Despite being a vital part of SEO, backlinks often need to be understood by marketers. For example, many people think a high-quality backlink must be “Do-follow,” — but this is untrue. Instead, the best backlinks combine various factors that make them seem natural. What are these characteristics?
Relevance
Backlink relevance is a crucial factor that search engines consider when evaluating a backlink. When a backlink is relevant, the link is directed to a page closely related to the topic of the referring domain. It helps pass authority and credibility to the website it is linked to. In addition to the domain and page relevancy of a backlink, evaluating how contextually relevant it is also essential. For example, if your fitness club is featured in an article on marathon training, this backlink would be highly relevant to your site.
However, if your SEO backlink is located in an author byline or footer on a business news website, then this backlink would be less relevant and potentially negatively impact your SEO. It’s important to avoid using low-quality backlinks such as spam comments, site-wide footer links, or unnaturally optimized anchor text. If these backlinks are overused, they may result in a Google penalty and damage your overall backlink profile.
Authority
Backlinks are among the most critical factors in determining your search engine ranking. They function like a vote of confidence from another website to your own. As a result, they need to be high quality, which means a few things. For example, backlinks must be from authority websites or pages. They must also be pertinent to your industry and your subject. Lastly, they must be natural. This last point is crucial because not all backlinks are created equal. For example, marketing content promoting a specific brand or product can be low-quality and hurt your site if overdone.
The way an SEO backlink impact search engine rankings has evolved. Previously, having many links was enough to rank a page highly on Google SERPs. However, updates by Google (generally referred to as the Penguin Update) have changed this. Google is now much more focused on the quality of a link rather than its quantity. It is why you’ll need help from the best quality backlink service.
Trust
Unlike when a ton of links pointing to a page was enough to rank, Google now emphasizes the quality of backlinks. A high-quality backlink should be from a reputable website relevant to your topic and contain keywords in the anchor text. It should also be free of spammy elements. A quality SEO backlink will also make sense within the context of the page.
It demonstrates to search engines that the link was earned and not purchased. It also shows that the referring site values its readers and is not simply trying to maximize profits. Lastly, a quality backlink should not contain any hidden links. Whether obscured by text and background colors or hidden in punctuation marks, this strategy looks spammy to Google and could hurt your rankings.
Power
Although not equally valuable, backlinks are one of the most significant ranking signals for keyword searches. For example, a backlink from a reputable source in your industry will be more powerful than one from an unrelated site. It is also essential that a backlink be natural in the way it is placed on the referring domain. It means no spammy links (such as those appearing in blog comments or footers) or ones wreak of manipulation, like paid links, press release link syndication, or links on a private blog network.
The backlink must also go to a page on your website pertinent to the referring domain and the search phrase. It helps to pass authority and trust to the incoming web page. Using keywords in the anchor text is also helpful for this reason. Often, a good backlink will have the referring domain’s name in the anchor text to signal relevance.
