How important are backlinks in
ranking terms?
For starters, backlinks increase the popularity of a website
which automatically results in higher recognition in search engines. When an
external website comes for your content, it makes you authoritative and brings
a sense of ownership on that topic. If a particular piece of content is making
the rounds on various other websites then Google makes a note of that. The
primary business of Google is to serve the customers what they wish for and
when external websites are recommending the content you are producing, there
really is a no bigger hint. SEO is a big factor in backlinks as Google monitors
the number of visitors a website gets and the fact that backlinks can drive
traffic from other websites means there is only one way the SEO points are
going. The number of backlinks a website has is often a good indicator of how
popular it is. Google gives a preferential treatment to the websites that have
a large base of backlinks giving them more relevance in the search queries. As
with anything else, quality is more important than quantity when it comes to
backlinks. It is just not enough to have an umpteen number of backlinks if they
lack in quality.
Back in the day, the number of rankings a website has, the
higher it has a chance of better rankings. The loophole in the algorithm meant
there was a profound area waiting to be exploited and exploit, people did. But,
Google got smarter. It started employing more algorithms to check for the
relevancy of the links. Notably, the Penguin algorithm was a gamechanger in
terms of harassing the spammy websites who were employing illegal tactics.
Google Penguin not just had an impact on the backlinks in terms of numbers but
also the wider physiological effect it had on people from attempting any malpractices
cannot be undermined.
Let’s dig deeper into as to why backlinks are important to
rankings
• Because
all of Google’s algorithms include backlinks to be a very prominent factor when
ranking a website. Although the backlinks can sometimes turn out to be spammy
and illegal, for the most part, it suggests the relevancy of a website and the
quality of content present in it. This plays a huge role in SERPs. Google wants
to deliver the most relevant results a customer can ask for. Because of this
very fact, backlinks run the wheel.
• Although
there are several other factors that influence rankings like content, landing
pages, keyword etc. without the presence of backlinks, it is next to impossible
to attain a decent search engine ranking again stressing how pivotal backlinks
are to a website.
• The age
of the backlinks also is very important. Links that last for a day or two
cannot be trusted as they could have been paid for or employed through illegal
practices. But, the ones that last the journey and have longevity suggest that
the page is relevant and credible.
What makes bad backlinks?
Backlinks, as important as they are to a website’s chances
of being on top, some of them can prove to be fluky. Not all backlinks are
good, they can be bought thereby cheating the very fact that makes them
worthwhile i.e. credibility. The primary thing that makes a backlink bad is the
methods employed to create them. Websites can deploy faulty tactics and spam
the links just to get an upper hand over the competitors. Because the backlinks
are such a vital cog in the ranking machine, there are bound to be mishaps here
and there. Although Google has done well to come around this. The search engine
giant now employs algorithms to verify the identity and the relevance of the
backlinks. If found guilty, penalties will be handed over to those domains.
This process is helped by the fact that one of the algorithms of Google i.e.
Google Penguin can now track all website activities in real-time. This results
in dishing out penalties as soon as something is found to be fishy.
Having too many backlinks is also not a good thing. As with
everything in life, too much of anything is not good. In the olden days, Google
only concerned with the number of backlinks a website has. But with the advent
of modern algorithms and ranking contributors, quality of backlinks is given
preference over quantity. All the unnatural pathways are to be punished unlike
in the past where people used to get away with it. Bad backlinks are generally
associated with untrusted and irrelevant sources. This can have a negative
impact on the SEO.
In simpler terms, a good backlink is something that abides
by the rules of Google. So alternatively, a bad backlink is something that
doesn’t. The Google guidelines that stress on the importance of being authentic
and building web pages for readers rather than search engines stand against the
malpractices. There are several tools online that help you monitor the link
profiles and look after the quality of backlinks. Determining what a bad
backlink is, can prove to be a little tricky. Here are a few methods by which
you can identify the bad backlinks.
• Any link
from a website that has been penalized by Google can bring your rankings down.
• The
relevancy also plays a big part. Having unrelated backlinks at your disposal
can damage your SEO. For instance, if your company is selling chips and you
have backlinks that are about fruits, you are waiting to feel the wrath of
Google penalties.
• It again
comes back to the quality of the content. This time quantity also matters.
Backlinks from a website with little to no content are seen punishable in
Google’s eyes.
• Automatically
generated backlinks go against the Webmaster’s guidelines.
• Websites
with a history of false and duplicate content.
• Link
purchases.
• Websites
prone to hacking.
• Too many
links from the same geographical location.
• Foreign
links.
• Gambling
sites.
• Websites
employing guest posting of low-quality standards.
A general rule of thumb when it comes to identifying bad
backlinks is that the tougher it is to earn, the better the quality of it. And
subsequently, the easier it is to earn a backlink, the higher the chance of it
being spammy.
The backlinks that relate to your content with a similar
design containing relative keywords and key phrases are termed as quality
backlinks. All the backlinks are deemed to be good when they abide by the
Webmaster’s guidelines. Quality is subjective. Different people view things
differently. What you consider to be an average backlink can be seen as gold by
some. But generally, a quality backlink comprises many qualities. And it would
be unrealistic to think that all the backlinks would meet all the criteria. And
just because it doesn’t tick all the boxes it doesn’t mean the backlink is bad,
it is fine as long as it meets the pre-requisites of your content.
Here’s what makes a quality backlink
• Echoes your content: Any backlink that
reciprocates the content present on your website is a quality backlink. The
essence of a good backlink is that it extends the story you have managed to
create. Thereby, being more informative and relevant. The credibility of a
backlink can be measured by how trustable it is. When a backlink is spreading
awareness on your behalf by employing more or less similar keywords, what more
can you ask for?
• They send traffic: The primary goal of
a web page is to be informative and drive traffic. Quality backlinks act as a
premium source of traffic. Imagine a customer is browsing through some random
website and he is being redirected to yours because the content is relative. It
is an easy and simple enough way to drive traffic but yet, very effective.
• Not easily earned: The easier it is
earn a backlink, the higher is the chance of it being not up to the mark. If it
is so easy to earn, the odds are thousands of competitors have already done it
before you even contemplated it. Therein lies the danger of losing out on the
merit of the link to your competitors by neutralizing the advantage. As the old
saying goes ‘nothing in life comes easy’.
• Not bought: Paid links carry risk.
Although they do the job of improving the rankings for a brief period of time,
they are bound to be caught at some point in time. The ratio of risk vs reward
is stacked way too heavily in the favor of risk now more than ever with the
advancements in algorithms. Google disregards your rankings if found guilty
which would see the website plummet to the rock bottom.
• Spread across evenly: It may not be the
worst thing to have several backlinks from one single domain for a short spell
of time. However, if this continues to the deep end, questions would surely be
asked as to why there is a trend. It is absolutely fine to have domains come
back for more relevant content but, if none of the other domains are showing
zero interest in relating to your webpage then Google digs deep into it and
would eventually result in the downfall. Quality backlinks are never confined
to a single website or a narrow geographical location, they are evenly spread
over vast areas.
• No mutual links: Mutual links were
widely mocked back in the day. The days of using them have gradually died.
There is still no risk of being penalized for employing one but, if you are
trying to be the best you possibly can be, it is better off having no mutual
links. Linking back to the websites that give you backlinks may be useful and
necessary at times. But a majority of the times it just represents you are
exchanging links for ranking's sake.
• Neutralized backlinks: If some of the
backlinks on your website are linked to well-established sites that are
relevant to your profile and what you stand for then Google considers your site
to be one among them. But if your site also has links to relatively new or
lesser-known sites, you won’t necessarily go down in the pecking order. Rather,
Google may disregard the links while ranking the website.
Backlinks when done right, can be a great driving force for
your website. But most of the times because of the fact that it is extremely
difficult to get backlinks from high-quality sites, organizations opt for
illegitimate ways to get around it. This then acts as a minus touch to the up
and coming low profile enterprises. It is next to impossible to get premium
backlinks without optimum content and the relevancy of the topic to go with it.
You cannot go begging, borrowing, stealing or buying high-quality backlinks.
That’s just not how it works. In fact, it could dampen your chances of climbing
the all-important ranking ladder. Having said all this, backlinks still remain
mandatory for every website that wants to be on top of the search results.
Google, the top dog in search engines, considers websites to be more prominent
if they have a high number of quality backlinks.
Contact us :
Sanbrains era technologies pvt ltd
512,Manjeera trinity corporate ,
JNTU - Hitech city road
KPHB,Hyderabad-500072
Email: info@sanbrians.com
Website: www.sanbrains.com
