffic from ads or social media, and you do not have much organic search traffic, then you may not need a strategic plan for managing and growing your backlinks. However, if you highly depend on "FREE" organic traffic, then backlinks, along with SEO in general will be important.

  1. What is a Backlink
  2. Why Are Backlinks Important To Your SEO Strategy?
  3. 20 Things to Check Before Establishing Backlinks
  4. Bonus Items That You Should Check

As you will learn, there are many aspects that are important to ensure a high-quality linking strategy. From an SEO perspective, you should also ensure that sites you link to meet the criteria you require. Links are a two way street. If you have many high-quality inbound backlinks but your site contains outbound links to websites that are not relevant to your content or have a low reputation, your site may be de-ranked and it will be a challenge to fix. Be attentive to your linking strategy. The number of backlinks a website has is just one of many factors that can impact its search engine rankings. It is not necessary to have a large number of backlinks to rank well in search engine results, and having a large number of low-quality or spammy backlinks can actually harm your search engine rankings. It is also important to note that you cannot control all of the links that refer to your website. There may be some actions that you can take to clean up erroneous links and/or spammy links. These actions include contacting the website owner and requesting the links to be removed or adjusted. If this is something that you need to do it is best to have a plan, make a list of all pages that have links to your site, and specifically request your adjustment with all of the details necessary. If you have good content and popular pages, expect random backlinks to appear. This is usually not a bad thing but should be closely monitored. Any negative indicators related to links could de-rank your site/page and will require analysis to identify and resolve. Often when a site or page is de-ranked the traffic will decrease as a result.

Instead of focusing on the quantity of backlinks, it is generally more important to focus on the quality of the backlinks you have. High-quality backlinks from reputable and authoritative websites can be more valuable for improving your search engine rankings than a large number of low-quality backlinks.

It is also important to have a diverse and natural-looking backlink profile, rather than a large number of backlinks from a single website or source. A diverse backlink profile can help improve the overall quality and value of your backlinks.

Overall, it is important to focus on building a strong and diverse backlink profile rather than simply trying to acquire as many backlinks as possible. Quality over quantity is generally the best approach when it comes to backlinks and SEO.

This is an area that Kleenscape can help. We can build a plan that will improve your website ranking through comprehensive linking strategies. In SEO there are many more aspects to ranking a website that do not relate to linking, we can help there as well. Building a baseline of how the Internet percives your website is the first step.

If you would like assistance with SEO or backlinking, please contact us.

What is a Backlink?

A backlink is simply a link from one website to another. They are also referred to as inbound links or incoming links. In search engine optimization (SEO), backlinks play a crucial role in determining the ranking of a website in search engine results. For example, Google uses backlinks as a way to measure the quality and relevance of a website. If a website has a lot of high-quality backlinks from other reputable and authoritative websites, it can be seen as trustworthy and likely to rank highly in search results. There are two main types of backlinks: dofollow links, which pass on link equity or value to the linked website, and nofollow links, which do not. It's generally best to have a mix of both types in your backlink profile. Building a strong and diverse backlink profile is an essential part of an effective SEO strategy. It's important to be selective when acquiring backlinks and to focus on building high-quality backlinks from reputable and authoritative websites. In the case of backlinks, quantity does not outweigh quality. Do not hire someone to create a thousand backlinks from random places on the Web. Be selective and have a plan.

If you would like assistance with SEO or backlinking, please contact us.

Why Are Backlinks Important To Your SEO Strategy?

Not all backlinks are equal. Having high-quality backlinks to your website is important for a few reasons:

  1. Improve Search Engine Ranking
  2. High quality backlinks can help improve your search engine rankings: Search engines like Google use backlinks as a signal of the quality and relevance of your website. If other reputable and authoritative websites link to your website, it can indicate to search engines that your website is trustworthy and worth ranking highly in search results.

  3. Drive Traffic

    Backlinks can drive referral traffic: In addition to helping with search engine rankings, backlinks can also drive referral traffic to your website. If someone clicks on a backlink to your website from another website, they may be more likely to visit and engage with your website.

  4. Improve Credibility and Reputation
  5. Backlinks can improve the credibility and reputation of your website: Having high-quality backlinks from reputable and authoritative websites can help improve the credibility and reputation of your website. This can be especially important if you are a business or organization trying to establish trust with your target audience.

  6. Improve Overall User Experience
  7. Backlinks can help improve the overall user experience: High-quality backlinks can help improve the overall user experience on your website by providing additional resources and information for visitors to explore.

Overall, having high-quality backlinks is an important part of a strong and effective SEO strategy, as they can help improve your search engine rankings, drive referral traffic, and improve the credibility and reputation of your website.

If you would like assistance with SEO or backlinking, please contact us.

20 Things to Check Before Establishing Backlinks

  1. Domain authority of the website
  2. It is important to check the domain authority of the website you are considering getting a backlink from. A higher domain authority can indicate that the website is more trustworthy and has a stronger presence on the internet.

  3. Page authority of the page
  4. The page authority of the page on which your backlink will be placed is also important. A higher page authority can indicate that the page is more likely to rank well in search engine results.

  5. Relevance of the website and page
  6. It is important to ensure that the website and page you are getting a backlink from are relevant to your own website. This can help improve the quality of the backlink and its value to your own website.

  7. Anchor text
  8. The anchor text of the backlink should be relevant and descriptive. Using keyword-rich anchor text can help improve the value of the backlink and its impact on your search engine rankings.

  9. Link placement
  10. The placement of the backlink on the page is important. A backlink placed in the main content of the page is generally more valuable than a backlink placed in the footer or sidebar.

  11. Link diversity
  12. It is important to have a diverse set of backlinks from a variety of websites and pages. This can help improve the overall quality and value of your backlink profile.

  13. Nofollow vs. dofollow
  14. Dofollow links pass on link equity to your website, while nofollow links do not. It is generally best to aim for a mix of both types of links.

  15. Link context
  16. The context in which the backlink is placed is important. A backlink placed in a relevant and informative context is generally more valuable than a backlink placed in a spammy or irrelevant context.

  17. Link location
  18. The location of the backlink on the page is important. A backlink placed near the top of the page is generally more valuable than a backlink placed near the bottom of the page.

  19. Link popularity
  20. The popularity of the website and page you are getting a backlink from can also be a factor. A backlink from a popular and highly visited website can be more valuable than a backlink from a less popular website.

  21. Link velocity
  22. The velocity at which you acquire backlinks can also be a factor. Acquiring a large number of backlinks in a short period of time can raise red flags with search engines and may be viewed as spammy.

  23. Link quality
  24. The quality of the backlinks you acquire is important. It is generally best to aim for high-quality backlinks from reputable and authoritative websites.

  25. The content of the website
  26. It is important to review the content of the website you are considering getting a backlink from to ensure that it is of high quality and relevant to your own website.

  27. The website's design and user experience
  28. A well-designed and user-friendly website can be more appealing and trustworthy to visitors, so it is worth considering the overall design and user experience of the website you are getting a backlink from.

  29. The website's load time
  30. A slow-loading website can be frustrating for users and may impact your own website's performance. It is worth checking the load time of the website you are getting a backlink from.

  31. The website's traffic
  32. A website with a high level of traffic can be more valuable for a backlink. It is worth checking the traffic levels of the website you are considering getting a backlink from.

  33. The website's social media presence
  34. A website with a strong presence on social media can be more influential and have a larger audience. It is worth checking the website's social media profiles to see if they are active and have a large following.

  35. The website's backlink profile
  36. It is important to review the backlink profile of the website you are getting a backlink from to ensure that it is of high quality and diverse.

  37. Target Audience
  38. It is important to ensure that the website you are getting a backlink from has a target audience that is relevant to your own business or website.

  39. Link Building Strategy
  40. It is worth considering the website's overall link building strategy to ensure that it aligns with your own.

It is also important to avoid backlinks from spammy or low-quality websites, as these can harm your search engine rankings and damage the reputation of your website. It is important to be selective and strategic when acquiring backlinks, and to focus on building a diverse and high-quality backlink profile

If you would like assistance with SEO or backlinking, please contact us.

Bonus Items That You Should Check

  1. Overall Online Presence
  2. It is worth reviewing the website's overall online presence, including its presence on other websites and its search engine rankings.

  3. Content Distribution Strategy
  4. It is worth considering how the website distributes its content, as this can impact the visibility and reach of your backlink.

  5. Editorial Guidelines
  6. It is worth reviewing the website's editorial guidelines to ensure that your backlink will be in line with their standards and practices.

  7. Authority in its Industry
  8. It is worth considering the website's level of authority and expertise in its industry. A backlink from a highly authoritative website can be more valuable than a backlink from a less authoritative website.

  9. History and Reputation
  10. It is important to review the website's history and reputation to ensure that it is trustworthy and has a good reputation in its industry.

  11. Content Management System (CMS)
  12. It is worth considering the website's CMS and how it impacts the overall user experience and the maintenance of the website.

  13. Mobile-friendliness
  14. With the increasing use of mobile devices, it is important to ensure that the website you are getting a backlink from is mobile-friendly.

  15. Security
  16. It is worth considering the website's security measures to ensure that it is safe and secure for visitors.

  17. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
  18. It is important to review the website's terms of service and privacy policy to ensure that they align with your own.

  19. Advertising Policies
  20. It is worth reviewing the website's advertising policies to ensure that your backlink will be in line with their standards and practices.

  21. Content Distribution Channels
  22. It is worth considering the website's content distribution channels and how they impact the visibility and reach of your backlink.

  23. SEO strategy
  24. It is worth reviewing the website's SEO strategy to ensure that it aligns with your own and that the website is actively working to improve its search engine rankings.

    If you would like assistance with SEO or backlinking, please contact us.