Backlinks have been in the spotlight for a few years now because they are a key SEO component to improve the ranking of a website on Google and other search engines.
If you clicked on this article, you’re probably looking for a clear answer on what are backlinks. We’ll give you that and also reveal to you how to get quality links in this simple SEO guide for beginners. Let’s get straight into it.
What Are Backlinks?
A link that is placed on a page of a website A that points to a page of a website B is called a backlink. Under certain conditions, a backlink transfers its authority from that source website to the destination website.
Backlinks bring credibility to your pages. As a result, their visibility increases, which in turn boosts their SEO metrics such as:
- Click-through rate
- Organic traffic
- Domain authority
- Number of conversions
- And much more
You’ve probably heard about the importance of good content in online marketing. But backlinks are the ones that often push content that stagnates on the second or third page of Google to the infamous first page of search results.
Why are backlinks important?
The purpose of search engines is to offer the best results to users. Thus, when their robots browse the thousands of websites that match the user’s query, they rank the most relevant and popular websites in the highest positions.
The quality and the number of backlinks that your site is receiving contribute directly to reaching those high rankings. That’s because Google’s PageRank algorithm is rewarding pages that have been repeatedly linked to by high authority websites.
Google takes backlinks as a signal that you are indeed the most popular and the most relevant business in your niche, and more people need to see your content.
What is a quality backlink?
Having inbound links to your site is seen by Google as a token of trust, but not all links have the same value in its eyes.
Now that you’re familiar with the term, here are a few indicators of quality links that you need to look for when you want to buy backlinks and reach the first page of Google’s search results.
Age of the Domain
The older a domain is, the more established it is. It is therefore likely that this site has a consistent backlink profile and therefore more weight and authority.
Domain authority
Link juice is the SEO term that refers to the authority gain that a website receives from a backlink. The more authority the source website has, the more juicy the backlink will be, and the more authority will get transferred to you.
Trust Flow
A link from a high authority site is important, but it is even more important that this site is considered relevant and trustworthy. The trustworthiness of a domain is determined by a metric called Trust Flow.
DoFollow Links
Only “DoFollow” links will be directly taken into account by Google and will be of benefit to your rankings. Unlike “NoFollow” links, they tell the crawlers that they can follow a given page.
Types of Links
There are different types of backlinks, and each of them has a different power. The best is obviously to play around with several types of backlinks, but do keep in mind that you should prioritize some over others and strategize the ratio accordingly.
Location of the Link
Small details often have a big impact on SEO and this is exactly the case for the position of the link within the HTML page. For example, Guest Posts will mention your website on their blog pages, whereas PBNs will put you on their homepage.
Reputation of the seller
And lastly, it’s not just about the quality of the links, it’s how they are handled by their owners. Only buy backlinks from reputable sellers, as amateurs can get your site penalized by Google.
Quantity, Quality, and Diversity
Today, the number and quality of your backlinks are perceived by search engines as an essential ranking factor. It is not enough for a single domain of great authority to link to you, you need a number of them to prove to Google that the content you offer on your site is really worth it.
It is also important to diversify your links in order not to put all your eggs in the same basket. The wider the profile of incoming links to the same site will be, the better its chances of passing through all the algorithm evolutions positively.
So where to buy backlinks?
We’ve already mentioned the need to find a trusted seller. If you buy backlinks from just anyone, you’re at great risk of getting your site penalized by Google, as the search engine is on the lookout for low-quality, badly handled links. That is why although the number of search engine optimization experts is growing by the day, real experts are still scarce.
Saket Wahi: Link Building Expert and 7-figure PBN Seller
Saket Wahi is an SEO consultant with a decade-long experience that has specialized in link building. He’s the founder of Saket Wahi SEO, is a premium seller on Legiit, and is referred to as “the PBN guy” by the world’s most reputable SEO experts.
He not only owns the biggest, safest, and juiciest network of websites but is also known as a successful strategist as he advises his clients on the right backlink strategy to follow for their unique business.
Reach out to him if you’d like more guidance on backlinks, and make sure you check out his Youtube channel where he reveals SEO secrets and drops link-building knowledge bombs in easy-to-apply tutorials.