In addition to valuable Content, Google looks for authoritative sites as demonstrated by its Links and Backlinks, to high quality sources. In fact, acquiring the right kind of links is one of the most important parts of search engine optimization as there is nothing that will boost a site’s rank as quickly as a smart back linking strategy.
Authoritative websites are judged on whom it links to, including
- The links back to a website (backlinks). If a site is linked frequently to other trusted sites, it stands to reason that it must be a reputable, authoritative source of information.
- The sites it links to. If a website links out to high-value, authoritative sites, it’s reasonable to expect that its content will also be well-researched and of high quality.
For example, if highly ranked and highly authoritative sites were to link and follow your site, your site’s rank would jump in Google’s eyes.
What is a Backlink, Anyway?
A backlink is, simply, a link placed on one page that leads back to a specific website. These links help to draw new visitors to the site in two ways. First, any visitor who finds a link and clicks it will be taken to the site. This directly boosts the site’s traffic. Second, backlinks act as “votes” or endorsements in the eyes of search engines. Linked sites are viewed as being more authoritative and valuable. This means that sites with backlinks will rank more highly in search engine results than sites without backlinks.
In fact, acquiring the right kind of links is one of the most important parts of search engine optimization as there is nothing that will boost your site’s rank as quickly as a smart back linking strategy. A poor back linking strategy, however, will greatly harm your site. This is why it’s so important to understand the principles of SEO before crafting any links to your site.
Create Content Users Will Want to Share for You
The easiest way to build backlinks is to encourage others to do it for you. Natural links are the single most valuable method of boosting page rank. They’re also the most elusive. In order to get natural links, you will need to create valuable content that people will naturally want to share with their friends and family. Strive to create content that people will want to save, reference or pass along.
Here are some particularly share-worthy types of content that you can use to generate natural backlinks:
- Images, such as info graphics and memes, are highly shareable due to the visual nature of social media.
- Quizzes that prompt the user to share their results are popular in social media as well and can provide information and generate activity on your page.
- Tools and resources, like currency converters, recipe calculators and more, get shared frequently because they are so useful.
Finally, Use Internal Links to Boost Page Rank
If a backlink is a link back to your page from another website, an internal link connects two pages within your website together. In general, search engines will view sites with extensive linking favorably. Think of a site like Wikipedia, where all of the content is linked together to provide deeper meaning, or an entertainment site like Cracked.com where one article leads seamlessly to the next. Internal links signal to the search engine that your content is rich, and rich, deep content is currently rewarded by high page ranks.
