If you've looked into search engine optimization (SEO), you've probably heard of link building and the importance of having quality backlinks. After all, backlinks are often considered among the most powerful tools for enhancing your website's ranking and visibility to potential customers.
For small and medium business owners, understanding how backlinks work and how to use them effectively is a must, even if you're not the one developing and implementing your SEO strategies. This article will discuss these and help you understand the quality versus quantity debate when building backlinks.
Backlinks and why they matter
In simple terms, backlinks are links from other websites to yours, which is why they're also called "inbound links." You can think of them as seals of approval indicating that other sites trust your content or consider it high-quality. For search engines like Google, backlinks signal that your content is relevant and valuable.
Because search engines want to deliver the best results to users, they prioritize reliable websites by ranking them highly on the search engine results page (SERP). The higher your website's ranking, the more visible it is to users, which could translate to enhanced traffic and more people finding your products and services.
Quality versus quantity in link building
SEO linking strategies used to focus on quantity. This was in the early days of the Internet when having hundreds or thousands of backlinks—regardless of their source—was the best way to dominate the SERPs.
Today, such a tactic is ineffective and may even be counterproductive. Google's algorithm updates have since prioritized quality over quantity. Linking with spammy websites can result in penalties, lower search rankings, and even the removal of your site from the search results.
A single backlink with a highly respected, authoritative website is worth more than several from low-quality sources. Here are some telltale signs of a high-quality backlink:
It connects to a website whose content is related to your business or industry.
It's positioned naturally within meaningful content, such as an informative article or blog post.
It connects to a website with a high domain or page authority.
It's attached to a relevant and descriptive anchor text. For instance, if you're talking about electrical tools, a suitable anchor text would say "best affordable long nose pliers" instead of "click here."
Regularly conducting a backlink audit can help you differentiate between high- and low-quality backlinks. If you find any harmful links during the audit, disavow them or request their removal to ensure your backlink profile remains aligned with Google's guidelines.
Building a strong backlink profile
Even though quality is now more important than ever, quantity still matters. A handful of quality backlinks is good, but having more can only benefit your website. Here's how you can increase your links and build a solid backlink profile:
Create well-made, shareable content
Content is the cornerstone of any effective link-building strategy. Other websites consider informative, engaging, and entertaining content to be of high value, making them more likely to link to it.
However, always remember who you're posting for. If you create content solely to build backlinks or appeal to search engines, you might end up with something that sounds unnatural and might turn off your audience. Make content that addresses your target audience's needs, and you'll be more likely to attract quality backlinks naturally.
Network within your industry
Building relationships with other people, websites, and bloggers within your niche or industry can open opportunities for link building. For example, you can be a guest blogger, wherein you write content for other websites in exchange for a backlink to your site.
Leverage local SEO
Local SEO can have powerful benefits for small and medium businesses like yours, as your customers are usually within your immediate area. Reach out to local directories, newspapers, community bloggers, and websites to secure backlinks that boost your online presence in your immediate area.
Conduct regular backlink audits
Regularly conducting an SEO audit, which often includes a backlink audit, ensures that your backlink profile remains strong and free of harmful links. This helps protect you from penalties that can adversely affect your search rankings.
Backlinks remain a crucial factor in increasing your website's visibility in search results and establishing your online presence. They might seem overwhelming, but as long as you focus on building quality links through valuable content and meaningful industry connections, you're likely to see positive results before long.
If you want to see great returns on your SEO strategies while having the time to run your business, consider hiring a professional SEO agency. SEO companies have experts who can manage all aspects of optimizing your website, from SEO audits to link building to monitoring performance. This gives you enough bandwidth to serve customers and focus on growing your brand.
Partner with a reputable SEO agency today and make your website more visible to your target customers.
