The basics of backlink building

A backlink is a citation from a website directing users and search engines to your online content. Search engines perceive backlinks as a seal of approval for your content from those publishers. That’s why the most popular websites have thousands to millions of backlinks. They also have a healthy mix of backlinks, some created intentionally via link building and others generated naturally. 

Here’s a detailed guide on the basics of backlink building and why it’s essential for your website’s search engine optimization (SEO) strategy. It will also explain the different types of backlinks and how to build them effectively.

Understanding Backlinks

Backlinks have always been and remain crucial to your website’s visibility and SEO ranking. The easiest way to understand backlinks is to think of them as virtual recommendations or endorsements from one website to another.

You can also compare backlinks to scholars referencing your studies, findings, or data in their academic publications. When an established institution cites your publications to support their research, it gives your work credibility and recognition. 

Similarly, backlinks from reputable websites to your content give search engines and internet users the impression that you’re a reliable information source.

Why Are Backlinks Essential for SEO?

Search engines use backlinks as one of the key factors when determining a website’s authority and relevance to a particular topic or keyword. The more quality backlinks you have, the higher search engines will rank your website in their results pages.

Moreover, when a user on a popular site clicks on a backlink pointing to your site, it redirects them to your content, increasing your traffic. Since the content was good enough for a popular site to link to it, users are likely to stay, increasing your new visitors and retention rate.

Ultimately,  the number and quality of backlinks increase your domain authority, making your website more attractive to search engines and improving its overall SEO.

If you need a refresher on the importance of SEO, here’s a resource for you: “Why Is SEO Important for Your Website?“

Nuances in Link Building

Backlinks are different in various ways, and every backlink carries a different weight and value. Some backlinks can positively contribute to your SEO efforts, while others may have little to no impact. In fact, some backlinks can adversely affect your website’s ranking.

Here are some nuances of backlinks that you should know about:

1. Natural or Organic Backlinks

Natural or organic backlinks are considered the best type of backlinks for SEO. These are links you get from other websites because they like your content, not because you requested it. Organic backlinks often come from sources like: 

• Blog posts.
• News articles.
• Press releases and content distribution.
• Social media shares.
• Forums.
• Directories.

For example, most websites or blogs centering on biochemical sciences often cite data and studies published by National Center for Biotechnology Information entities like PubMed. 

Therefore, the National Center for Biotechnology Information has thousands or tens of thousands of backlinks from other publishers within the niche. 

Most of those links are unsolicited, meaning the National Center for Biotechnology Information did not pay or ask for these backlinks. Therefore, search engines are inclined to believe that the backlinks are genuine and authoritative.

2. Do-Follow vs. No-Follow Backlinks 

Do-follow backlinks have the “authority” to influence your website’s search engine rankings. They pass on link juice, essentially a vote of confidence from one website to another. The more do-follow backlinks you have, the better your chances of higher search rankings.

In contrast, no-follow backlinks tell search engines that the publisher doesn’t intend to pass their SEO juices to your website. This backlink implies that the publisher isn’t endorsing the content but only allowing readers to verify the arguments. 

For example, a scientific blog explaining why they disagree with a certain post by another publisher may include a no-follow backlink to that post, giving readers the option to assess both arguments.

So, we can argue that no-follow links are user-centric; publishers want users, not search engines, to follow them. These types of links are often used for paid advertisements, sponsored posts, and comments on blogs or forums. 

While no-follow backlinks generally don’t directly impact your SEO, they might bring people to your website for good or bad reasons. If your content is factually accurate and useful, these backlinks will boost your brand awareness and domain authority in the long run. 

Moreover, they balance out your link profile, making it seem more organic and authoritative. For more context, read “Do-follow vs. No-Follow-links.”

3. Manually Built vs. Self-Created Backlinks 

Manually built backlinks are acquired through outreach, guest blogging, and other manual efforts. These backlinks tend to have a higher value since they’re harder to obtain and often come from authoritative sources.

On the other hand, self-created backlinks are those you can create yourself through platforms like social media, forums, directories, and Web 2.0 sites. While these backlinks may not have as much value as manually built ones, they still attract extra clicks and enhance your link profile. 

4. High-Quality vs. Low-Quality Backlinks

High-quality backlinks come from authoritative, reputable sources posting relevant content with a high domain authority (DA). Search engines perceive such sources as trustworthy and will give more weight to their backlinks. 

In contrast, low-quality backlinks come from sources with little relevance or authority. These types of backlinks may include spam comments, link exchanges, and paid links. 

They can harm your website’s SEO by making it seem less credible and potentially resulting in search engine penalties. But not all low-quality backlinks are harmful. 

For example, what if a few new blogs within your niche keep linking to your content? If the new blogs post good content and enjoy many social media shares, search engines will understand that your content is attractive to newcomers in your industry.

White-Hat Link-Building Strategies

When building backlinks manually, you can either do it the right way or the wrong way. The right way is known as “white-hat” link building, which involves following ethical and legitimate tactics to acquire backlinks. 

Benefits of White-Hat Link Building

There are several benefits of using white-hat link-building strategies. Some of the key advantages include:

• Long-term Results: White-hat link-building focuses on creating sustainable quality backlinks that have a long-lasting impact on your website’s SEO. It’s time-intensive but results in long-term benefits for your website’s ranking.
• Higher-Quality Backlinks: Following ethical tactics to acquire backlinks will likely attract high-quality and relevant websites to link to yours. It improves your website’s credibility and also drives quality traffic to your site.
• Better Brand Reputation: White-hat link-building involves engaging with other websites organically and genuinely. As a result, it helps improve your brand reputation.
• Improved User Experience: Creating valuable content and obtaining backlinks from relevant websites can also enhance the user experience on your website. 

White-Hat Link-Building Strategies

Now, let’s explore some practical strategies you can implement:  

1. Creating Linkable Content

The most linkable content on the internet is primary data generated specifically for studies, surveys, and statistics. People love data because it provides factual evidence to support their content. Other types of linkable content include:

• List Posts: These are easy-to-read articles listing several items in a specific category or niche.
• Infographics: Visual representations of information can be highly shareable and attract backlinks from relevant websites. 
• Videos: Creating engaging and informative videos can also help attract backlinks from websites that embed your video content.

2. Guest Blogging

This link-building strategy involves publishing articles on third-party websites. You do the writing for them, and they agree to post the content on their site with a link pointing to your site. 

It helps with link-building and also exposes your content to new audiences, establishing you as an industry expert.

3. Responding to Journalists’ Queries

Journalists often look for quotes and information from experts in specific industries. Platforms like Connectively, previously HARO (Help a Reporter Out,) connect journalists with sources. 

So, you can use this opportunity to provide valuable insights and get backlinks from reputable news websites.

4. Building Relationships with Influencers

Networking with influencers in your industry can benefit both parties. You may receive backlinks from their websites or social media pages, but you’ll need to network with them and offer them value.

5. Broken Link-Building

With this tactic, you’ll need to find broken links on relevant websites. Broken links are detrimental to any website, so contacting a publisher and informing them of broken links is doing them a favor. 

You’ll likely enjoy cooperation whenever you suggest replacing the broken link with valuable, interesting content you have already created so the publisher doesn’t have to.

6. Collaborating with Other Publishers

Consider partnering with complementary websites, that relate with your content in a non-competitive way. It will bring you guest blogging opportunities, and you can also do joint webinars or events, and cross-promotion. 

These collaborations can result in high-quality backlinks from reputable sources.

7. Utilizing Internal Linking

Internal linking is a strategy that helps with navigation, improves user experience, and distributes link equity throughout your website, boosting the SEO for all pages.

Avoid All Types Black-Hat Link Building

Black-hat tactics are unethical and manipulative strategies that go against SEO best practices. Search engines penalize or ban publishers engaging in black-hat link building. 

Common Black-Hat Tactics

• Buying backlinks from low-quality or spammy websites.
• Using automated programs to create backlinks.
• Participating in link schemes or excessive reciprocal linking.
• Creating hidden links or using irrelevant anchor texts. 
• Building private blog networks to exchange links among each other.

The Consequences of Black-Hat Link Building

Search engines are good at catching unscrupulous link-building strategies and keep improving their algorithms. So, using black-hat SEO will significantly drop your search rankings, cause a loss of organic traffic, and may potentially lead to legal action.

Always Balance Your Link-Building Strategy

It helps to strike the right balance between quality and quantity for a successful link-building strategy. Focusing solely on getting as many backlinks as possible without considering their quality can harm your website’s SEO. Instead, aim to obtain backlinks from diverse and relevant sources. The best way to boost your domain keyword authority is by working with established SEO agencies like Adopt the Web. Contact us today.