If you’ve had any experience with SEO, you’ve likely heard all about backlinks, link building strategies and so on. We know that backlinks are an important SEO ranking factor for Organic Search success, but you may be wondering what exactly backlinks are and why do I need them for my online website?
What are backlinks?
A backlink is a link from another website (domain) that points back to your site. These links exist within the content of a page or article and need to be a clickable hyperlink with anchor text. For example, www.moosemay.com is not clickable and therefore will not be useful in link building. However, www.moosemay.com is a clickable hyperlink (try it out by clicking on it). Backlinks are earned by ensuring you have quality content and a well-optimized site. You need to make sure you have something people want to be linking to in the first place.
Backlinks are considered one of the top SEO ranking factors out of the 200 plus different ones Google considers valuable when calculating how a page should rank in search results. While you should always create high-quality content on your website, link-building should also be an important factor in your overall marketing strategy. Do keep in mind when creating a backlink strategy, you must follow Google’s Webmaster Guidelines (https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/35769) in order to avoid a penalty that could affect your websites rankings.
When SEO was in its early form, backlinks were used and abused by “black hat” SEO professionals and would buy links in bulk. These types of websites (link farms) existed solely to link to other sites to gain traffic. Google caught on and now polices these spammy tactics heavily.
Gone are the days of “easy” spammy link building. Today, link building is centered on earning links through the creation of high-quality content that other websites would want to link to.
5 types of backlinks
There are many different types of backlinks and each one offers something unique and valuable to your link-building strategy. These are the types of links that you want linking back to your content. For more backlinks check out this handy guide (link: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/types-of-links/261581/).
1.) .EDU Links
These links are from reputable educational institute websites that are trustable because they have a high domain authority which makes these links highly valuable. To earn .edu links (link: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/find-build-powerful-edu-backlinks/90365/) consider having students write a guest post on your website.
2.) .GOV Links
Like .edu links, .gov websites usually have a high domain authority. To earn these type of links try reaching out to your local VA and offer discounts or training to veterans.
3.) .ORG Links
Similar to .gov and .edu, these links carry the same benefits but are easier to get. Investigate local charities and offer your services/products pro bono.
4.) Editorial Links
An editorial link (https://www.wordstream.com/editorial-link) is earned that results from having a good content and marketing technique. These are not paid or directly requested.
5.) Links from Traditional Media
These include links from the press (e.g., newspapers, magazines, radio, TV). Start by creating a resource or study that journalists will want to cite.
As with all things SEO, it is important to stay professional and create unique and quality content that people will want to link to. Link building may have gotten a bad reputation in the past, but if used correctly, can be a valuable tactic that will help your overall ROI.
Here at Moose May, we are dedicated to helping you grow your business with an effective organic search strategy. We will evaluate your potential link building strategies and guide you on what your next steps should be.