The Importance and Types of Backlinks
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) involves several elements that assist in improving a website’s visibility and ranking on the search engine results page (SERPs). It is one of the most practical and economical methods of enhancing the website’s performance for a smooth user experience.
Backlinks are the links that go from one webpage to your webpage. They are also known as ‘inbound links’ as they drive website traffic from that webpage to your webpage. Backlinks serve as a vote of confidence from other websites, communicating to the search engines that ‘the content is genuine, useful and valuable’. The quantity and quality of backlinks that your page earns from various websites help in ranking your page higher on the SERPs and getting more visitors to the website.
Google is one of the most popular search engines which keeps making changes to its algorithm but backlinks have remained a key indicator of assigning page ranks. Therefore, having quality backlinks from popular brands significantly boosts the organic traffic to your webpage.
Let us take a look at the various types of backlinks that you can employ to improve your off-page SEO plan: –
1. Natural Backlinks
The backlink that a website receives from other websites, owing to its quality content and value provided are known as natural backlinks. These backlinks are not paid for and earned on merit by providing credible information in a relevant context. Google supports the profiles having natural backlinks and elevates their ranking as compared to paid backlinks.
2. Paid Backlinks
It takes a lot of consistent efforts to create an effective SEO strategy. However, to get their page in the desirable top rankings, some web page owners with considerable financial backing make use of a high number of paid backlinks and spread them all over the Internet. These kinds of activities are banned by search engines and may result in penalties if found guilty.
3. Editorial Backlinks
These backlinks are found majorly on websites of large publications that are authoritative in nature due to their popularity. The links appear in the actual content of the relevant blog/article which makes it all the more valuable as search engines give more weight to editorial backlinks than any other type as they are harder to earn and therefore, are more worthy.
4. Outreach Backlinks
The concept involves acquiring backlinks from other websites by reaching out to them, to strengthen the page ranking and expose the content to new audiences. People stand to gain valuable backlinks if they actively reach out to authoritative sites rather than actually wait for them to come across the content. The readers of the reputed publication may just as well become your clients on successful conversion using these essential backlinks.
5. Badge Backlinks
Another way of creating value is by putting in place a badge system of awarding/ranking your partners with a badge on their website that lets them showcase the ‘status symbol’ and essentially creates a backlink to your page. It may take you a while to promote your brand’s badge as something of value in your domain but it has some benefits. This form of backlink improves the SEO ranking as well as the relationship with your collaborators.
6. Comment Backlinks
You can post comments on blogs posted by other publications, related to your niche which gives you the option to include a backlink to your page as well. This strategy helps in increasing brand awareness and driving traffic to your page if the users find your profile credible. Overusing the comment backlink may lead to action being taken by the search engines who might believe you to be a scammer.
If you wish to get your business online and rank it higher on the Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs), Matic Solutions provide a host of Search Engine Optimization services to boost your online presence and drive leads to your business.