Backlink research is a comprehensive assessment of the quantity and quality of websites linking to a business domain or a particular content. This process provides data for analyzing a site’s performance and identifying issues that may damage its search engine ranking.
On a more specific approach, backlinks are seen as an indicator of the quality and authority of a website by search engines like Google. A website will rank higher in search engine result pages (SERPs) if it has more high-quality links from other reliable websites.
Now, let’s put those two together: performing backlink analysis enables us to discover possible links and new growth opportunities that we haven’t yet explored. A comprehensive backlink analysis provides useful performance data for a content and SEO strategy, and thorough backlink research and subsequent strategy can have a massive impact on a company’s overall SEO efforts.
This is exactly what we’ll discuss today but, before jumping right into the subject at hand, let’s start with a basic yet highly important question:
What are backlinks?
If you are not yet familiar with backlinks but have the feeling they are something you should know by now, we’ve got your back.
Backlinks are links that lead people to a blog or website directly from another website. These links may direct individuals to business services, websites, or specific content using either an anchor text (creating a link people can access through the click of a specific word or phrase) or an image (creating a link people can access when they click on an image). The point of creating them is to help peopleΒ identify similar and relevant content to what they are reading or looking through at the time. Backlinks can also be referred to as inbound links.
Backlinks are essential since Google’s search algorithm views them as a vote of confidence. For example, an individual is reading an educational blog and comes across a link to your website. They may click the link and be directed to your website if they decide the topic is relevant to their research or interests. Referral traffic like this has a favorable effect on a website’s online reputation.
How do backlinks work?
Search engines, like Google, use backlinks between websites as trust signals: if one website links to another, apparently unrelated, website then it shows they trust each other and know they are reputable. Search engines can also identify and index the content of websites with the aid of high-quality backlinks. Additionally, backlinks aid search engines in determining how knowledgeable and relevant a site is on the subject for which it ranks. Clearly, there is a lot that goes into backlinks and plenty of benefits once you know how to properly use them.
There are two types of backlinks: “do follow” links and “no follow” links. Β Unlike nofollow backlinks, dofollow backlinks pass authority from the referring, this is because a “no follow” link has no effect on search engine rankings. We use tools like Moz bar to find and remove no follow links.
Backlinks enable individuals to find relevant and complementary content. The backlink quality is crucial in producing the intended results. Your website’s authority score in Google’s ranking may decrease if you add a low-quality link to a website whose content isn’t relevant to yours. The more relevant backlinks a website has from authoritative websites, the better it will rank on SERPs.
Now that we are all on the same page and have a better understanding of what backlinks are,Β let’s return to the question that brought you here:
What is backlink research?
Backlink research involves analyzing all inbound links to determine how they will affect your search engine optimization. The backlink analysis process considers all relevant aspects of your backlinks, including their quantity, quality, anchor text, and other elements that can help your SEO.
In-depth backlink analysis helps us comprehend a website’s status and the factors influencing its ranking. Conducting a comprehensive analysis provides us with insight and data into competitors’ link profiles and procedures we can implement to surpass them.
Is backlink research necessary?
It’s 2022, by now every website owner should have a link-building and SEO strategy, no questions asked. Of course, it’s easier said than done, but here at Nomadic Advertising we consider these two factors to be crucial for the online success of most businesses, and a huge component of the success of those strategies is thorough backlink research.
Search engines like Google view these backlinks as an indicator of the quality and authority of your website. The more high-quality backlinks you have from other credible websites, the higher you rank on SERPs and generate organic traffic.
There are Backlink checker tools that will give a comprehensive insight into how valuable visitors find the information on a website.
What constitutes high-quality backlinks?
High-quality links come from websites with a high domain level that is well-trusted by both search engines and individuals. In order for your backlink strategy to succeed, you’ll want to use high-quality links.
There following are factors that affect the quality of backlinks:
Link authority
Make sure that any backlinks you utilize are both trustworthy and relevant. Start by analyzing the link profiles of relevant websites you want to work with, this will give the information on your page more credibility and trust from anyone conducting a basic Google search. It’s crucial for SEO that your backlinks redirect to relevant content. A link from a site with a high authority will be more effective than one with a low authority.
Anchor text
The anchor text usage may impact link quality and relevance. The ability for search engines to select the appropriate keywords to rank your content for is crucial. That is why the anchor text, as well as the content surrounding it, should be topic-relevant. The anchor text refers to the word or sentence you chose to use as a hyperlink, to add the desired link.
Link location
The value of a link for SEO purposes is significantly influenced by where it appears on a page, which is directly related to anchor texts.
Links contained within the text of the page’s body are regarded as beneficial to your SEO and safe from Google algorithm updates. For example, a link in the first paragraph of a page could have more value than a link at the header or footer of a page.
How to find quality backlinks?
Now that you know how valuable the quality of a link is, you are ready to go and find them. There are several link sources and link-building tools from which you can acquire high-quality backlinks. Backlink outreach is among the best methods for obtaining high-quality backlinks: it is a technique for proactively gaining backlinks to your website by getting in touch with the owners of other websites.
It is usually advisable to search for websites with high domain scores because Google already trusts these sites. Your chances of getting the link are far better if you actively contact other bloggers by sending outreach emails instead of waiting for them to stumble across your post.
However, we are not going to lie to you: backlink outreach can be a time-consuming endeavor, given the time and effort required. It demands extensive research to locate the best bloggers for your content and then we recommend you try to build a working relationship with them first, as things will go smoother that way.
Nevertheless, the backlink outreach procedure is certainly worthwhile. Your rankings will rise significantly if you effectively identify link outreach opportunities and implement them as an offsite SEO strategy.
If there are high-quality backlinks, are there toxic backlinks?
Allow us to paraphrase Newton for a second: every action must have a reaction. Backlinks from unreliable, low-authority websites are considered toxic. Google deems any link published deliberately to manipulate search engine results as toxic links, and they are prohibited according to their official webmaster standards. Such links are harmful and could lower your rank position on search engines.
Most harmful links that search engines can identify come from spam websites. A spam website is developed only for the goal of creating unnatural links. These bad links can potentially originate from trustworthy websites that have been hacked.
Routinely monitoring your backlink profile is essential so you can quickly notice any spammy links in your blog posts. If you identify any toxic backlinks on your website, get in touch with the website’s owner and request that they remove the links.
If your efforts to reach the website owner are futile, you can remove the toxic backlinks from your website. Google offers a backlink audit tool on their Search Console that is perfect for this awful situation. Search Console enables you to disavow toxic backlinks, but we must add an important warning here: improper use of this tool can have a negative impact on your website more than a positive one, which is why we only recommend you use it if you are completely sure of what you are doing.
Top benefits of performing backlink research
There are several benefits of conducting comprehensive backlink research, such as:
Generate traffic
Many visitors may click through to your website if you place a link on a high-traffic page. For example, we generate much referral traffic by conducting in-depth link analysis and identifying high-authority websites to place our clients’ links, and this has guaranteed our success. Referral traffic is to attract people who click on links that are strategically placed on various websites and are then redirected to your website or content. Referral traffic is usually focused and has a low bounce rate.
Organic ranking
Proper backlink research will help you effectively implement backlinking, contributing to search engine rankings. Search engines will rank a blog post higher if it receives valuable backlinks from other websites.
Disavow bad links
We identify potential bad links on a website by performing backlink research. Early detection enables us to use Google disavow tool to remove the toxic links before they impact your rankings and search visibility.
Improve backlink and SEO strategy
With backlink research data, you may discover new link opportunities and competitor backlinks that you can target. You can determine how many high-quality backlinks you need to acquire to boost your SEO and outperform a top rival.
The impact of backlinks on SEO
If many websites around the internet are linking back to your own website, search engines deduce that yours has valuable information worth ranking well on the SERPs. Websites that appear in search engine results at the top are more likely to be trusted by users since they look more relevant. This is exactly what a successful backlink research strategy looks like: if enough websites link back to yours, your authority and relevance will increase, as well as Google’s trust in your website. As these factors increase, your position on Google’s organic search results will significantly improve: this is how you optimize your website on search results.
Backlinks also help us expand our SEO strategy and content marketing. We use relevant networks to link your website to their pages. The best SEO agencies focus on your content optimization and marketing so your website can rank higher, generate organic traffic, and boost sales.
Components of Backlink research
Doing comprehensive research is the first step in link building. This enables us to identify Backlink opportunities and determine the best action.
The following are the main components of backlink research:
Link relevancy
Link relevancy is how closely related or appropriate a backlink is to a website or page. A successful backlink is one that is carefully placed on a website whose content is closely related to yours. When an individual clicks on the link they should be glad to be redirected to your website as it should have information that is relevant and useful to them at that moment.
Google is capable of recognizing irrelevant backlinks. The relevancy of links is highly important because it informs Google about the content of your website, enabling it to offer the best user experience. For example, If a bakery in New York links to a butcher shop in Alaska, the backlink is irrelevant: both geographically and in terms of content. This is exactly why relevance is crucial for link building: it will benefit your SEO and increase the likelihood that your outreach is successful.
Unique domains
Google prefers if you have backlinks from various relevant websites rather than just several links from one website. Your aim should be to have a diverse link profile with many relevant sites. A large number of backlinks from various trustworthy websites is a powerful indicator of the value of your content. You can group these websites according to their authority and create a list of reputable websites that link to your rivals. This list can be used to develop a new content strategy and look for outreach possibilities.
Total links
The total number of backlinks leading to a site is one of the most fundamental indicators. A backlink referenced amid hundreds or thousands of other links on one page is not as valuable as one mentioned among fewer. It would also be harder for people to actually find and click on your link if it’s surrounded by hundreds of other links, making your content impossible to reach.
Link building is now all about quality over quantity. Comparing your site’s link count to a competitor’s can give you a general idea of your authority. You may determine which pages are the most important to your audience by looking at the total amount of backlinks to your entire domain.
Anchor text
A hyperlink within the content is displayed by visible characters or words called “anchor text,” which is frequently underlined and has a distinctive color. Specific anchor texts are considered SEO-friendly and pass more equity than others. It is best to use brief, relevant, and original text. By conducting appropriate anchor text analysis, you can ensure that your backlinks are optimized to provide the most value for your content.
Β Tips for the best backlink strategies
Armed with the knowledge we have given you so far, it should be safe to assume you have at the very least a beginner’s understanding of what backlink research entails, right? If you agree with us then you are ready for our tips on how to create a solid backlink strategy:
Create high-quality content
Your website will always benefit from producing content that individuals actually need. Many people will visit a website if you earnestly address questions and give them what they seek. If you produce something of unique worth with reliable data and facts, others will link to you as an authoritative source. While you should still try to produce trendy and relevant content you should do so through accurate information. It will raise the possibility that a reliable source will choose to link to your post.
Find broken links
On the Internet, broken links are a common problem. Many webmasters are open to substituting active content for these features because they harm SEO. Contact webmasters that offer complementary services to your own. Request that the webmasters change the broken link to direct to relevant content on your website. Fixing broken links will help avoid an algorithmic penalty and improve your search rankings. There are numerous SEO tools available on the Internet for locating broken backlinks.
Guest Posting
Creating guest posts helps you build your brand, attract customers, and generate traffic, and it also benefits your SEO backlink strategy. Search for phrases like a guest post on Google. This search has numerous variations, but they typically provide results of sites open to guest posts. You can also contact webmasters directly and state your offer, just be sure the websites you’re writing to relate to your own.
Link exchanges
SEO experts exchange links to improve their backlinking strategy. Make a list of websites that are complementary to yours and have a similar target audience but aren’t direct competitors. Contact the webmasters directly, offering to insert their link and anchor text to your blog posts if they will do the same for you.
Is it possible to have a free backlink-building strategy?
Technically, yes. If you want an absolutely free strategy then your best chance will be to do it yourself, which will first mean you have to comprehend the basics of link building. Once you get the hang of that you can then move on to improving your skills and dipping your toes in the backlink-building waters. With this guide, we hope to help you take your first steps if you are determined to do it alone. We’ll even throw in a couple of final tips to get you started:
- Examine competitors’ Backlink Portfolio.
- Employ backlink tools to look for brand mentions. Then request Links for those brands that don’t have mentions and are related to your business.
- Contact industry influencers to ask for brand exposure and links.
- Create content that people want to link to, and develop relationships with complementary brands.
Key takeawaysΒ
- Backlinks are links that lead people to a blog or website directly from another website through anchor text or image links. Google’s search algorithm sees them as a vote of confidence.
- Search engines can also identify and index the content of websites with the aid of high-quality backlinks.
- Backlink research is a comprehensive assessment of the quantity and quality of websites linking to a business domain or a particular content. As a result, you’ll have data to analyze a site’s performance and identify issues that may damage its search engine ranking.
- Search engines see backlinks as a way to know the quality and authority of a website. The more high-quality links from other reliable websites they have, the better they will rank.Β
- High-quality links come from websites with a high domain level that is well-trusted by both search engines and individuals.
- The quality of a link is determined by: the website’s authority, how relevant the anchor text is, and where you place the link.
- There are also toxic backlinks: 1) backlinks from low-authority websites 2) any link published deliberately to manipulate search engine results, and 3) links from spam websites.
- Performing backlink research will help you generate traffic, get a better organic ranking, disavow potential backlinks, and ultimately improve your backing and SEO strategy.
- The components of backlink research are: analyzing a link’s relevancy, building a diverse link profile, carefully selecting your amount of backlinks, and choosing relevant anchor texts.
- Successful backlink research entails: creating high-quality content, finding broken links, creating guest posts to build your brand, and exchanging links with similar websites.
Conclusion
Link building in general is a huge part of the SEO strategies we employ for most of our clients.Β Since the early 2000s, most offsite optimization tactics have relied heavily on link building as a key component of an SEO strategy. You must abide by a strict and frequently ambiguous set of rules and criteria to receive the authority and ranking benefits from a backlink, but it is all worth it to have a successful strategy that catapults your website, and in our case our clients’ website, into Google’s top organic search results.
We strive to be a resource for business owners who want to improve their online presence, build Google’s trust in their website, increase their number of leads and clients, and overall take advantage of the many online resources available. However, that is not all we are! Primarily, we are proud to be a digital marketing agency with a wide range of services, like PPC (Google Ads, Facebook Ads), Website design, and Social Media marketing, and we specialize in SEO services, with a range of comprehensive SEO packages bound to boost your business and significantly improve your online presence.
You can contact us for high-quality backlinks strategy and implementation. Our team of experts will work with you to develop and gradually implement an organized link-building strategy to help you grow your business and rip the benefits of understanding every online resource available. You can also book a FREE 30-minute consultation with us where we can discuss everything we can do for your company, what a tailormade SEO strategy could look like and we can even provide the quality content needed to have thriving backlinks over the internet. So what are you waiting for? Click on our website to find out more!
