5 Way to Gain Quality Backlinks for SEO

5 Ways to Gain Quality Backlinks for SEO

"93% of online experiences begin with a search engine"

There is no getting away from the fact that backlinks remain one of Google's top three ranking factors, and that it is unlikely to change any time soon. (SEMRUSH)

What is a Backlink and Why is it Important?

A backlink the SEO term that refers to any direct link from one website to another.  Also called "inbound" links, backlinks are an important strategy for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) because they represent a "vote of confidence" from one site to another.  Quality backlinks tell search engines such as Google that your site is worth linking to.

This is an example of a link from this site to Dufferin Media 

Including backlinks as a tactic in your digital marketing strategy can be beneficial for your search engine rankings, but also have other major wins for your business or organization.  Backlinks are also an amazing way to generate additional website traffic, as well as give your business additional visibility all across the web.

Here are 5 suggestions for ways that you can generate quality backlinks to your website:

1.  Social Media Profiles

All social media profiles with the exception of Instagram are all indexed by Google.  Making sure that your social media profiles are set up and optimized completely is an incredible way not just to be found easier within the social media platform itself, but also on Google search results.  Include your website link fields that request it, but you can also include a link to your website within the profile text itself for further benefit.

In addition you can get even more value from consistent posts that include your website as the landing page / call to action.  Social media POSTS are indexed by search engines and can generate traffic directly to your landing pages.  Pinterest is an extremely valuable tool in improving search engine traffic and SEO, if that is one of your goals.

**Don't forget about Google My Business when optimizing your profiles**

2.  Local Business Directories

My business is located in Orangeville Ontario Canada, and there are a number of local online business directories that we take advantage of in order to generate quality backlinks for SEO purposes.  For example, our town website has a free business directory, as does our local newspaper and board of trade.  I'm sure that your town / city / municipality has similar directories if you do some research.

Creating a free business profile, or adding your business or organization to these directories usually only takes a few minutes and will create a quality backlink to your website, as well as help you get found on searches within those directories and also certain Google Searches.  This is because each of those websites ie for me the Town of Orangeville itself has good SEO and you will benefit from their SEO efforts.  It is really a win/win for their website and for your business.

3.  Online Business Directories

Now we think about general online business directories.  There are literally thousands.  The key in this strategy is to try and find quality online directories, not just random link dump sites.  Google may actually penalize your business for poor quality or spammy backlinks.  So in this game it is always QUALITY OVER QUANTITY

Here is a great article from Search Engine Journal that lists 21 directories that are quality and have value 

21 Web Directories for Backlinks

Spend some time each week or each month looking for new places that you can "list" your business in a directory.  **Quick Win**- Include target keywords in your bio or about section!!!

4.  Blog Comments

One of the strategies that you will see bloggers using is to leave comments on each other's blog posts.  This is a great collaborative effort to help build up the valuable unique content on these websites.  Leaving a comment on a blog post or article can be a valuable strategy for YOUR website because the link back to your website is content on a webpage and therefore can create a recognized backlink by search engines

Blog comments are content on a page. Content on a page is indexed by Google. If a link is on a page, that link becomes part of Google's analysis of SEO. Therefore, you can leave a blog comment with your link and have that linked indexed by Google, thus counting as a benefit to your SEO

If you have a blog, encouraging comments and approving the "authentic" ones are a great way to get more unique content on YOUR site, another big PLUS in the world of SEO.

5.  Guest Blogs / Articles / Events / Collaborations

Lastly, there are a few others ways you can generate valuable backlinks for your business or organization that could be explored.  Here is a quick list for easy reference

• Submit / Write Guest Blogs for other websites with a link back to your site  
• Submit articles to online publications with a link back to your website
• If you participate in any event i.e. trade show, webinar, seminar, make sure that your full business information including your website is posted on the website of the event
• Collaborate with trusted colleagues and related businesses and exchange website links
• Give a testimonial (that includes your website)

I hope that you have gotten some ideas on ways that you can start working towards gaining more quality backlinks to your website and the benefit of this in your overall digital marketing strategy.  If you are interested in outsourcing your SEO please contact Dufferin Media - budget friendly packages start at just $200 monthly for SEO.

Comments are OPEN below go ahead lets build some backlinks together!