SEO · 30 Aug 2014 · 2 min read
Backlinks: quality vs quantity
Before getting into how to build quality backlinks, it’s worth being clear about what they are. A link is simply what connects one web page to another across the internet. A backlink is a link from someone else’s page into yours.
Backlinks matter because search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing use them to discover new content and to help decide how to rank a site. That’s where quality comes in. Search engines look at how many backlinks point to your site, which is one signal of authority on a topic, but they weigh the quality of those links just as heavily. A link from a reputable, high-standing site says more about your site’s worth than a dozen from low-quality ones — the same principle that applies to reputation everywhere else applies online too. A pile of poor-quality backlinks can actually tell search engines your site keeps bad company.
Where to look for quality backlinks
For a local business, a few categories consistently produce backlinks worth having:
- Directories relevant to your business niche and locality
- Major social networks, such as Facebook, X and YouTube
- Professional associations relevant to your business or industry
- Government directories (.gov), especially if you supply or contract for government work
- Educational sites (.edu) — alumni pages, fraternities, sororities and similar
- Non-profit sites (.org), if your business supports community projects
- Local community websites
- Established blogs relevant to your niche
- Complementary businesses — a golf coach linking to a golf equipment retailer, for instance
- Your own clients’ websites, blogs and social accounts
- Online newspapers, magazines, trade publications and professional journals covering your business or location
- Article directories, provided you include a proper author bio with your business link
Conclusion
Chasing backlink volume on its own is the wrong goal. A handful of links from sites your industry actually respects will do more for your rankings — and your reputation — than a long list from sites nobody else trusts.