Well, here we go again with the experts debating the importance of backlinks. One side will say they’re worthless in today’s SEO while the others will say that they’re as valuable as water to ta fish. The truth be told, it’s ‘how’ the backlinks are acquired, not how many links and from whom.
Let’s explain all this.
In the old days of SEO the more backlinks you had the more important you appeared to the search engines. That practice was abused so much that it literally became associated with ‘Black Hat‘ SEO techniques which will get you banned nowadays. Next came the link farms where people would set up banner farms and interlinking networks that just got so confusing that not even Einstein could figure out. Again that techniques got banned. Google started up with their new algorithms and self learning software like Rank Brain which is one of hundreds of tools that Google uses. Just imagine it, a piece of software that learns on a fundamental basis what to do regarding your webpages. Webpages, not websites because Google doesn’t rank websites, only webpages which is why every page on your site needs to be optimized.
So now we have what doesn’t work and now we have what does. Where do backlinks come in? Here’s the deal: diversity. Meaning that your backlinks have to come in from a variety of sources that indicate constant interest in your site and this comes from social media and other ‘living’ link sources. When people on Facebook get wind of a piece of content that you’ve created via social media, you’ll get that backlink from someone’s post and then when that post is shared, another and another etc. etc. shows that people are interested in your site. This is targeted organic traffic which is the best kind of traffic to get. When these people come to your site you have to usher them in to where the good stuff is. Once you’ve got them there you’ve got to turn them into customers and repeat visitors. That’s all there is to it. What about authority links? What good is an authority if no one is clicking it? That authority link from a big shot authority website is only as good as what the surfer makes of it. You want that authority link that comes from the authority site praising your content and sharing it with their surfers who see it and click through to yours. Much like if the big shot shoe sales website finds an article you’ve written that really has some punch to it. They post the link on their Facebook page and website. Now you’ve not only gotten a backlink, but you’ve got a reason ‘why’ you deserved such a spot. Fans of the authority site will see this and know you’re a company to be trusted and will by what you have to offer.
So it’s not an issue of whether backlinks are important, it’s an issue of a high quality, optimized backlink that saves the day.
So what’s the next step? Analyze your website for optimization errors. If everything is ship shape then move onto the creative content that mentions a variety of elements like authority sites and premium products and services, interesting sites that are relevant to yours, engage them with courtesy and get them to add a backlink with some text or highlight your link in an article. Sometimes you’ll have to beg and borrow but with some good old fashioned salesmanship you should be able to get through.
The road may not be easy, but it will be profitable. SEO and backlinks are a team tied together and it will take some sweat to get the job done.
Image credit: Local SEO Tampa Company
