Want to get found more frequently in web search results and build an online reputation? Here’s how
Backlinks, also known as in-bound or one-way links, are internet links that point from one site to another with the ultimate objective of increasing the visibility of your website and its rankings on various search engines.
Backlinks are only one component of a complete Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) strategy. Other vital elements include quality content, common keywords, metatags and more. Backlinks serve as an efficient, simple method of optimising a website and are the result of positive networking and relationship building between different websites. Backlinks form an important component of a successful SEO strategy that will work to increase your website’s organic ranking, credibility and authority.
In short, backlinks will lead to more clicks on your website and the team here at Jezweb have put together this article to guide you along the backlinking pathways that will help you grow your website and, ultimately, your business.
In this article:
- Types of backlink
- What impact does backlinking have on your website?
- How does my website acquire backlinks?
- Backlinking Do’s and Don’ts
- Let Jezweb help you with your website’s backlinking and Search Engine Optimisation to grow your business.
Types of backlink
There are two types of backlink – follow backlinks and no follow backlinks – and it is important to understand the difference between them, in order to achieve the results you expect from your efforts:
‘Follow’ backlinks
Follow backlinks will contribute directly to your website’s domain and page authorities and pass on site strength. These links will pass on the reputation of an authoritative website to your own, which will bolster your own ranking on search engines such as Google, Bing and so on. For this reason. Follow backlinks are the most desirable as they directly impact your SEO rating with the most effective results and so, as one might expect, they are the most difficult to acquire.
‘No-Follow’ backlinks
No-follow backlinks are the opposite. These links do not allow the inheritance of the attached site authority but do have a positive impact on SEO and can improve site visibility for new visitors.
What impact does backlinking have on your website?
One of the easiest ways to describe the influence of backlinks to a website’s SEO is to consider the concept of referencing. When we hire new workers, choose a new babysitter or select tradesmen to complete a renovation task in our home, we look to references and recommendations in order to choose who to give our time to and then, ultimately, hire. Backlinks work in very much the same way.
Acquiring follow backlinks from authoritative sites increase your website’s reputation with a search engine, much like a well worded reference from a respected previous employer will increase your standing in a potential hiring manager for a new position.
If follow backlinks can be thought of as being positive references to improve your reputation amongst search engines, then no-follow backlinks can be considered like internet breadcrumbs, leaving a pathway for potential new visitors to find you.
Whilst no-follow backlinks do not allow your site to inherit the authority of the site it is linking from; they are much easier to require and require less effort. Therefore, a solid backlinking strategy is to build a portfolio featuring a combination of the two backlink types, to achieve the most benefit from your backlink strategy.
How does my website acquire backlinks?
One of the most important things to consider when working to acquire backlinks is that quality matters. While backlinks connecting to websites that have a high level of authority and reputation will cause your site to inherit some of that standing, backlinks from sites with equal or lesser standing to your site will offer no advancement and may even negatively affect your SEO rankings.
It is also important to remember that the process of gathering quality backlinks is one of networking and relationship building; ensure that you are dedicating time to “giving” as much as you are “taking”.
The following are some of the methods in which both follow, and no-follow backlinks can be gathered. Some more detailed and time consuming than others:
Online directories
Listing your website in online directories such as Yelp, Yellow Pages and more will give your website a compelling no-follow backlink that will assist visitors to find your website. These online directories combine features such as contact information and reviews, allowing potential customers to make informed, confident decisions about you and your business.
Google features such as Google My Business are a similar form of online directory that strengthens a website’s existing reputation with Google and lists your business and site on Google Maps, which also makes it even easier to find you with a simple Google search.
Blog comments
Another method of potentially collecting no-follow backlinks to your website is to visit other sites of authority, engage with their written content such as regular blogs and leave a comment, letting them know how much you enjoyed their work or showing an appreciation of the content they have created, including a link to your own website in the comments section.
This action should be made with the understanding that all blogs may be managed differently, and some may interpret such comments simply as spam. In order to mitigate this issue as much as possible, ensure that you contain your commenting to blogs within industries relevant to your own and be aware that some will remove comments that contain links by default. If this happens, do not take it to heart and instead pursue other sites that will welcome your contribution, link, and all.
Guest blogging
One of the best ways to garner follow backlinks to your website is to start creating guest blogs. A guest blog is an article written by your business or organisation that is of high quality that is given to another business to post on their site or blog: Often, as a form of thanks, the receiving website will allow a single or multiple follow links to be included in the article.
Whilst among the most time-consuming methods, guest blogging is a great medium for building relationships with authoritative websites and to expand your network. When writing guest blogs for other businesses, the article writing must be of a consistent high quality throughout. You must remember that your content will predominantly be published on their site, under their name, with only credit to your name as a writer. So, make sure you view your work with a critical eye.
Social media
Social Media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram can also provide you with backlinks for your site. For Facebook, these can include:
- Personal profile and posts
- Page profile and posts
- Pages About Tab
- Page Buttons
- Group Descriptions
- Group Pinned Posts.
For Twitter, these can include:
- Website field
- Twitter bio
- Photos and video tweets.
(NB: These practices also apply to YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest and more).
Backlinking Do’s and Don’ts
As with many things, there are both effective and ineffective ways to acquire backlinks for your site. Here are a few Do’s and Don’ts of backlinking, to underline which practices to either follow or avoid.
- Do Understand that Quality Matters
- Do Be Consistent
- Don’t Black Hat It
- Don’t Rush It.
Do Understand that Quality Matters
As previously discussed, backlinks are like a reference, from one site to another, that Google can interpret and use to rank your site accordingly, and a reference from a respected source will carry more weight than an unknown source. Therefore, it should be noted that backlinks from credible, authoritative, high ranking websites will rate better for you.
Do Be Consistent
As with many other Search Optimisation Strategies (SEO) results won’t usually appear overnight. Conversely, you will see success with your strategy with consistent, targeted action over an extended period, so don’t feel disheartened if you don’t see the results, you envisioned straight away.
Don’t Black Hat It
There are good and bad practices when it comes to backlinks and SEO strategy. In this context, these bad practices are known as “Black Hat SEO.” Black Hat SEO refers to any tactic used to improve the ranking of a website that goes against the specified guidelines of search engines by attempting to manipulate its algorithms.
These practices are well known by search engines and the potential consequences involved with taking these actions which can include a manual or algorithmic penalty affecting your organic traffic.
Black Hat techniques are not good in the short or long term and will impact your website’s reach, user experience and more. Overall, these practices are best avoided.
Don’t Rush It
Quality usually takes time. There is a process to be followed, and the outcome is less polished if rushed. This is also the case with the collection of backlinks. It can be very tempting to rush out and try and collect as many follow and no-follow links as you can, regardless of the linking site’s reputation, credibility, or ranking. A much better approach is to act with patience, working slowly and consistently.
Let Jezweb help you with your website’s backlinking and Search Engine Optimisation to grow your business
Backlinking and SEO can be minefields at the best of times, especially when you would prefer your business focus to be on the growth of your client base and not designing your online presence, especially if you are only managing a small team or even operating as a sole trader.
Jezweb can help lighten some of the technological load, whether it be related to your website or web hosting, SEO (search engine optimisation), back linking, or your emails and associated templates. To reach out to Jezweb, simply call the team on 1300 024 776, visit jezweb.com.au or click here to send us an online message and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible to get your website working optimally for your business.