What is Backlink? A Guide to Getting Strong and Secure Backlinks for SEO

Existing in the digital world requires much more than setting up a website or e-commerce platform. Becoming a reliable and competent authority in the eyes of search engines is critical to getting on the first page. Here on this journey, one of your website's most valuable assets Backlinks comes into play.

Well, what is known as a website's “votes” What is Backlink and why is it so important? In this comprehensive guide, you'll find everything you wonder about, from the definition of backlinks to their varieties, how to get quality backlinks without harming your site, and common mistakes in the process.

What is Backlink?

Backlink is the link that a website gives to another website. In short, it is a hyperlink from site X to site Y. Search engines treat these links as “votes” on the quality and authority of a website. The more you vote from reliable and high-quality sites, the more competent and valuable search engines will consider you.

Why are backlinks so important?

There are two main reasons why backlinks are so vital to SEO:

1. Ranking Signal (Authority Building): Google's ranking algorithms consider backlinks as one of the most important factors when determining the authority of your site. Backlinks from trusted and relevant sites increase your site's domain authority (DA) and increase your chances of ranking high in search results.
2. Referral Traffic: Backlinks are important not only for Google, but also for people. Thanks to your shared backlink on another site, users who visit that site can be redirected to your site. This gives you a valuable source of referral traffic.

Types and Meanings of Backlinks

Backlinks are divided into different types according to their structure and the value they carry:

• DoFollow Backlink: It is the default backlink type. These connections, allows search engine bots to move to the target site and carries the sorting signal (link juice). It is the most valuable type of backlink for SEO.
• NoFollow Backlink: rel="nofollow” are backlinks marked with the label. This tag instructs search engines to “follow this link and carry a sorting signal”. Although NoFollow backlinks don't directly affect your ranking, they are important for referral traffic and brand awareness.
• Site-wide Backlink: They are backlinks that are located on all pages of a website (usually in the footer or sidebar area). Such backlinks can be considered risky by Google, as they create an unnatural profile.
• Editorial Backlink: They are backlinks that an author or editor adds organically for reference in their content. It is the most valuable and reliable type of backlink.

How should a reliable and high-quality backlink be?

Not every backlink is valuable. A quality backlink will benefit your site, while a poor quality backlink can cause serious damage. Here are the characteristics that indicate that a backlink is valuable:

• Must come from relevant sites: The content of the linking site must be related to the content of your site. Backlink to your ecommerce site from an irrelevant food blog is of low value.
• Must Have High Authority: It is ideal if the domain authority (DA) of the linking site is higher than yours. Links from sites with high authority also increase the authority of your site.
• Must have a natural profile: Backlinks should appear to be organically earned, not the result of a campaign or manipulation.
• Directing Traffic: Most importantly, that backlink should have the potential to actually bring in visitor traffic.

Backlink Building Methods: How to Earn Valuable Links

Getting valuable backlinks is possible not through spammy methods, but through long-term and strategic efforts. Here are the most effective ways to create backlinks:

1. Valuable Content Production: This method, also called “linkbait”, is to create content that is naturally shared and referenced a lot. Extensive guides, research reports, articles with statistics, and visual infographics fall into this category.
2. Guest Blogging: Submit articles as a guest writer to other blogs in your niche. Within these articles, you can add one or two natural backlinks that lead to your site. The main thing is to deliver quality and relevant content to the right site.
3. Broken Link Building: Find broken (non-working) links of your competitors or sites in your industry. Create content similar to the original content of this link and offer the site owner to replace the broken link with your new content.
4. Digital PR and Press Relations: Present your content in your area of expertise by reaching out to journalists reporting on your niche or industry blogs. This can give you both backlink and brand awareness.
5. Linkable Assets: Create values that people will voluntarily link to their site, such as free tools, calculators, e-books, or detailed training videos.

The Most Common Mistakes and What to Avoid

Mistakes made in the backlink creation process can harm your site instead of benefit.

• Buy Link: Google strictly prohibits buying and selling links. Such manipulative actions can lead to serious ranking penalties.
• Getting Links from Unrelated Sites: Adding links to a blog or website from an irrelevant place just to get backlinks can hurt your site's authority.
• Highly Optimized Anchor Text: Using the same keyword in all your backlinks creates an unnatural profile and May cause you to enter the target of the Google Penguin algorithm.

Conclusion: Backlink is a long-term investment

Backlinkis one of the most important factors that determine the reputation and authority of a website before search engines. But this is an area where quality rather than quantity is at the forefront.

Remember, instead of hundreds of poor quality backlinks received through spam and manipulative methods, a few quality backlinks from relevant and high-authority sites are much more valuable. Backlink building strategy is not a short-term tactic, but made into the future of your site is a long-term investment that requires patience and labor.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How much does it cost to get backlinks?

Quality and natural backlinks do not have a price; they are earned in exchange for labor and valuable content. Backlinks offered for price are often risky.

How long do backlinks take effect?

The impact of backlinks on rankings depends on the authority of your site and the site you link to. Their effects usually begin to be seen within a few weeks.

How can I track backlinks?

Using SEO analysis tools such as Ahrefs, SEMrush, Moz, you can track backlinks to your site in detail and analyze the link strategies of your competitors.