What is a Backlink?

Also known as inbound links or incoming links, backlinks are created when one website links itself to another. For example, when a page references Wikipedia, that creates a backlink for the Wikipedia website.

What Makes Them Important?

Backlinks are very important for SEO campaigns because when another website links to another, search engines will see this as a sign that the website being linked is safe and important to the topic being searched.

Meaning when a website backlinks to your page, Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc. will add a mark that your website is worth looking into and will boost its search rating. So, earning backlinks can have a positive effect on your site’s ranking position and search visibility.

Earning Backlinks

Gaining backlinks is an essential element of off-site SEO. The process of gathering these links is known as link earning or link building.

When link building, the quality of the backlinking website should always be taken into account as trustworthy, popular, high-authority sites are considered the most desirable backlinks to earn, while backlinks from low-authority and lots of clutter are typically the vice versa. Even just being mentioned on high-quality websites can give your brand a boost.

And, just as some backlinks you earn are more valuable than others, links you create to other sites also differ in value. When linking out to an external site, the choices you make regarding the page from which you link the anchor text you use, whether you decide to follow or not follow the link, and any other meta tags associated with the linking page can produce a heavy impact on the value you present.

Competitive Backlink Research

Backlinks are very time-consuming to earn and understand. New sites or those expanding their keyword market may find it difficult to know where to even start when it comes to link building.

That’s where competitive backlink research from a SEO company comes in: By examining the backlink collection of pages and domains linking to a website of a competitor that’s already ranking well for your target keywords, you can gain an insight about the link building that may have helped them. Tools like SEMrush and Moz can let you access Open Site Explorer and help research these links first hand so you can have a better understanding of the system and target those domains in your own link building campaigns.

 

If you’re interested in expanding your company with backlink building and research with SoCal Digitla Marketing, please look over our SEO services and contact us so we can help you expand your keyword footprint today.