Backlinks are a key tool used in SEO to help you rank on Google and other search engines. They help to build authority and suggest to search engines that your content is worth linking to. In this article, we will explain how backlinks work, how they help your ranking and the ways in which you can build them. But first, how many backlinks do you need?
You should aim for quality backlinks rather than quantity. The industry you operate in will determine what backlinks are necessary for you to stand out against competitors. For example, healthcare or finance related content will need more backlinks to rank well than content about hair and beauty.
Read on to learn more about how many backlinks you need to rank with Wildcat Digital.
There’s no hard and fast rule on how many backlinks are needed to rank well. However, the industry in which you operate plays a part in this. For example, YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) businesses will typically need more than those not in such industries.
That being said, the focus should always be on quality over quantity. A bad backlink can be just as damaging as none at all. Backlinks from unreputable sites associate your site with it in the eyes of search engines.
Backlinks aren’t a black and white area, but there is a tool that can help you predict how many backlinks you need. Using keyword difficulty can help you to determine how many backlinks you would need to rank for that keyword.
For a keyword that is of difficulty of over 50, you may need over a hundred backlinks to rank highly. But for a lower keyword difficulty, between 0 to 10, you may need less backlinks to rank.
Backlinks work by linking one website to another. They represent a ‘vote of confidence’ from the website who links to them. Backlinks help websites to rank higher as essentially the search engine recognises that that content is worth the link that’s been built.
Another way of looking at it is that websites are vouching for the posted content and consumers should be engaging with it. You, as a consumer, trust the source that it’s coming from and are more likely to interact with the business as the link has come from a reputable website that you recognise.
Backlinks can be built in a number of ways and is often seen as a difficult process. It is important that the links you build are of a high quality. Low quality backlinks could cause damage as Google and other search engines will associate your brand with those sites. It’s best to build a quality backlink profile. Here are a few ways you can do this:
Backlinks can be earned organically through other websites linking to your content. This can be done by producing quality content that other websites want to link to. If your brand is strong, consumers will engage. Good ways to do this are:
By establishing quality backlinks, you give your brand credibility and this will continue to encourage more traffic to your site. Google’s algorithm views backlinks as a determining factor to how you rank. It’s key to prioritise building your backlink profile with quality rather than quantity.
Achieving PR backlinks is seen as a huge benefit to any brand as they often have high domain authority. This is an advantage over your competitors as it presents that PR bodies trust the content that you are creating. Google’s algorithm recognises the importance of these websites and will in turn push you to rank higher.
Your business can encounter bad PR backlinks but you are able to disavow these links to inform Google to ignore them. This helps prevent you from facing any penalties that these low-quality links can cause.
While you can purchase backlinks, it’s recommended that you shouldn’t. Purchasing backlinks can get your website to rank higher in the short term but in the long term it can harm your brand. Google states that anyone who purchases backlinks to manipulate their ranking breaches their guidelines. Your website could face severe penalties such as losing your ranking. To learn more about this, check out our article about Google penalties.
Building backlinks is a key tool to help make your business stand out online. If you need any assistance, don’t hesitate to contact us for a free consultation to help you start your SEO journey. Alternatively, if you have any more questions about SEO or the practices involved, check out our Knowledge Base content hub. Our experts are here to help you with any of your SEO needs.
