Backlinks 101

Backlinks

Backlinks are a crucial factor in Search Engine Optimisation...but why?

Backlinks
have been the subject of every successful SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) to date, and that quite simply is a fact. With constantly changing algorithms from the likes of Google, Search Engine Optimisers have to keep up with what works and what doesnt. Currently, there's certainly a known important, on something that is commonly know as "backlinks" and also referred to as "inbound links" or IBL'S. This is not something new, by any stretch of the imagination, but when setting out on an seo project, or hiring someone to do it for you, its crucial that you know what a backlink is, and what makes a good backlink.

What is a backlink?

In simple terms; a backlink is a link to YOUR website, from another website. The theory is that the more backlinks you have, or "inbound links", then the higher you will rank on search engines, of course there are many other things that apply to this, but in the simplest terms, this is what it means.
However, not just any backlink is going to be good for your site. When search engines such as the mentioned Google, are working on their algorithm to make sure their SERP's (search engine results pages), are more accurate, its important to understand the benefits, and factors that make a good backlink.

So, What makes a good backlink?

A good backlink must be, relevant, have anchor text to suit your page, and have the text you are trying to optimise for, and come from a relevant page. As you may notice, their are many relevancy factors in the best backlinks. For example, a link with the anchor text (the text that links to your site and is hyperlinked with your domain) "search engine optimisation" and points to a site thats about baby lotion, is no good. You want anchor text that is relevant to your site, so if you are targetting the keyword "baby lotion", then you want anchor text from links that point to your site with the words "baby lotion" in them!
Also, its no use having links from sites that have nothing to do with your site. If a site about dog food, is linking to your "baby lotion" website, the relevancy is very little, so their will not be much "weight" given to the text link for your site. This site has many sites that point to it with such terms as Search Engine Optimisation, as that is a term this website is aiming to rank highly for.

Do I really need backlinks to be successful in search engine rankings?

Currently, I would be inclined to say..YES!. However, it does depend on the keyword you are aiming for. If you are optimising your site for a keyword that is never searched for such as "lemon flavoured wall plug", then you could probably rank for that without any backlinks to your site containing that anchor text, and would need very little on page optimisation I would assume. However, if your keywords are in the slightest bit competitive, its going to be backlinks you need to kick off your Search Engine Optimisation campaign and to be successful with it. By no means is it the be all and end all of Search Engine Optimisation, but it certainly is an important factor.

How can I get more backlinks to my site?

There are many ways to get backlinks to your website. Firstly, you can start by contacting similar websites, but its generally best not to contact direct competition, and simply ask them if they would like to share links with your website.
Articles - Articles can be submitted to thousands of websites, and if they have a link to your site in them, then your going to be getting lots of backlinks quite easily, of course dependant on whether the article is worth anything to anybody.
Blog - Interesting blog's are great ways to get people to link to areas of your site. Blog's are very easy to set up, and as long as they are kept up to date, they can be great for getting backlinks to your site.
Directories - Submitting your website to directories can be great for getting inbound links, especially directories such as DMOZ. (ODP - Open Directory Project)