Siteimprove SEO: Getting started with Backlinks

What are backlinks?

Backlinks are links on other websites that point to your site. Backlinks are one of the most important parts of any SEO strategy because search engines use them as an indicator of how important your site is. The more important and trusted your site is, the higher your ranking in search results.

Link building

The process of getting other sites to link to yours is called "link building". When a high-quality site links to yours, that's viewed by search engines as a vote of confidence. The best way to acquire backlinks is by creating high-quality content that establishes your site as an authority in your area, thus generating backlinks organically.

A good link profile

Link building isn't just about acquiring as many backlinks as possible, irrespective of quality. In fact, Google severely penalizes sites with backlinks that seem designed to manipulate their ranking. For instance, a large number of backlinks to a homepage from a single source could be seen as link spam.

Consider your link profile as an investment portfolio for your site. You want to have a diverse mix of links from reputable, topically relevant sites to get the best return for your investments: higher search engine rankings.

Strategies for acquiring quality backlinks

Link building takes time because you need to create good-quality content and recognition as an authority in your area. But there are some strategies for getting only the best backlinks in your link profile:

• Remove spammy backlinks: Disavow high-risk backlinks in Google Search Console. Read more on how to Disavow backlinks within Google Search Console.
• Reclaim trusted backlinks: Investigate why you've lost high-quality backlinks from trusted domains and reclaim these links by ensuring they point to your site correctly. See also "What should I do if a high-value backlink is lost?".
• Scout out the competition: Identify weak points in your link profile compared with that of your search competitors to find out where you could optimize.
• Catch up with the competition: Find out which relevant sites your competitors are getting backlinks from that aren't linking to you yet.
• Capitalize on new backlink opportunities: If you've recently acquired backlinks from a new domain, check whether they're linking the most relevant content on your site.
• Spread your backlinks net: Publish more content on topically relevant websites that can provide backlinks.

Backlinks features in Siteimprove SEO

The Backlinks feature of Siteimprove’s SEO Advanced gives you insights into your Backlinks profile and the tools to improve:

• Link Profile: An overview of your current profile including backlinks, their domains, and trust scores.
• Low-value Backlinks: Details on links that may not offer value to your SEO. Links that are artificial and spammy should be disavowed.
• High-value Backlinks: Keep an eye on valuable backlinks to ensure that they always point to valid pages on your site.
• Link Reclamation: Information on new and lost backlinks so you can reclaim lost links and take advantage of current backlinks.

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