{"id":4616,"date":"2019-09-25T05:57:07","date_gmt":"2019-09-25T05:57:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/?p=4616"},"modified":"2022-09-13T14:33:46","modified_gmt":"2022-09-13T12:33:46","slug":"what-is-a-backlink","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/blog\/what-is-a-backlink\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a backlink?"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"l-section wpb_row height_medium\"><div class=\"l-section-h i-cf\"><div class=\"g-cols vc_row via_grid cols_3-1 laptops-cols_inherit tablets-cols_inherit mobiles-cols_1 valign_top type_default stacking_default\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"w-image align_center\"><div class=\"w-image-h\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"680\" height=\"479\" src=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/DSM_Infographic_SEO21-e1569233770750.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"Digital School of Marketing-- backlink\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/DSM_Infographic_SEO21-e1569233770750.jpg 680w, https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/DSM_Infographic_SEO21-e1569233770750-600x423.jpg 600w, https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/DSM_Infographic_SEO21-e1569233770750-300x211.jpg 300w, https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/DSM_Infographic_SEO21-e1569233770750-284x200.jpg 284w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px\" \/><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_text_column\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><p>A \u2018backlink\u2019 is a link that one website gets from another website. These are also called &#8220;inbound links&#8221; or &#8220;incoming links&#8221;. These types of links make a huge impact on a website\u2019s visibility in search engine results. Thus they are considered to be very useful for enhancing a website\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/blog\/how-will-sitemap-for-website-help-seo\/\">SEO<\/a> ranking.<\/p>\n<p>Search engines evaluate website rankings by using multiple factors in order to display search results. No one is certain of how much importance search engines assign to backlinks when they list results. However, what we do know is that backlinks are very significant as these represent a &#8220;vote of confidence&#8221; from one site to another.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Best Practices for Backlinks<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Backlinks should be natural. What this means is that a website must not make use of artificial ways in order to create backlinks for their own websites. The quality of links is far more important than the quantity of them.<\/p>\n<p>A natural link is one that happens organically. This is not clearly seen as being arranged by your company.<\/p>\n<p>Natural links:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Don\u2019t have tracking parameters attached to them<\/li>\n<li>Are not within sponsored or paid content<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t redirect through JavaScripts or any sort of monetisation tools.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A natural link is a reference to a piece of content, website or source.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, an unnatural link is paid for. In addition, it can be placed and tracked by PR firms and media buyers. These links can also be monetised through affiliate programmes, CPC campaigns, influencers or monetisation scripts.<\/p>\n<p>If unnatural links are \u2018do follow\u2019 links they can potentially lead to Google taking a manual action on your site. Alternatively, you could get hit by Penguin as these are not earned\/natural.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"w-video align_none ratio_16x9 has_iframe\"><div class=\"w-video-h\"><iframe title=\"Vimeo video player\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/267594118?autoplay=0&loop=0&autopause=0&color=00adef&portrait=0&byline=1&title=1&controls=1&muted=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen\" allowfullscreen loading=\"lazy\"><\/iframe><\/div><div class=\"w-video-icon\" style=\"font-size:1.5rem;background:rgba(0,0,0,0.5);color:#fff\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_medium\"><\/div><div class=\"wpb_text_column\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><h2><strong>How to Get Backlinks to Your Site<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Establishing a solid number of backlinks is a bit more difficult than paying a few other site owners to link back to one of your pages. This practice is also a black hat SEO technique which will get your site penalised. However, by following these strategies, it\u2019s completely possible to put together a backlink profile which will assist you with improving your rankings and having a lasting, positive impact on your visibility in the Search Engine Results Page (SERPs).<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Guest posting<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The practice of \u201cguest posting\u201d is deals with contributing free content to another website or blog in exchange for a backlink to your own site. These links can either be put in the author bio section or used to cite information within the body of the post.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Public relations<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>In the context of link building, <a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/courses\/digital-public-relations-course\/\">public relations<\/a> (PR) refers to the practice of making use of the same ways to get backlinks which you may use in order to get press. One of the greatest ways to do this is to get quoted as a source in a news article or other online content.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Broken link building<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The strategy of broken link building involves:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Finding broken links on other websites,<\/li>\n<li>Identifying the content they originally referred to, and<\/li>\n<li>Then giving the site the opportunity to replace their broken link with a working link to content that is relevant which is on your site.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Study a SEO and Web Analytics Course through the Digital School of Marketing <\/strong><\/h2>\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/contact-us\/\">Get in touch with the Digital School of Marketing<\/a><\/h2>\n<p>Want to become an SEO and Web Analytics whizz kid? You can do this with the Digital School of Marketing\u2019s SEO and Web Analytics Course. For more information about this and our other online digital marketing courses, please follow this <a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/courses\/seo-and-web-analytics-course\/\">link<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/courses\/seo-and-web-analytics-course\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-758 size-shop_single\" src=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/DSM_Footer03-600x96.jpg\" alt=\"DSM Digital School of Marketing SEO and Web Analytics course registration\" width=\"600\" height=\"96\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"w-btn-wrapper align_justify\"><a class=\"w-btn us-btn-style_2\" href=\"#enquiry\"><span class=\"w-btn-label\">Enquire Today<\/span><\/a><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_medium\"><\/div><h3 class=\"w-text us_custom_6caa4608 has_text_color\"><span class=\"w-text-h\"><span class=\"w-text-value\">Blog Categories<\/span><\/span><\/h3><div class=\"wpb_text_column us_custom_5cd26a65\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><ul>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-1\"><a href=\"\/blog\/content-marketing\/\">Content Marketing<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-2\"><a href=\"\/blog\/digital-marketing\/\">Digital Marketing<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-2\"><a href=\"\/blog\/cyber-security-blog\/\">Cyber Security<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-2\"><a href=\"\/blog\/graphic-design-blog\/\">Graphic Design<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-3\"><a href=\"\/blog\/public-relations\/\">Public Relations<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-4\"><a href=\"\/blog\/seo\/\">SEO<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-5\"><a href=\"\/blog\/social-media-marketing\/\">Social Media Marketing<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-5\"><a href=\"\/blog\/web-design-blog\/\">Web Design<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_medium\"><\/div><h3 class=\"w-text us_custom_6caa4608 has_text_color\"><span class=\"w-text-h\"><span class=\"w-text-value\">You might also like<\/span><\/span><\/h3><div class=\"w-html\"><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/social-media-marketing-blog\/zero-moment-of-truth-benefit-social-media-marketing\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Use the Zero Moment of Truth to Benefit your Social Media Marketing<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/digital-marketing-blog\/your-complete-guide-to-ppc-marketing-basic\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Your Complete Guide to PPC Marketing Basics. Find out more.<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/blog\/you-can-convey-a-lot-of-meaning-with-just-one-graphic\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">You Can Convey a Lot Of Meaning With Just One Graphic<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/digital-marketing-blog\/would-you-make-a-great-marketing-manager\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Would you make a great marketing manager?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/in-the-press\/win-with-bona-magazine-and-the-digital-school-of-marketing\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Win with Bona Magazine and the Digital School of Marketing<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/in-the-press\/win-a-digital-marketing-course-valued-at-r12-000\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Win a Digital Marketing Course Valued at  R12 000<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_medium\"><\/div><h3 class=\"w-text us_custom_6caa4608 has_text_color\"><span class=\"w-text-h\"><span class=\"w-text-value\">Top Selling COurses<\/span><\/span><\/h3><div class=\"wpb_text_column us_custom_5cd26a65\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><ul>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-1\"><a href=\"\/courses\/digital-marketing-course\/\">Intermediate Digital Marketing<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-2\"><a href=\"\/courses\/advanced-digital-marketing-course\/\">Advanced Digital Marketing<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-3\"><a href=\"\/courses\/social-media-marketing-course\/\">Intermediate Social media marketing<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-4\"><a href=\"\/courses\/digital-brand-management-course\/\">Brand Management<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-5\"><a href=\"\/courses\/graphic-design-course\/\">Basic Graphic Design<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-6\"><a href=\"\/courses\/advanced-graphic-design-course\/\">Advanced Graphic design<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-7\"><a href=\"\/courses\/national-certificate-of-advertising\/\">National Certificate of Advertising<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-8\"><a href=\"\/courses\/national-diploma-of-copywriting-course\/\">National Diploma of Copyrighting<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section><section class=\"l-section wpb_row height_medium\"><div class=\"l-section-h i-cf\"><div class=\"g-cols vc_row via_grid cols_1 laptops-cols_inherit tablets-cols_inherit mobiles-cols_1 valign_top type_default stacking_default\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"w-video align_none ratio_16x9 has_iframe\"><div class=\"w-video-h\"><iframe title=\"Youtube video player\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/cImP9WWJVh4?autoplay=0&controls=1&origin=https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za&loop=0&mute=0\" allowfullscreen=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/iframe><\/div><div class=\"w-video-icon\" style=\"font-size:1.5rem;background:rgba(0,0,0,0.5);color:#fff\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4622,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,264],"tags":[489],"class_list":["post-4616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-seo-blog","tag-links"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4616","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4616"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4616\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4622"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}