Do you have a website and want to make it known on the internet? Do you know that natural referencing (SEO) is essential to attract qualified visitors and convert your prospects into customers? So you absolutely must master the art of backlinks!
Backlinks are links that point to your website from other sites. They are considered “votes” of trust and popularity by search engines, notably Google. The more quality backlinks you have, the more you increase your chances of ranking well in search results (SERP).
But how to get backlinks? What are the criteria that make a backlink quality? How to measure the impact of backlinks on your SEO traffic? In this article, we'll tell you everything you need to know about backlinks and how to use them to boost your SEO traffic.
What is a Backlink And Why is it Important For SEO?
A backlink is a hyperlink that links to a page on your website from another site. It is materialized by a tag which contains the URL of the target page and a link anchor, that is to say the visible text on which the Internet user can click.
Backlinks are important for SEO because they tell search engines that your website is relevant, credible and useful. In fact, each backlink is a kind of recommendation from another website to yours. The more recommendations you have, the more authority and visibility you gain in the eyes of Google.
- However, not all backlinks are created equal. Some carry more weight than others based on several criteria, such as:The theme of the source site: it is preferable to obtain backlinks from sites which deal with the same subject as yours or which are in the same niche.
- The authority of the source site: it is more interesting to obtain backlinks from sites that have a good reputation and strong notoriety on the internet.
- The relevance of the link anchor: it is important that the link anchor is related to the content of the target page and that it contains strategic keywords for your SEO .
- Link position in the content: It is more beneficial to get backlinks that are placed in the body of the text rather than in the footer or sidebar.
- The number of outbound links on the source page: It's best to get backlinks from pages that don't have too many outbound links, as this dilutes the link value.
- The link attribute: there are two types of attributes for links: “follow” and “nofollow”. Follow links pass link juice to the target page, while nofollow links do not. “Follow” links are therefore more beneficial for SEO than “nofollow” links.
How to measure the quality of a backlink?
To measure the quality of a backlink, there are several metrics you can use, such as:
- Domain Authority (DA): this is a score from 0 to 100 which evaluates the popularity and reliability of a domain name. The higher the DA, the more authoritative the source site is considered by Google. You can consult the DA of a site with the MozBar tool.
- Page Authority (PA): this is a score from 0 to 100 which evaluates the popularity and reliability of a web page. The higher the PA, the more authoritative the source page is considered by Google. You can consult the PA of a page with the MozBar tool.
- Trust Flow (TF): this is a score from 0 to 100 which evaluates the trust placed in a website based on the quality of the sites which provide backlinks to it. The higher the TF, the more reliable the source site is considered by Google. You can consult the TF of a site with the Majestic tool.
- Citation Flow (CF): this is a score from 0 to 100 which evaluates the popularity of a website based on the number of sites that provide backlinks to it. The higher the CF, the more popular the source site is considered by Google. You can consult the CF of a site with the Majestic tool.
- The TF/CF ratio: this is the ratio between Trust Flow and Citation Flow. It allows you to evaluate the balance between the quality and quantity of a website's backlinks. The closer the ratio is to 1, the more the source site has a natural and diversified link profile. You can calculate the TF/CF ratio with the Majestic tool.
How to get quality backlinks for your website?
To obtain quality backlinks for your website, you must implement an effective and sustainable netlinking strategy. Netlinking involves creating inbound links to your website from other relevant and authoritative websites in your field.
- There are several linking techniques you can use, such as:The creation of valuable content: this involves producing original, useful and interesting content for your audience, which will encourage other websites to cite and share it. For example, you can create blog posts, infographics, videos, podcasts, case studies, white papers, etc.
- Optimizing content for keywords: this involves integrating the keywords most searched for by your target in your content, in order to make them more visible and more relevant for search engines. For example, you can use the Semrush tool to identify the most popular keywords in your topic.
- Promoting content on social networks: this involves distributing your content on the social platforms where your audience is located, in order to generate traffic and interactions. For example, you can use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, etc.
- Searching for partner sites: this involves identifying websites that have a theme close to or complementary to yours, and that have good authority and a good reputation on the internet. For example, you can use the Semrush tool to find sites that rank on the same keywords as you.
- The guest post proposal: this involves offering partner sites to publish a guest article on their website, in exchange for one or more backlinks to your website. For example, you can write an article on a topic that interests their audience and adds value to their content.
- The creation of internal links: this involves creating links between the pages of your own website, in order to facilitate navigation for Internet users and the indexing of pages by search engines. For example, you can create links between your blog posts and your service or product pages.
How to monitor and analyze the results of your netlinking strategy?
- To track and analyze the results of your linking strategy, you should use backlink measurement and tracking tools, such as:Google Search Console : This is a free tool provided by Google that allows you to view data about your website, including the number and origin of your backlinks, as well as which pages are most linked to.
- Semrush: this is a paid tool that allows you to carry out a complete analysis of your link profile, as well as that of your competitors. You can thus know the number, quality, distribution and evolution of your backlinks, as well as the netlinking opportunities to be seized.
- Majestic: this is a paid tool that allows you to consult data relating to your backlinks, including Trust Flow, Citation Flow, TF/CF ratio, number of referring domains, number of “follow” links ” and “nofollow”, etc.
Using these tools, you can evaluate the effectiveness of your linking strategy and its impact on your SEO traffic. You can therefore adjust your actions according to the results obtained and optimize your return on investment (ROI).
Conclusion
Backlinks are essential elements for SEO. They allow you to improve your visibility, your credibility and your traffic on the internet. To obtain quality backlinks, you must implement a coherent and sustainable linking strategy, based on the creation and promotion of valuable content, research and proposal of partnerships with relevant and authoritative sites in your field, and creating internal links between your web pages. You must also measure and analyze the results of your netlinking strategy with suitable tools, in order to optimize your SEO performance.
