What are backlinks?
What exactly are backlinks? If you haven't done much link building yet, or maybe you are entirely new to the world of internet marketing, this term might sound a bit strange to you. Because what does it mean exactly?
Backlinks are links that are placed on a website and point to another website. Usually, these are placed in blogs or articles to reinforce the content of the article or to mention the source of a certain statement. There is also a difference between internal and external backlinks.
External backlinks
External backlinks are backlinks placed on other websites. Often these are websites that also fit within your niche and therefore appeal to the same target group. They can place a link to your website to further help, inform or enthuse their target group. External backlinks are always websites outside your page.
Internal backlinks
Internal backlinks stay within the website itself. You place them on the webpage yourself to refer to other pages or blogs within the website. When internal backlinks are used the right way, this can have a very positive effect on your position within Google. Placing backlinks makes it easier for the reader to navigate within the website. Moreover, this way you also build a natural link profile.
What are backlinks used for?
The importance of backlinks is not always understood. Why do entrepreneurs do almost anything to have extra links on other websites? Why is buying backlinks so popular these days?
Today, link building is one of the most important branches of SEO marketing. It is vital to pay extra attention to this because Google attaches great value to it. Moreover, the competition knows this too. When you fail in the field of link building, the competition will quickly rise above you in the search results of Google.
What do backlinks do?
To understand this, it is also good to realize what backlinks exactly do for your website. Keep in mind that Google cannot check every website manually for quality. This is simply impossible when you consider how many websites there are worldwide and how many more are added every day. That is why Google uses different algorithms. With these, it tests the quality and authority score of a website. This is essential because it enables Google to keep its reputation and quality position high. They want to give visitors of their search engine only the most relevant information. Therefore, qualitative websites should end up at the top of the search results.
To determine whether a website is of sufficient quality, the Google robots judge you on various factors. Backlinks are seen as a 'voice' for your website. When other people refer to your webpage, it must contain relevant information. It is especially important to place several links on several domains. It is therefore better to place ten links on ten different domains than ten links on one domain. This way, these votes will be counted separately, which will eventually give you a better position within Google.
Providers of backlinks
Backlinks can be collected in different ways. Buying is just one of them. But who should you contact if you want to buy backlinks?
Nowadays, that question is easy to answer. The internet is full of providers of backlinks. These are often offered by people who manage blogs and websites, so they can decide for themselves where and when a link will be placed. We make a distinction between the two most common websites.
- Directories: these are sites that are full of links. These are used to quickly navigate the reader to relevant websites. Although this seems very handy for the searcher, these are all paid links. Placing links on directories is relatively easy, but be aware that this can be quickly punished.
- Blogs are very popular in the world of link building. It is relatively easy to find a suitable blog for your target group, and it is typically allowed to publish a guest blog. A blog with, of course, a reference to your website. This is one of the most common ways to obtain a higher authority position within Google.
Both options can be very effective for strong link building, but are officially against Google's guidelines. This does not mean that you cannot use them at all, but you should be careful. The manipulation of Google is very strictly monitored. Of course, your website will not disappear from the search results overnight when Google discovers this, but it is something to think about. If you choose to buy backlinks, choose a Link Building company that really knows what it is doing. They can make sure that Google does not consider these links as spam, but that they actually add something to the ranking of your site.
No shortcuts
It is striking that many entrepreneurs still believe in shortcuts. If they only invest enough in backlinks, they will immediately obtain that valuable, high position within Google. Obviously, it doesn't work like that. Otherwise, anyone could end up at the top. Link building is only a relatively small part of SEO. It is by combining different strategies that you can achieve a stronger position. That is why it is good to look at your website and optimize it first. There is no point in investing in link building if your website is not relevant enough for the reader.
It is also good to ensure organic traffic to your website. This means that you don't just make sure that they arrive at your website through marketing techniques, but also because you have something to offer them, and they arrive at your website naturally. For example, because they were searching for a specific topic and your website came up. That is why investing in good content is so important. Don't just pay for blog posts that are then placed elsewhere to get more backlinks, but place them on your website. Possibly with an internal link. This way you create more organic traffic and that is worth its weight in gold in Google's eyes.
Content on your page is worth its weight in gold. With possible external backlinks, this is a very effective method to end up higher in Google. With this, you can realize conversions and ultimately increase the turnover of your business. No shortcuts, just a lot of patience and making the right choices.
What does a backlink cost?
What costs can you expect when you buy one or more backlinks? This depends on many factors. First, the domain on which it is placed. Also, the type of site on which it will be placed. On a directory site, you can often pay a few euros or maybe a tenner to have a link placed. When you choose to place a blog post on an external site, these costs are typically a little higher. But that also varies. For one site, you only pay a few euros, while for another site, you may have to pay hundreds or thousands of euros. This depends entirely on the domain score. Naturally, you pay more for a link on a much-visited site than on a page that is less well-known.
Do realize that a link on a lesser-known page also yields little. When this page has already been penalized by Google, it can even damage your reputation. Therefore, do not try to be cheap by selecting such sites because in most cases, cheap is simply expensive.
Quality over quantity
The more backlinks – and thus the more votes – the better. At least, if you can believe the backlink providers. In that case, it is of course very attractive to buy a whole bulk of backlinks. Every so often these are offered for as little as a few tens of euros. Although this is very tempting, in most cases it really is too good to be true. If you could manipulate Google that easily, everyone would be able to get their website – quality or not – high in the search results. However, it does not work like that.
Looking at the number of backlinks is only one small part of how Google evaluates your site. Moreover, it is not directly about the number of links to your website, but about its quality. It is also important that they are placed in the right way and on the right channel. Relevance plays a significant role here. When a backlink is placed in an article, it is essential that this article be at least partly relevant for the corresponding link. The quality score of the website that places this link is also essential.
High Authority Links
High Authority Links are by far the most profitable. These are links placed on reliable websites with a high authority. Think for example of news sites, but also of Wikipedia. Obtaining these links, however, is not easy. If it is possible to pay for them at all, you will quickly pay a high price.
Fortunately, not all links have to come from such sites. Blogs that are frequently read can also produce the desired effect. Especially when your website is mentioned in a popular article.
Getting natural backlinks
Buying backlinks can – if done in the right way – yield a lot for your position within Google. Yet, it is always better to get well-deserved backlinks. Links that are used by other websites, simply because your page contains relevant information for their target group. This is how you arouse Google's interest and how you can generate a lot more traffic. Getting natural backlinks starts with creating relevant and valuable content for your website. Then try to make this content visible to other companies within your niche and current target group. For example, share links to your website through social media, use email marketing and so on.
Getting natural backlinks takes a lot of time, but there are things you can do yourself. Basically, anyone who has their website or profile on the internet can place a backlink to your page. So use your contacts with other entrepreneurs and bloggers or talk to friends, family, and colleagues to share your link. You can also place a backlink to your website on social media, for example. All relatively simple ways to get natural backlinks.
By ensuring that Google appreciates your content better, you will eventually obtain a better position in the search results. When trying to manipulate this search engine, you have to be cautious not to cause extra damage to your webpage.