Why Use Backlinks: What, Why and How?
Have you ever heard of a backlink and if so, do you know what they actually are and why your website should have them? In this blog, we’ll explore ‘why you should use backlinks’ and how to correctly implement them.
So to start, what exactly are Backlinks?
Think of a Backlink like little paths or road signs dotted throughout the internet. Imagine your website as a cosy little café in the heart of a bustling city. Now, each backlink is like a friendly recommendation from another neighbouring café or business or person, suggesting, “Hey, this café down the street serves amazing coffee too! You should check it out!”
In the digital world, a backlink is a link that points from one website to another. It’s a connection and a way for websites to vouch for each other’s credibility and value and hopefully improve the user’s experience and give them additional knowledge they may need or want.
Why Use Backlinks On Your Website?
They Boost Your Website’s Credibility and Authority
Just like in the real world where recommendations from trusted sources hold weight, backlinks from reputable websites tell search engines, “Hey, this website is reliable and worth a visit!” The more backlinks you have from trustworthy sites, the more credible and authoritative your website appears in the eyes of search engines.
They Enhance Your Website’s Visibility (SEO Magic!)
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the key to improving your website’s position in search engine rankings, and good quality backlinks can play a key part in helping your results. When a website links to yours, search engines perceive it as a vote of confidence, boosting your website’s visibility in search results. For more on SEO, check out this blog on our website! It goes both ways though, search engines love it when you also link outwards to websites, it’s a way of telling them ‘you have friends’ and friends make you more credible (in the search engine’s eyes).
They Attract More Visitors (Yay, Traffic!)
Backlinks are just one of the ways in which you can increase your website traffic. In the real world, if someone recommends a place to you, you’re more likely to visit it, backlinks work the same way. When reputable websites link to your content, they’re essentially inviting their audience to check out your site. More visits mean more exposure, more engagement, and potentially more customers or readers for you! However, you want to make sure the ‘right’ websites are linking to you, and you to them.
They Build Relationships and Network
Backlinks are not just digital connections; they’re opportunities to build relationships with other websites and bloggers. As you establish these connections, you open doors to collaborations, guest posting, and mutually beneficial partnerships that can propel your online presence to greater heights. By increasing your network, you’re increasing the opportunities for your business.
Quality over quantity
If you manage a website, you likely get a lot of ‘spam emails’ asking for ‘guest blog posts’ or backlinks to and from your website – these can either be free (in exchange for a link either way) or you can pay for a bundle (often dodgy) links to your website. We would HIGHLY recommend you DO NOT touch these with a barge pole. Bad backlinks and their poor quality can and will be associated with your website and could actually have the opposite effect of what you want, especially when it comes to SEO. Search engines will associate you with these places and their quality and you may not want that.
How to increase quality backlinks
If you’re doing this work yourself, a word of warning: it’s not a quick fix. But, if you do it right, it’ll last. The main (and safe) method we would recommend is to create an organised spreadsheet and list all the websites you currently link to, the websites you’d like to be associated with, and any special relations e.g. business networks or friends’ websites (if they’re suitable). Then it’s a case of manually reaching out to the website manager and politely asking if they’d like to link to you, and you to them. It’s a slow-building game, but be human and provide the reason why you’d like to link, where on the website and what the link will be. The conversion rate may be low, but the link quality will be high and likely to last.
In a nutshell, backlinks are the friendly ambassadors of the internet, connecting websites and vouching for each other’s awesomeness. They boost your website’s credibility, improve its visibility in search results, bring more visitors to the party, and help you make new friends in the online world. So, make the most of your backlinks, strengthen those connections, and help your website stand out in the vast online space. Hopefully, we’ve helped you understand why you should use backlinks, but if you need any help then please get in touch, I’d love to hear from you!
Happy linking!