Why Are Backlinks Important?
Backlinks are the cornerstones of website authority and credibility in the eyes of search engines.
They are basically votes from other websites. Each of these votes tells search engines: “This content is valuable, credible and useful”.
So the more of these “votes” you have, the higher your site will rank in Google and alternate search engines.
Using links in a search engine algorithm is nothing new. In fact, backlinks formed the foundation of Google’s original algorithm (known as “PageRank”).
Even though Google has made thousands of changes to its algorithm since then, backlinks remain a key ranking signal.
For example, an industry study that we conducted found that links remain Google’s key ranking signal.
And Google has confirmed that backlinks remain one of their three most important search engine ranking factors.
Beyond just search engine perception, backlinks are also pivotal in driving direct traffic to your site.
When users click on these links from other websites, they are led straight to your content. This not only boosts your site’s traffic but also enhances brand awareness, drawing in a broader audience organically.
What Types of Backlinks are Valuable?
Not all backlinks are created equal.
In other words, if you want to rank higher in the SERPs, focus on quality backlinks.
Put another way:
A single-quality backlink can be more powerful than 1,000 low-quality backlinks.
As it turns out, high-quality backlinks tend to share the same key traits.
Trait #1: They Come From Trusted, Authoritative Websites
Would you rather get a backlink from Harvard… or a random guy’s website?
As it turns out, Google feels the same way.
This concept is known as “Domain Authority”. Essentially, the more authority a site has, the more authority it can pass on to your site (via a link).
According to Semrush, TechCrunch is an extremely authoritative domain.
Because that link comes from an authority site, Google puts lots of weight on it. In fact, I noticed a boost in my organic search engine traffic right after TechCrunch linked to me.
Are these links hard to get? Definitely.
Are they worth it? Absolutely.
Trait #2: They Include Your Target Keyword In The Link’s Anchor Text
As a reminder, anchor text is the visible text part of a link.