What are backlinks?
SEO: It doesn’t stop with being a keyword genius and writing high-quality content. Backlinks also play an important role in your showing up in search engines. Backlinks are simply links from one website to another.
But know that all backlinks are not created equal
Pages with high numbers of links tend to have high organic-search rankings. Backlinks play a key role in developing your site’s Google authority—but not all links are created equal.
The quality of those backlinks will affect your Google authority
There’s a big difference between a link from your colleague’s dated website and a link from your bylined story that was published in the New York Times. The Times article clearly has more Google authority, and this is what we all should be striving for.
This increased authority can mean higher rankings on search engine results pages (SERPS), which means more visibility and more organic traffic. Keep in mind that the wrong type of link can harm, rather than help, your ranking.
A backlink strategy approach should:
- Be editorially earned
- Come from topically relevant, authoritative websites
- Not have been paid for or sponsored
How to create backlinks step by step
- Resource link building. Think about where your business can add value to your audience—universities, local government, travel and tourist agencies. Look for a niche where you might be a local adviser or resource. Reach out and build a relationship. Then you need to create a resource page so you can earn quality backlinks from relevant authorities—a page that they can link to.
- If you sell other people’s products, this is an excellent opportunity to earn authoritative links to your site. Pull together a list of all of your suppliers and their websites and work through them one-by-one to look for a page that lists their distributors.
- Business associations. If you belong to an industry association or service organization, this is a good way to get a backlink to your site in their membership directory. Think Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, etc.
- Press release distribution across a wide range of channels. If picked up, it’s your name in the byline.
- HARO. Helping out journalists. I’ve used this one before. HARO is all about journalists who may need more in-depth information for a story, and they’re on a deadline. If you can provide that information, you’re a hero, you’ve just made a friend and built a backlink.
- Get more mileage out of testimonials. When your clients ask you for testimonials, ask them to include a link back to your website.
While this isn’t specific to link-building, it is all about SEO
You really can’t do anything that’s more impactful than getting reviews on your Google Business Profile. Google is making this so easy. You can access this from Google Maps and other apps. If your clients have left reviews on Yelp, send them that review and a link to your GBP so that all they have to do is click on the link and paste it in. Just do it.