Discover the Most Important Backlink Facts for SEO Growth

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Backlinks are a crucial aspect of SEO, and understanding the most important backlink facts can help you grow your online presence. The quality of your backlinks can either make or break your website's credibility and search engine rankings.

Google's algorithm favors websites with high-quality backlinks from authoritative sources. This means that the more reputable the website linking back to you, the higher your site will rank.

A study found that websites with a high number of backlinks from authoritative sources tend to have a higher average search engine ranking. This is because these backlinks are seen as a vote of confidence from other reputable websites.

Quality is key when it comes to backlinks, and it's not just about the quantity. A single high-quality backlink from an authoritative source can be more valuable than a hundred low-quality backlinks from spammy websites.

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Link building is a crucial aspect of SEO, and here are some key statistics to keep in mind:

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SEO experts believe link building is one of the three most important SEO ranking factors.

Most marketers and SEO professionals believe link building is essential for SEO today and will continue to be in the future.

According to SEO professionals, 51% believe bloggers should include two to three internal links in a blog post.

A further 36% of SEOs say 3 to 5 internal links should be included in each post.

Here are the most common types of links that SEOs spend time on, in percentages:

Internal linking is also extremely important, and 52% of marketers believe that having brand mentions in the anchor text of a backlink impacts organic search rankings significantly.

Statistics

Link building is a crucial aspect of SEO, and the statistics are clear on its importance. Most marketers and SEO professionals believe link building is an essential part of SEO today and will continue to be in the future.

51% of SEOs believe bloggers should include two to three internal links in a blog post, while 36% say 3 to 5 internal links should be included in each post. This highlights the significance of internal linking in SEO strategies.

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The cost of link building can vary greatly, with high-power links costing between $310 to $500 per link. This is because high-power links with a domain rating of 50+ are extremely hard to acquire.

The average company that outsources link building completely spends 25% of its entire SEO budget on link building alone. This underscores the importance of link building in a marketing strategy.

Here's a breakdown of the cost of link building services:

69% of marketers said buying links from quality link building services positively impacted their rankings for very difficult keywords. This highlights the effectiveness of link building in achieving search engine rankings.

Drives Traffic

Having a strong backlink profile can drive significant traffic to your website, making it an essential aspect of online marketing. External websites linking to yours act as conduits, channeling their audience directly to your digital doorstep.

This dual stream of organic traffic—from search engines and referral traffic from other sites—enriches your site's visitor base. Referral traffic is often comprised of individuals already interested in your offerings, heightening the likelihood of conversions.

Used Strategies

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Content is still the best way to attract high-quality backlinks, with 90% of marketers using quality content as their core strategy for link building. Long-form content gets an average of 77.2% more links than shorter articles.

Creating quality content is crucial, with 3,000+ word articles receiving more backlinks on average than blog posts with less than 3,000 words. Consistently creating high-quality and valuable long-form content will help you bag more backlinks.

Here are some effective link building tactics that SEOs swear by:

These tactics can help you generate quality backlinks consistently, but remember that link building is an ongoing process that requires effort and dedication.

Used Strategies

Creating high-quality content is the best way to attract high-quality backlinks, with 90% of marketers using quality content as their core strategy for link building. Long-form content gets an average of 77.2% more links than shorter articles.

A recent study showed that quality content with 3,000+ words receives more backlinks on average than blog posts with less than 3,000 words. This is because long-form content provides more value to readers and establishes your authority in your niche.

Colorful business infographic highlighting strategy and information concepts.
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Other effective link building tactics include content marketing, guest posting, and link exchanges. These strategies are used by 12.5%, 11.7%, and 10.9% of SEOs, respectively.

Here are the top 3 most effective link building tactics:

Creating high-quality content that naturally attracts links is key to building a robust backlink profile. This includes creating informative, engaging, and relevant content that adds value to readers.

Guest blogging is another effective strategy that can help you build relationships with other website owners and increase your chances of getting high-quality backlinks.

Trend #2 – Unique Content with Original Research

Publishing original research is a game-changer for generating natural backlinks. This single post has attracted hundreds of powerful links from other sites.

Original research is as simple as writing content about how you conducted a test and your results. It's a great way to come up with ideas for doing your own original research.

Think about your own niche and look for questions that people are always asking. This can help you come up with ideas for doing your own original research.

Publishing original research can be as easy as writing about a test you conducted yourself. It's a great way to stand out in your industry.

Trend #4 – Target Small Niche Keywords

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Targeting small niche keywords is a game-changer for SEO. The industry has become increasingly competitive, making it harder to rank for high-traffic keywords.

Ranking for big keywords is getting tougher than ever. The first position in Google SERPs gets 3.8x more backlinks than all the other results on the page.

This means your goal should be to find niche keywords where you can rank your content in the first position. This will help you attract the backlinks you need to start targeting more competitive keywords.

Embracing link building is the way forward, especially with the current SEO landscape.

Respond to Journalist Requests with Haro

HARO is a free platform that connects journalists with sources, and it's a great way to start building links. You can sign up for a subscription and receive emails three times a day, Monday through Friday.

Look out for source requests that are relevant to your industry. Respond with a thorough email that includes answers to the journalist's questions, links to your relevant pages, and your contact information.

Credit: youtube.com, Replying to Journalist Requests (HARO, #Journorequest, etc) During COVID w/Dmitry Dragilev

HARO is a mutually beneficial way to build links, as journalists need legitimate quotes and sources. If you respond to requests and provide helpful information, you can gain authoritative backlinks and build your site's credibility.

Journalists across all niches use HARO, and by responding to their requests, you can get your content featured and earn a link.

Tools and Metrics

Google Search Console is the most popular tool for link building, used by 45.3% of SEOs. It's a free and user-friendly tool that allows site owners to monitor their site's presence in Google search results.

Domain Authority is the most popular link quality metric, used by 65% of marketers. It's a measure of a website's overall quality and authority.

Buzzstream is another popular link building tool, used by 14.8% of SEOs. It's known for its robust backlink section and ability to find new link opportunities.

The top 3 metrics marketers use to measure link quality are Domain Authority, Domain Rating, and Page Authority. These metrics help determine the quality and relevance of a link.

Credit: youtube.com, How to Evaluate Backlink Quality | Important Benchmarks You Need To Know

Google Search Console provides a Top Linking Sites report, which reveals the top 1,000 websites linking to yours, detailing the number of linking pages and target pages. This report is a valuable resource for understanding your backlink profile.

Here are the most popular link building and tracking tools, ranked by SEOs today:

These tools are essential for any link building strategy, and understanding their features and benefits can help you make informed decisions about your backlink profile.

Outsourcing to Qualified Services

Outsourcing to qualified link building services is a proven way to get quality backlinks without taking up all of your time. 36% of businesses hire outside expert agencies and freelancers to build more links.

It takes about one to three months for link building efforts to start actively showing their impact on rankings. 51% of marketers say this is the typical timeframe.

Buying links can have a positive impact on your Google rankings, but be aware that 69% of marketers believe this is the case.

Additional reading: Why Is Social Impact Important

Credit: youtube.com, 7 Attributes of High Quality Backlinks

Link types and attributes play a crucial role in determining the value and impact of backlinks on your website's search engine ranking.

Nofollow links, for instance, are a signal to Google that the site linking to you doesn't necessarily endorse you, but they can still pass on some SEO value and help improve your rankings overall.

Google treats all link attributes like a signal, not a rule, which means that nofollow links can still contribute to your website's authority and trustworthiness.

According to SEO professionals, 42% spend equal time on both internal and external links, while 34% focus on external links, and 24% on internal links.

Here are the key types of backlinks:

It's worth noting that 51% of SEOs believe bloggers should include two to three internal links in a blog post, while 36% say 3 to 5 internal links should be included.

Strategies

Creating high-quality content is the foundation of a solid backlink strategy, drawing natural backlinks from those who find your content valuable. According to a study, long-form content gets an average of 77.2% more links than shorter articles.

Credit: youtube.com, Are Backlinks Still Important for SEO?

Quality content with 3,000+ words receives more backlinks on average than blog posts with less than 3,000 words. This is because comprehensive content is more likely to be shared and linked to by others.

Guest posting is another effective link building tactic, with 11.7% of SEOs using it as part of their strategy. By writing guest posts for other websites in your industry, you can build relationships with other website owners and increase your chances of getting high-quality backlinks.

Here are the top 3 most effective link building tactics according to SEOs:

Broken link building is also a valuable strategy, where you identify broken links on other websites and offer to replace them with a working link to a similar article or resource on your site. This can help you build relationships with other website owners and increase your chances of earning backlinks.

By focusing on building high-quality relationships and creating content that naturally attracts links, you can acquire high-quality backlinks and improve your site's SEO performance over time.

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Link quality and relevance are crucial factors in determining the effectiveness of backlinks. A link from a high-authority site in your industry is more valuable than one from an unrelated site.

In fact, links from websites with content closely related to yours are more beneficial. For instance, a backlink from a digital marketing blog to a SaaS company is more valuable than one from an unrelated site like a sports news outlet.

A good backlink should come from a trusted source that has a meaningful relevance to your organization. This means that the linking site should have a robust backlink profile and extensive, high-quality content.

Here are some key characteristics of a high-quality backlink:

By focusing on link quality and relevance, you can build a strong foundation for your backlink strategy and improve your website's credibility and authority.

Nofollow links are more valuable than you think. Google treats all link attributes like a signal, not a rule. This means that just because someone adds a nofollow link to your site, it doesn't mean you don't benefit from it.

Credit: youtube.com, Everything You Need to Know About No-Follow Links

Nofollow links simply tell Google that the site that linked to you doesn't necessarily endorse you. This is a subtle distinction, but an important one. Google has the final say on whether the ranking credit is passed onto you anyway.

Google's update release makes it clear that nofollow links are treated as hints about which links to consider or exclude within Search. This means that nofollow links could still pass on some SEO value and help improve your rankings overall.

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Topical Relevance

Topical Relevance is a crucial aspect of link quality. It's essential to ensure that the context of a link makes sense to both users and search engines.

A link's relevance is determined by whether the content of the linking page relates to the link itself and the meta tags of the linking page. This means that links should be placed within content that is relevant to your website or page.

Credit: youtube.com, The Link Building Show: The Importance of Topical Relevancy When Building Links

For instance, a link from a digital marketing blog to a SaaS company is more valuable than one from an unrelated site like a sports news outlet. This is because the digital marketing blog has content that is closely related to the SaaS company.

Here are the key characteristics of a relevant link:

  • Contextual placement: Links should be placed within the body of the content rather than in footers or sidebars.
  • Relevance to content: The content of the linking page should relate to the link itself.
  • Meta tags: The meta tags of the linking page should also be relevant to the link.

Link value and SEO is a crucial aspect of online marketing, and it's essential to understand how links can impact your website's visibility and ranking. Google treats all link attributes like a signal, not a rule, meaning that nofollow links can still pass on some SEO value.

Nofollow links, which are marked with rel="nofollow", rel="sponsored", or rel="ugc", tell Google that the linking site doesn't necessarily endorse the target site. However, Google may still consider these links as a hint about which links to consider or exclude within Search.

The value of a backlink depends on its quality, relevance, and authority. Follow links from established and reputable websites, naturally placed within relevant content, and pointing to high-quality, functional pages are the most valuable. These links use relevant and natural anchor text and come from different websites, target pages, and anchor texts.

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Here are the key characteristics of valuable backlinks:

  • Follow links
  • Naturally placed within relevant content
  • Point to high-quality, functional pages
  • Come from established and reputable websites
  • Use relevant and natural anchor text

Bad backlinks, on the other hand, can harm your SEO. These include nofollow links, links from low-quality or irrelevant content, unestablished or spammy sites, and links that violate Google's link spam policies. Avoid building backlinks that can lead to a Google penalty or manual action.

Remember, a robust backlink profile is directly correlated with higher rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs). This improved visibility can significantly amplify your site's accessibility to potential customers, directly influencing traffic and engagement levels.

Common Mistakes and Best Practices

Building a strong backlink profile is crucial for SEO success, but it's easy to make mistakes that can harm your site's credibility. The most valuable backlinks are follow links that come from established and reputable websites.

To avoid penalties, it's essential to steer clear of buying backlinks, as this goes against search engine guidelines. Instead, focus on natural link-building methods like quality content creation and guest posting.

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Over-optimizing anchor text can also lead to penalties, so aim for a balanced mix of branded, generic, and partial-match keywords. A multitude of low-quality backlinks can detract from your site's credibility, so prioritize securing backlinks from authoritative, relevant sites within your niche.

A homogenous backlink profile, sourced from a few types or sources, can signal manipulative practices to search engines. To avoid this, aim for diversity in your backlink portfolio by tapping into various sources and types of links.

Here are some common mistakes to avoid:

Regular monitoring and updating of your backlinks ensure they contribute positively to your SEO efforts.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the 3 main features of a quality backlink?

A quality backlink has three main features: relevance, naturalness, and reputation. These elements ensure that a backlink is valuable and trustworthy, improving its effectiveness in search engine rankings.

Which backlink is most powerful?

Dofollow backlinks are the most powerful type of backlinks in SEO, as they directly impact a website's domain authority and search engine rankings

What are backlinks important?

Backlinks signal to search engines that your content is valuable, helping your website rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs). Earning quality backlinks is crucial for improving your website's online visibility and credibility.

Jeannie Larson

Senior Assigning Editor

Jeannie Larson is a seasoned Assigning Editor with a keen eye for compelling content. With a passion for storytelling, she has curated articles on a wide range of topics, from technology to lifestyle. Jeannie's expertise lies in assigning and editing articles that resonate with diverse audiences.

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