Are your backlinks holding you back?
approx 6 minute read
Do you need Backlinks for SEO?
If you’ve ever dabbled in the world of SEO, you’ve probably come across the term ‘backlinks’.
For many business owners and marketers, it’s a word that evokes mixed emotions. Much like the phrase ‘corporate team-building’.
But unlike awkward trust falls, backlinks are actually something worth getting excited about.
In fact, a well-maintained backlink profile can be the difference between your website being hidden away in the dusty corners of the internet or strutting its stuff on page one of Google.
Do you need backlinks for SEO? Absolutely!
So, let’s set the record straight and explore why backlinks, and SEO in general, should be on your radar.
Why do backlinks have such a bad rep?
If you’ve heard murmurings about backlinks being bad for business, it’s likely because of their shady past.
In the early days of SEO, the more backlinks you had, the better your site ranked.
This led to all sorts of dodgy tactics: Buying links in bulk, link farms (no, not where happy little links graze peacefully), and other trickery to manufacture links and inflate rankings artificially.
Unsurprisingly, Google and its search engine pals wised up to these antics and started penalizing websites with dodgy backlink profiles.
This gave backlinks a bad name, even though the real issue was the authenticity of them, not backlinks in general.
Why backlinks are still important
Despite their slightly tarnished reputation, backlinks remain one of the most powerful tools in your SEO arsenal. Here’s why:
- Authority and Trustworthiness
High-quality backlinks from authoritative sites are like receiving an honorable seal of approval. They signal to search engines that your site is trustworthy, boosting your domain authority. Imagine having David Attenborough endorse your wildlife documentary – instant credibility! - Improved Search Rankings
Search engines use backlinks to understand the relevance and importance of your site. A strong backlink profile can propel your site higher up the search results. Once your site is technically sound, it really can prove to be the difference maker. - Driving Referral Traffic
Shock news: Not all traffic needs to come from search engines. A good backlink can bring visitors directly from the referring site, especially if it’s relevant and has a loyal following. - Boosting Indexing
Backlinks help search engine bots find your site and index your pages more efficiently. This means your content is more likely to appear in search results quickly and comprehensively.
A well-balanced backlink profile
Quality over quantity. Yes, yes. Yawn.
But it’s not just about getting as many backlinks as possible.
The goal is to achieve a healthy, balanced backlink profile.
Think of it like a well-rounded diet; you need the right mix of nutrients to keep your site healthy and thriving.
A variety of natural signals
A balanced backlink profile includes a variety of natural attributes:
- Diverse Sources:
Links from a wide range of reputable websites, not just one or two domains, but the perfect blend. - Natural Anchor Text:
A mix of branded, keyword-rich, and generic anchor texts that look organic and not over-optimized. - Relevance:
Links from sites relevant to your industry or niche, reinforcing your site’s context and authority. - Authority:
How credible are the sites linking TO you? What is their ‘word’ worth to the search engines?
Trust and Citation Flow
To get a handle on your backlink profile, it’s helpful to use SEO tools like Majestic, which offer insights through metrics like Trust Flow and Citation Flow.
Trust Flow
Trust Flow measures the quality and trustworthiness of a site based on its backlinks.
High TF indicates that your site is receiving links from other trustworthy, reputable sites.
Citation Flow
Citation Flow reflects the number of backlinks pointing to your site. It’s like a popularity contest, but without considering whether the attention you’re getting is good or bad.
A good TF/CF ratio means your site is not only popular but also respected.
If your CF is high but TF is low, it could be a sign that you’re attracting lots of low-quality links. A bit like being famous for all the wrong reasons!
Although ideally, you’ll want both of these scores to be about the same.
Beware spammy or toxic backlinks
Not all backlinks are good news.
Some can be downright detrimental.
These are links from spammy, low-quality, or irrelevant sites or bots, that can harm your SEO rather than help it.
If you’ve got a few of these lurking in your backlink profile, you might need to take action to clean them up.
Tools like Google’s Disavow Tool can help you tell Google to ignore these harmful links.
But a word of caution: disavowing links can be risky business.
If you’re not careful, you could end up doing more harm than good.
If you’re unsure, it’s worth hiring an SEO expert (like us) to handle this for you.
How to build a stellar backlink profile (without breaking any rules)
#1 Create high-quality content
This one’s non-negotiable. If you want people to link to your site, give them something worth linking to. Create valuable, informative, or entertaining content that answers questions, solves problems, or simply makes people smile.
#2 Reach out to industry influencers
Got a great article or resource? Don’t be shy! Reach out to influencers, bloggers, or industry experts who might be interested. If they like what they see, they might share it with their followers.
#3 Monitor and manage your backlinks
Use tools like Google Search Console, Moz, or Ahrefs to keep an eye on who’s linking to you. If you spot any suspicious or low-quality links, take action to remove or disavow them. It’s like weeding your garden—get rid of the bad stuff to let the good links flourish.
#4 Ask Nettl for help
We can analyze your existing backlink profile and spell out exactly what steps you need to take to build the perfect one. Ask us about a FREE Pre-Site Audit.
SEO: Way more than just backlinks
While backlinks are a big piece of the SEO puzzle, they’re not the only one.
You’ll also need to think about on-page SEO (like using the right keywords and ensuring your site is technically sound), content strategy, and user experience.
In fact, unless your on-site SEO is sound, giving TLC to your backlink profile is unlikely to move the needle at all.
Besides, what’s the point of bringing people to your site if it’s a hot mess once they get there anyway?
Next level SEO
So, if you’re ready to take your website’s visibility to the next level, it’s time to embrace backlinks as the misunderstood heroes they are.
Just remember, no shortcuts, no shenanigans, and always choose quality over quantity.
This is serious business for brands serious about their SEO.
Your website (and your business) will thank you for it!
It’s simple to get started. And costs nothing. Just request a FREE Pre-Site Audit today from your local Nettl partner.
