Are backlinks still important in SEO?
Yes, backlinks are still important, but they way they help your site’s ranking in search has changed.
This blog will reveal why backlinks are still important, and how you can still use them to improve your ranking.
Firstly, lets start with “what is a backlink?” and also “what is SEO?”.
Backlinks, also known as ‘inbound links’ are links from one website to your own. When your website has inbound links from other websites, it can be seen as a vote of confidence, making your site seem more trustworthy and legitimate.
While backlinking’s importance to Google has diminished over the years, creating natural links through quality content, is still important for your SEO.
‘SEO’ stands for Search Engine Optimisation, which is the process of improving your website to increase its visibility in Google, and other search engines whenever people search for your industry, service or the products you may be selling.
Originally large amounts of backlinks, was considered a crucial factor in your site’s ranking in searches. As time goes on Google has shifted focus from looking at the number of backlinks, to the quality.
Here are some things we’ve learnt about backlinks:
- Not all backlinks are the same! Some links have more authority than others when it comes to Google search rankings. Websites that are government run or are educational often have a higher authority, than those like personal blogs or chat forums.
- Irrelevant or spammy backlinks are not the way to go. You don’t want traffic coming to your website that isn’t creating conversions, especially if people are coming to your website for something completely different.
- Building connections with other high-quality websites can help drive more traffic to your site through collaboration. We are always better when we work together. This also has the ability to create a community with others within your industry.
Tips you can use to optimise backlinks:
We understand how important it is to have strong online presence. That’s why we want to share some tips with you in regards to backlinking.
Quality Content
- Ensure you have quality content on your website. More often than not we have people come to us with poorly setup websites, with some very questionable content. A lot of people who have gone for the cheapest option, end up paying for us to redo it all for them. Your content needs to be well thought out, and structured in a way that appeals to your clientele, as well as Google and other search engines.
Internal Linking
- Internal linking is when you create links from one page on your website to another. Say if you’re a roofing company and you have a Colorbond roofing page, and you also provide a Colorbond roofing colour visualisation tool for your clients. On your ‘Colorbond Roofing’ pages you could write a paragraph about how many different Colorbond colours you offer, and how you have the visualisation tool to help people decide which colour they want. The tool requires it’s own page, so you link part of the relating text to the ‘Colorbond Colour Visualisation Tool’ page. Now you’ve created an internal link!
Conclusion
Yes backlinks are still important, however the way in which they are important is what has changed. Search results will now be based off the quality of backlinks, rather than just quantity. We hope the tips and tricks provided help you on your journey to improving your online presence.
If you want to discuss anything about backlinks or other SEO activities to help grow your online presence, get in touch. Call 1300 206 444 today for a chat. Alternatively, complete our contact form and we’ll be in touch shortly
