In the ever-evolving world of digital marketing, understanding the pivotal role of backlinks in SEO is like uncovering a hidden treasure in the vast ocean of website optimization. Imagine a world where your website’s ranking on Google hinges on the quality and relevance of the sites that link back to it. This blog post delves into the intricate web of backlinks — the unsung heroes of SEO — revealing how they can be your site’s best friend or its worst enemy. Whether you’re a seasoned SEO expert or just starting out, join us as we navigate the complex yet fascinating landscape of backlink audits, exploring why they are crucial for your website’s success and how you can master them to stay ahead in the search engine game. Prepare to embark on a journey that will transform your understanding of SEO and elevate your website to new heights!
Do You Need A Backlink Audit?
Backlinks are the heart and sole of SEO. Although there are many SEO Techniques, links from other websites that link back to your site is one of the most important factors in getting your site to rank well in Google and other search engines.
Backlinks can also hurt your rankings if the sites that link back to you are not of high quality. Having monthly audits to your backlinks is one of the most underutilized aspects of SEO. Below will go into detail on Backlinks and how you can check them yourself, or you can request DEAN Knows to complete a Backlinks Audit for your website.
How Do Backlinks Affect Your SEO?
If there is one main aspect that affects your SEO more than anything else, its backlinks to your website. Google spends an enormous amount of money to insure that their customer (the person doing the searching) receives relevant search results. Making sure that your site is “relevant” in Google’s eyes is the process of SEO.
One of the biggest factors in Google figuring out if your site or page is relevant is what websites are using YOU as an authority. For instance, if a large, quality website such as Search Engine Journal is writing an article on SEO in New Orleans, and in that post, when they say the words “SEO in New Orleans” and those words were to link to your site—-Google looks at that and assumes that you are a very credible source of information for SEO New Orleans.
By that same rational, if you have a restaurant, and Zagat does an article on the best restaurants in New Orleans, and links to your site using those keywords —Google will assume that your site should be found for the search query of “Best Restaurants in New Orleans”. Its not an easy process to get super quality sites to link to you—so naturally the sites with the best content for those keywords are the ones that get linked to.
So How Do Backlinks Hurt My Websites Rankings?
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There is a constant struggle between what Google ranks websites for and SEO Guru’s exploiting that criteria. At one point, Google didn’t look very closely at the QUALITY of the site linking to your site—they were looking for the sheer number of backlinks that were referring to your website.
Because of that, many SEO Companies would throw up a quick site and link out to all of their clients websites. Do that a couple thousand times and you have a Private Blog Network or PBN. The websites that were thrown up to do the linking out were never intended to be looked at by the general public–only to link out to other sites to grow their SEO.
Because sites were ranking that didn’t give Google’s customers the best experience (results not relevant because the SEOs were manipulating the search results) they made adjustments and started looking at the QUALITY of the links pointing back to you. To take it a step further, they would actually penalize you if you had “bad backlinks” from a PBN. Here is a great article on if PBNs can still work today. Be careful — if you have links that point back to your site that are not of high quality, it can substantially hurt your search engine rankings or SERPs.
How Can I See Who Is Linking To My Website?
Most SEO Companies have a variety of tools to analyze your domain and your website. One of the most basic functions is examining the back-links coming to your site. If you don’t have one of those super cool SEO Tools, the easiest way is to look at your Google Search Console reporting on your site. If you don’t have your site set up on Google Search Console (formally Google Webmaster Tools) — you REALLY need to do that ASAP as its contains a ton of great information on how Google interacts with your website and its FREE!.
How Do I Know If These Backlinks Are Good Or Not?
That is really where the rubber meets the road. When you look over the backlinks that refer back to your site, you will recognize some of them…but not all. You need to do some preliminary research on those backlinks to see what their domain metrics are. This is where a good SEO Company comes into play. They can look over those backlinks and quickly give reporting back to you on which links should be disavowed.
Conclusion
Backlink audits are not just a one-time task but an ongoing strategy vital for the health and success of your website. Whether you choose to delve into this task yourself or seek the expertise of DEAN Knows, remember that the quality of your backlinks can significantly influence your site’s standing in the digital realm. High-quality backlinks are like glowing endorsements in the eyes of search engines, enhancing your site’s credibility and authority. Conversely, poor-quality links can be detrimental, pulling your rankings down like anchors in an ocean of competition.
Regular backlink audits ensure your website remains afloat and sails smoothly towards higher search engine rankings. As you navigate the intricate world of SEO, keep in mind that backlinks are not just links; they are the bridges connecting your website to the vast universe of the internet, influencing how the world perceives and values your digital presence. So, set your sails right, keep a vigilant eye on your backlink portfolio, and embark on a journey towards SEO success!
