Backlinks. Scary word for most of the bloggers today.
If you are a blogger just like me then you probably came across backlinks. You heard how important they are and that you should build them until your last breath (lol).
Well, in this article I will try to explain to you what are backlinks and how to get them easy and legit. Because, you know, if you try to get those backlinks in a non-legit way then your website is condemned.
Those days passed when you could automate some software or tool and you would get a ton of backlinks and you would get on page 1 on Google in a couple of days.
Today, Google became too intelligent and you will need to work smart and hard to achieve those page 1 rankings. It is important to know that backlinks are the not only method to get rankings in Google, there are more than 200 factors Google takes in mind before ranking you.
Of course, backlinks still remain one of the most important factors and you certainly should work hard to get them.
So let’s start our journey with backlinks. I recommend that you read until the end of the article as you will find pretty valuable information you can use on your own website.
What Are Backlinks?
Simply put, a backlink is a link pointing from one website to another website. Let’s say for example that I am talking about Backlinko.com on my site. So I will point people to that site so they can find more about that site.
You see, when you click on the link above you will go to the Backlinko site. I am sending you from my blog post to another site. I just give a backlink to Backlinko. It’s that, simply and easily.
So let’s say that you are looking for ways to make an online business and you found some XYZ.com website page. You started to read that page and you saw a link to my website makemoneywithdaniel.com
That means that site XYZ.com give my site a backlink that in the future will probably benefit me in the terms of rankings.
You can look at backlinks as some sort of communication between websites.
Just keep in mind that internal links are not the same as backlinks, so there should not be confusion.
Internal links are the links you point from one page of your site to another page on your site.
Why Are Backlinks So Important?
Many professional bloggers and gurus are talking about how backlinks are crucial for a website to succeed. When you are just starting with blogging you would get scared if you read about backlinks because many say that if you don’t build backlinks you will not succeed.
I will say that you should work on your backlinks but you should not put all your focus on building just them. You should primarily build out your CONTENT because you probably heard that CONTENT IS KING. And it definitely is.
When I was starting blogging I read about backlinks and many people told me if your website doesn’t have backlinks or if you are not building them from the start you even better not start blogging.
Of course, I would not listen to them because I always knew that good and quality content will naturally attract backlinks.
I don’t want to say that backlinks are not important and that you should not work to get them. They are pretty important when it comes to SEO. Google simply loves those websites that have a high number of quality backlinks, he will rank faster and higher those sites with a good amount of quality backlinks, that’s the fact.
Even Google claimed that backlinks are among the 3 most important factors when it comes to ranking in SERP.
That means that you should work on them BUT the most important thing you should work on is quality content. When you have quality content on your site you will attract natural backlinks because people will naturally link to you.
So, why are backlinks so important:
- they give your site authority
- they mean more trust in Google
- backlinks are a ranking factor
Now let’s see what kind of backlinks exist because we have a kind of different backlinks.
Types Of Backlinks
If you have read about backlinks you probably heard about different types of them. And that’s true, there are 1 main type of backlinks.
- Dofollow links
- Nofollow links
The names are already telling us what are those links about.
Dofollow links are most valuable and they are giving our site authority and more rankings. Google loves them but keep in mind that those links should be from the authority websites and not some BS sites that offer no value.
One thing to say is that not all dofollow links are good and quality, there are also those toxic links that are coming from those spammy sites that want to ruin our authority and rankings in search engines. So when you notice those toxic links it is important to de-index them from your site.
Nofollow links tell Google that simply ignore that link. Those links are not valuable IE they don’t help us to rank higher in search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo.
Nofollow links are usually coming from blog comments, paid advertisements, etc. They are not meant so it is a good option for search engines to not follow those links.
So, make sure to work on dofollow links as they are very valuable and they give our site authority and trust so that search engines like Google can give us high rankings in SERPs.
Now when we know what are backlinks, how they work, and what types exist let’s see how you can get quality backlinks to your site. Because that is what we are running for, QUALITY backlinks.
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How To Get Backlinks?
There are many ways to get backlinks to your site, there are ”white” and ”dark” strategies but of course, I will focus here on those white strategies as you don’t want to even think about getting backlinks with dark methods.
Sure, there are many folks who are using black techniques to get backlinks to their websites but those people automatically condemn their site. Just like I said above in the text, Google became pretty intelligent these days and will find out if you are going against their rules.
Make sure that you are doing those white methods I will talk about below and you can be sure that your website will get those quality backlinks that will help you to rank higher in search engines.
Sure, there are many methods to gain backlinks but here I will point out my favorite 3 ways to achieve high-quality backlinks.
1. Keep Creating High-Quality Content
That’s right! If you want to naturally attract those backlinks you MUST write high-quality content that answers user intent.
I already said that content is king and that is true.
When you keep creating content with consistency you will get those backlinks from other sites. Of course, it takes time and effort to write quality content but it definitely will pay off in the future.
When I say high-quality content I primarily mean on:
- Content that contains 1500+ words
- Content that is SEO optimized for search engines
- Content that answers search queries ie user intent
If you can respect those things I mentioned above you will 100% get quality backlinks to your site. Keep on your mind to focus on QUALITY and not quantity.
Many people are doing the opposite, they are publishing content consistently but they don’t put focus on quality, which is wrong.
2. Start Doing Guest Posting
Guest posting is definitely still one of the most popular ways to get quality backlinks to a website. It is also one of my favorite way to get links to my site.
It is a proven strategy and tested by thousands of bloggers. You just need to find sites in your niche that would accept you to write for them and in exchange, they will link to your site.
It sounds simple but you need to put an effort to find those quality sites and it is a question will they accept you or not.
The best way to find those who want guest posting is to search for them on Google.
If you do a search well Google will show you websites that offer guest posting. It’s a great opportunity to earn quality backlinks just by writing for others.
You don’t need to be a professional writer but you need to know the basics like structuring a blog post, using headings, internal and external links, etc.
3. Use Forums To Post Quality Information
Forums. One more great way to earn quality backlinks. I used to write posts on forums a long time ago but I stopped due to not having free time to do that. I definitely must start doing that again because it is an awesome way of getting backlinks.
I assume you all heard about Quora.com
It is a great site where you can find the answers to pretty much every topic you can imagine. So, let’s say someone asked a question about ”How To Make Money Online?’.
If you are in that niche you can easily give them an answer and in that answer point to your website where you talk about making money online. You will put an external link to your site in that answer because Quora let you do that.
That work not only for the MMO niche but whatever niche you are in, depending on the niche of your site.
Quora is an authority site and if you get links from that site you are earning pretty strong backlinks. That is a method of many bloggers so you should try it.
Keep in mind that the answers you give should be of high quality. You can’t just write 1-2 sentences and point to your site, you need to give in-depth answers that will help the reader.
Things To Avoid In Building Backlinks
Although there are many ways to naturally gain backlinks, people often tend to go for the ”easier” path and build links in an inappropriate way. You should never use the methods I will talk about below because you will ruin your site for sure when it comes to traffic and trust.
1. Buying a Software
Yeah, there are many software on the internet that promises you that you will get a high number of quality backlinks if you buy that software.
You should run from those people who just want to take your hard-earned money. Keep in mind that no one can guarantee that you will get on the first page in Google. If they guarantee you they are lying to you.
There is no software that will give you quality links, those links are spammy, and who knows from where they are coming. on is for sure, they will ruin your site sooner or later if you use them.
So don’t fall for traps such as: ”For just $35 I will point to your site 5.000 quality links”. ”This software will boost your site rankings for just $49, giving you over 1000 backlinks”, etc.
At all costs avoid such scams and frauds and you should be fine. Do you really think that it is so easy? If it was everyone would buy backlinks and that software.
2. Spamming Your Backlink Profile
By spamming, I mean that you should not force building backlinks. If you currently do have many backlinks just relax and do the content thing.
It is better to have a small number of backlinks on your site than to have 1000 backlinks that are low quality.
Just don’t bother to have as many links because you can get a penalty from Google and that’s it, you finished your blogging career.
Instead, make sure to keep your content at the most quality level as in that way you will get naturally backlinks.
Some Final Words About Backlinks
Backlinks are definitely a ranking factor but they are not that good that you should avoid quality content. If you answer search queries as you should you will get those backlinks completely naturally.
If you are a new blogger I recommend that you completely avoid building backlinks and put focus on high-quality content.
The first thing you should do is to make sure your site has a bunch of quality articles and then if you need start doing backlinks but I always like to say that they are not a guarantee that you will be even ranked at all.
You can have millions of backlinks but if good content is lacking, everything is in vain. In that case, your site will suffer and it would be impossible to get those page 1 rankings.
If you are a more advanced blogger and you have quality content but want to do a backlink profile, just do it. But do it smart. avoid the things I mentioned above and focus just on those ”white” techniques and you will be fine.
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Hey, I’m Daniel, a 28-year-old from Serbia who has been successfully doing affiliate marketing for almost 10 years. Through years of trial, error and continuous learning, I have perfected my skills and I am delighted to be able to share my knowledge and advice through this site where you can find absolutely everything you need to start your online business.
I recall reading training about using backlinks on our website but it was never in as much detail as your article.
The use of those as well as internal were recommended and as you say, completely different from one another.
I always fear that if I use external links on my website that readers won’t be able to come back to the page they were just reading but I’m assuming that the back button can be used to get back to where they were?
Sometimes I’m unsure which sites to use as my backlinks. As you mention we have to be careful not to link unknown ‘spammy’ sites.
Are there any hard and fast rules?
I try to be as original as possible with my article so I may only browse a site for inspiration. Should the pages that I use for inspiration be the ones I create for my backlinks or can I choose any online?
Thanks in advance and thanks for sharing.
Louise
Hello Louise! It is important to link to authority sites in given niches as that will tell Google that our site is trusted. Backlinks are important but your focus should be on building quality content that answers the search queries. In that way, you can rank well even without the backlinks.
Many thanks Daniel!
You’re welcome!
I have heard so much about the importance of backlinks to increase traffic to your website, but have struggled to work out how to build backlinks. I have often wondered what the difference is between dofollow and nofollow links, so this post has been very helpful to explain the differences to me.
I have not done any guest posting yet, so will certainly use your advice and reach out to other sites for publishing guest posts. Thank you for sharing the valuable information on backlinks.
Thanks, Line! Your number 1 strategy for increasing website traffic should be quality content, backlinks are important but great content outperforms backlinks.
Hi Daniel,
I always, maybe most of the time use NIH and NCBI as high authority sites to link my articles. The reason being I get scientific information, that is credible and use them on my sites. However, I have never got any linking nor do I expect any.
Is it better to use other high-authority health and wellness blogging sites to link to (I always read them for information) to better my backlinking possibility from them?
In your content writing process, should you write the answer to the queries asked by people and related searches? Do you believe Google will value those and may increase your backlinking possibility?
I really enjoy reading your article and this one is no exception.
Hello Anusuya! Thank you!
Sure, you can use high-authority sites to link to them from your own content, that will be beneficial for your site as Google will see that you are linking to trusted sites in your niche.
You should always focus on answering the search query and primarily focus on user intent. We must write for people and not for search engines. Sure, SEO is crucial and we must do him but the reader is in the first place.
Many thanks for this valuable detailed post about the backlink. I was actually looking for this backlink these days. Because I had heard that backlinks are very important for ranking. Your post has explained it clearly. And I also post answers on quora. But I have a problem. We can’t know external links, right? My answer was deleted once. Why is that happening? Keep posting valuable posts like this.
I am glad you find it helpful man! Quora is definitely a great place for getting quality backlinks, keep doing it but put focus on quality.
I am not sure I understood what you think about external links?
Hi Daniel,
Thank you for thoroughly explaining backlinks. I’ve had my website for a long time but never really had a good understanding of what backlinks were and how to build them. Now I have a plan to make it happen, thanks to you!
What tool do you use to check for backlinks to your site? Is there a particular one you would recommend and do you have a tutorial on how to use it?
You’re welcome, Kris! I am currently using the Ahrefs tool which is great not only for backlinks but generally for SEO. I will write in the future about some free tools you can use for this purpose.
I really appreciate your post about backlinks, I always wanted to understand how backlinks work and what are they.
So if I am directing a visitor to a link outside my website, I should DOFOLLOW, right?
I didn’t understand this part properly.
Thanks for your blog I had some good information for backlinks
Thanks, man, I appreciate your comment!
Yes, if you point a visitor outside your website it is called an external link and it is automatically set as dofollow link so you don’t need to take any action about it.