As we all try to strategize our way to the first page of search results, it can be difficult to understand which internet marketing company service works best for your business and which don’t work at all. We know that providing consistent, high-quality content is crucial for being deemed a reputable website, but what about back-linking?
Why Back-Linking is a Common Internet Marketing Company Service
A back-link is a connection between your website and other websites…simply put, it’s when another site links to yours or vice-versa. When Google sees the other website using your page as a source for information or recommendation to their clients, Google will assume that you are delivering a quality website and put you higher on the search results. If your website doesn’t have many back-links, Google may think that you are not providing well-researched, interesting information and put you further down the search engine results list.
The 5 Factors to Back-Linking
Back-linking isn’t as simple as finding any website who agrees to post a link to your website. Here are 5 back-linking factors that help your business gain exposure:
- Number of Back-links
The importance of the number of websites linking to your page has been diminishing, but it is still an important aspect to consider. You will find that the websites that appear in the Top 10 of results have significantly more back-links to their page. - Referring Domains
The domains that refer readers to your website is more important than the number of back-links, but only when you have a variety of websites linking your way. If you are only receiving referrals from one or two other sites, it will be clear there is some kind of partnership or agreement between the two of you. Instead, you want a variety of other websites to push their traffic in your direction. This usually means you are sharing strong content in a few different areas and a number of individuals find you interesting and reputable enough to share your posts. - Back-links Including Keywords
As Google tries to eliminate systematic and artificial referrals from linking to website as part of a sponsorship, links to your website that include keywords are considered. If there are too many keyword-riddled back-links pointing in your direction, it may be not be perceived as a genuine link. Having a few links with keywords is fine, but be careful of how others are linking to your page. It could hurt your chances of appearing on the first page of search results. - Domain Name in Back-links
On the other hand, Google appreciates when another website uses your company name or URL as part of the back-link. This makes for a much more natural way to source information or discuss the benefits of a company. Compared to using keywords in a back-link, Google prefers the domain name or URL. When a number of other websites cite your information, allude to your studies, or use your quotes, Google can see that you are building a website as a trustworthy source. - News Websites Creating Back-Links
If a popular news site makes a connection to your website, you may see an increase of your search results placement. This is usually because Google recognizes that in order for a news site to use your information, quote, or study, you must be producing quality information.
Based on this information, we can see that bank-linking is still important, but it is the quality of the bank-links that matter. It is no longer possible to just have a high amount of back-links and expect to see your page rank high on the search results. Today, back-links are only useful if they are relevant come from a reliable source.
If you focus on delivering content that is sharable, well-researched, and interesting, it will be easier to reap the benefits of back-linking. If instead you choose to focus your energy on getting a high quantity of bank-links from wherever you can find them, you may find that your work falls flat.
For more information about back-linking or learning about our internet marketing company services, contact Thrive for a free consultation.