Search engine optimization (SEO) is an umbrella term that encompasses a range of strategies to help websites get more visible in organic search results, and link building is one of the key components.
Links are an essential part of any SEO plan, as they are the primary way that search engine algorithms can distinguish between reputable sources and websites with little to no value. They serve as a sort of “vote” for a website; when other sites link back to your own site, it sends signals to search engines that your content is relevant and authoritative.
As such, it is crucial for anyone involved in link building to understand the different types of links, as they all have their place in an effective SEO strategy. In this article, we’ll discuss the different types of links, how they can be used to benefit SEO efforts, and offer tips on how to build each type.
Key Takeaways
- Backlinks are a vital component of SEO and can significantly impact your website's ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs).
- Internal links help guide users through your site in a natural way and improve the crawlability of your website.
- External links to high-authority, quality, and valuable resources are beneficial for SEO in the long run.
- Paid, spammy, and irrelevant backlinks can harm your website's search engine rankings and should be avoided.
- It's important to diversify your backlink sources and not rely too heavily on a single website or domain.
Internal Links
Internal links serve two main purposes.
First, by interlinking your content, you have the chance to guide users through your site in the most natural way. If done right, it gives you an excellent opportunity to encourage visitors to explore the contents of your website and stay there for longer.
For example, if you write a comprehensive guide focusing on the best fashion tips for 2023, you can add links to other articles on your website focusing on, for instance, making the most out of your wardrobe or the colors that go together nicely.
The other purpose of internal links may not be as obvious, but it’s incredibly important: internal links play a significant role in the crawlability of your website.
Google bots crawl millions of individual pages every day, and if you don’t provide them with links between each page on your website, they will be unable to properly assess the relevance of any of them. This makes it difficult for the bots to understand how relevant a given piece of content is in comparison to other pieces of content on different sites, resulting in decreased visibility.
External Links
You might not be keen on using external links in your content since they essentially drive away traffic from your websites. However, things look a bit different from the SEO perspective.
Linking to high-authority, quality, and valuable resources is an excellent way to show Google that you’re keeping up with the latest developments in your field.
It also helps establish yourself as a dependable source of information since visitors can verify what you’ve said by clicking through and checking out the linked resources. This goes for both your own website and any other platform where you post content (social media, guest posts on third-party websites).
Backlinks
Backlinks probably have the highest value in terms of SEO, as they’re a direct signal to search engines that your website is worth recommending. Generally speaking, the more backlinks your website has from other reputable sources, the higher it will rank in search engine results.
Best Types of Backlinks
Let's take a closer look at the types of backlinks that you can consider for your link-building plans.
Editorial Backlinks
Editorial backlinks, also known as “natural” links, are the ones that you can acquire without doing anything other than creating quality content and networking with people in your industry. They usually come from bloggers who link to your website because they think it offers their readers valuable information on a particular subject.
Editorial links act as strong indicators to search engines that your website is trustworthy and should be placed higher in search engine results. They can also help build relationships between websites, potentially leading to future collaborations and partnerships.
How can you acquire editorial backlinks? In general, your best bet is to create high-quality, informative content that is relevant to your target audience. It should be well-written, visually appealing, and provide real value to readers.
Backlinks From Guest Blogging
Guest blogging is one of the best ways to build backlinks while simultaneously growing your audience and increasing brand recognition.
When you collaborate with another website and create content for them, you have the opportunity to include a link back to your own page within that piece. This way, not only do readers learn more about who you are and what products or services you offer, but also search engines will look at it as an endorsement from a trusted source.
As long as you guest blog on reputable websites with a large and engaged audience, you’ll be able to generate backlinks that will help your website rank higher in search engine results.
Guest Post Bio Links
As we’ve established above, backlinks from the body of guest posts can be incredibly valuable. But what about sites that do not allow backlinks inside the articles?
Even if putting a link to your website in the main portion of an article is not an option, you can still use the guest blogging opportunity to your advantage, as some sites may still allow you to include the backlink below the post in the section dedicated to the author’s bio.
Comment Backlinks
When you leave a comment under a post, you’re often presented with the opportunity to add a link to your own site. While this option is often exploited by spammers, who tend to leave dozens of same-looking messages everywhere they can, a link supported by a genuine and in-depth comment can benefit you.
Therefore, make sure you’re leaving thoughtful and relevant comments on platforms like blogs, forums, or any other websites that allow such activity and operate within your niche. This type of link building requires some patience and effort but can pay off in the end by improving your organic rankings in search engine results.
Moreover, users that get interested by your comment may click on the link you’ve included to find out more about you and what services or products your website offers.
Backlinks in Business Profiles
Creating business profiles on different websites can be an effective way to increase your online presence, boost website traffic, and generate more leads.
Platforms like Yelp, GoogleMyBusiness or LinkedIn are excellent examples of websites where you can set up a profile for your business and include links to your page. This way, the traffic coming from these sources will be more organic in nature since users looking for services like yours will already have an expectation that they’ll find what they’re looking for on your page.
Badge Backlinks
Badge backlinks offer a clever way to earn high-quality backlinks that can elevate your website's status.
A badge acts as an accolade that reputable sites can receive. You can implement a badge program on your own website, for instance, by establishing badges for sites that you often collaborate with. They’ll be proud to show them on their own platforms and link back to you.
Badge backlinks are not the easiest to get, but they can do wonders in terms of improving your SEO.
Types of Backlinks to Avoid
When it comes to link building, not all backlinks are created equal. As we’ve established above, some links can benefit your website while others can do considerable damage.
Spammy Backlinks
Spammy backlinks are links from low-quality websites or those with no real authority. These types of links often have nothing to do with the content on your page, and they can mislead search engines into thinking that your website lacks authority and value.
Irrelevant Backlinks
These backlinks are included on websites or in content unrelated to your industry or niche. While this type of backlinks may not necessarily harm your website's search engine rankings, they are unlikely to drive much traffic to your page or provide any real value to your marketing efforts.
Low-Quality Forum Backlinks
Engaging in forum discussions can be an excellent way to build relationships with other members and get backlinks from high-authority sources. However, it’s important to note that some websites offer the option of including a link in your signature or profile page.
If these forums are low quality, they won’t bring any real value to your website. Also, avoid signing up on many forums just for the sake of getting links as this might be seen as spammy by search engines.
What Types of Backlinks Are the Most Valuable?
While there is no one definitive answer that would tell you what a good backlink is, you can keep in mind the following factors:
The quality of the content posted on the website linking to you. You should always aim to get backlinks from trusted and authoritative websites. If you’re unsure whether a certain site is worth your attention, you can use a backlink authority checker like Ahrefs or Moz. Thanks to links from high domain authority websites, you should be able to significantly boost your organic traffic.
The website’s relevance to the content under the link. At first, you may think that Google bots are just bots. They’re not that smart, they do what they’ve been programmed to do, and that’s it. However, this way of thinking couldn’t be further from the truth. Google bots are quite smart, and when they see that one website links to another, they check whether the two sites are “related” in any way.
The relevance of the anchor tag. The more natural the anchor tag, the better. Of course, when it comes to SEO, some things are easier said than done, but you need to remember that the audience will be quick to notice if the anchor tag doesn’t sound natural or is placed in a way that doesn’t fit the rest of the text.
If you want to grow, the anchor text should include your target keyword. However, you definitely shouldn’t go overboard and stuff the text with as many keywords as possible. Sometimes, less is more, especially if you focus on quality and relevant keywords.
Finally, it’s also a good idea to try and get backlinks from different sources and domains that haven’t linked to you in the past. To provide an example, let’s say you got a link from a certain website. Then, the same website linked to you a second, third, and even fourth time. Will these links be as powerful as the first one was? In most cases, no.
Don’t worry, though. Even if some website links to you multiple times, welcome these links with open arms and be grateful. But, in the meantime, try to get links from different sites, and don’t feel discouraged. Every link matters, but five links from five different sources are usually more valuable than fifty links from a single site.
Final Thoughts
Links are an essential part of SEO, and their impact on a website's ranking in search engine results pages cannot be overstated. By leveraging different types of links, such as backlinks, internal links, and external links, you can help improve the visibility and credibility of your website on the internet.
However, it is essential to keep in mind that not all links are created equal, and some types of backlinks can harm your website's search engine rankings. As a website owner or digital marketer, it is vital to understand the value of high-quality links and their impact on your website's SEO performance.
To succeed in the competitive world of digital marketing, you need to build a diverse backlink profile with links from a variety of high-authority, reputable, and relevant websites. By doing so, you can enhance your website's reputation, authority, and visibility while driving more traffic and engagement to your site.
