{"id":2408,"date":"2017-06-05T10:39:17","date_gmt":"2017-06-05T14:39:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/solutio-inc.com\/?p=2408"},"modified":"2019-11-14T14:18:45","modified_gmt":"2019-11-14T19:18:45","slug":"what-are-backlinks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/solutio-inc.com\/what-are-backlinks\/","title":{"rendered":"What Are Backlinks?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hitting the Links<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Without links, there would be no web. Every website is interconnected to other sites by way of hyperlinks. Links are the glue that holds the internet together. So what are backlinks? Are they:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The back nine holes on a golf links?<\/li>\n
  2. The clasps at the neckline on the backs of \u00a0dresses?<\/li>\n
  3. The links on an external website that link to yours?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    It\u2019s important that you know what a backlink is and what it can do for your business. You can improve SEO through backlinks if you know how they work and take the time to cultivate quality backlinks. Take a shortcut, and your website could be penalized.<\/p>\n

    With stakes potentially that high, you need to take the time to learn all you can about link building. The process can be time consuming and costly, but because link building improves SEO it will be worth the effort to do it correctly. Just don\u2019t expect overnight success.<\/p>\n

    Why Backlinks Matter<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Backlinks can help boost your ranking on SEO. They can also backfire. Basically, a backlink is a referral. You know how referrals work in brick-and-mortar shops and businesses. A satisfied customer recommends your business to a friend. Now you have a new customer. Likewise, referrals from reputable websites will improve SEO through backlinks.<\/p>\n

    On the web, a backlink sends you visitors, and if you can convert your visitor to a paying customer, you grow your business. The value of a backlink is based on the reputation or authority of the source. There is little to no value in a backlink from a questionable website. So how do you go about garnering those golden referrals?<\/p>\n

    The Old-Fashioned Way<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Of course there are shortcuts to building backlinks; there are plenty of ways to cheat. However, Google has caught on to dishonest backlink generation techniques, and they punish those caught using them. Just because you\u2019re conducting business online using the latest technology doesn\u2019t mean you can throw old-fashioned ethics out with yesterday\u2019s electronics.<\/p>\n

    A Tale of Two Outcomes: Quantity vs. Quality<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Bad Company<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

    Your parents used to warn you about paying attention to the company you keep. Hang out with the wrong person and you can end up in trouble by association. It isn\u2019t always fair, but we do judge people and businesses by the company they keep.<\/p>\n

    Remember those high school and college students who tried to buy their grades? Instead of writing a paper themselves, they bought one from a paper mill or paid a friend to write it for them. Those folks use the same strategy in trying to game the SEO ranking system. They rely on bogus website mills to buy backlinks. In this case, more is definitely not better.<\/p>\n

    SEO ranking also takes into account your \u201cneighborhood.\u201d With the proliferation of the dark web, gambling sites, pornography, and phishing scams, you need to be vigilant about the sites to which you are linked. That also includes link exchange networks, which are often nothing more than a scam.<\/p>\n

    Worth Their Weight in Gold<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    When it comes to backlinks, quantity never outranks quality. \u201cNatural\u201d backlinks are the gold standard. External websites create links to your site because you offer great content that is relevant to them. They found you and they know their website visitors will appreciate your content. When this external website has a sterling reputation, they transfer their luster to you.<\/p>\n

    Don\u2019t expect to cultivate dozens of natural backlinks quickly. The newest algorithms that are used to calculate SEO rankings will uncover an accumulation of backlinks that looks too good to be true and will penalize your website. Natural backlinks are earned over time, not overnight. The old adage of \u201cslow and steady wins the race\u201d applies to link building.<\/p>\n

    Improving Your SEO One Link at a Time<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Now that you know how valuable the right backlink can be and how detrimental the wrong ones are, how do you go about encouraging other sites to create a link to your site? Let\u2019s start with the basics.<\/p>\n

    According to Nathan Gotch<\/a>, you need a three-pronged approach to improve SEO through backlinks. They are:<\/p>\n