{"id":9985,"date":"2020-12-06T07:05:20","date_gmt":"2020-12-06T05:05:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/?p=9985"},"modified":"2022-09-05T19:24:46","modified_gmt":"2022-09-05T17:24:46","slug":"why-are-backlinks-important-for-seo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/seo-blog\/why-are-backlinks-important-for-seo\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Are Backlinks Important For SEO?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"DSM<\/div><\/div>

If you\u2019ve ever taken a cursory glance at the digital marketing field of SEO, you\u2019ll have seen just how confusing things can get. With more than enough jargon, and technical processes that must be followed to a T, search engine optimisation is a complicated \u2013 but ultimately handsomely rewarding \u2013 marketing discipline that has the potential to establish long-term online lead generation. The best part is that SEO requires an initial investment, but then only cursory maintenance thereafter. This means that SEO will offer a return on investment, and then continue to generate free leads thereafter. A vital aspect of SEO is link building, one that we\u2019re looking at in detail below:<\/p>\n

Backlinks Defined<\/strong><\/h2>\n

What is a backlink?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A \u2018backlink\u2019 is a link that one website gets from another website. These are also called \u201cinbound links\u201d or \u201cincoming links\u201d. 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 SEO ranking.<\/p>\n

The internet is essentially a massive network of interconnected computers, servers, and other devices. Websites link to websites that link to other websites. According to Moz, a link coming from another website to your website is known as a backlink, inbound link, or incoming link.<\/p>\n

Silent Votes Of Confidence<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When a website decides, for whatever reason, to add a link to another website \u2013 it\u2019s essentially giving the website a vote of confidence. The company is saying that they trust the other website enough that they\u2019re willing to associate with it and send its own website visitors to it.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

Link Value Differences<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Now not all inbound links have the same value, just like not all websites are created equally. There are differences in the quality of links, because Google<\/a> and other search engines\u2019 algorithms assign different quality scores to websites, depending on the quality of their content. For example, a link from the World Health Organisation website is a million times more valuable than a link from the corner shop\u2019s website.<\/p>\n

Ways To Attract Links<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A common approach to link building is of a reciprocal nature. I\u2019ll link to your website if you link to mine. This is often executed through guest blogging initiatives or listing suppliers and clients (with links to their websites) on a site.<\/p>\n

Most digital marketers push for an earned approach to link-building initiatives, where a brand focuses on producing the best content possible \u2013 with the hope that people will want to link to the content simply because of its excellence.<\/p>\n

Another approach to successful link building is the use of paid online advertorials, where you\u2019re essentially buying a link from a reputable, high-traffic media website. This would be considered by many in the SEO world to be \u201cgrey hat\u201d, which is not necessarily against a search engine\u2019s policies, but rather is seen as somewhat of a cheat in the quest for high-quality inbound links.<\/p>\n

Best Practices for Backlinks<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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

A natural link is one that happens organically. This is not clearly seen as being arranged by your company.<\/p>\n

Natural links:<\/p>\n