Backlinks, also known as inbound or external links, play a crucial role in search engine optimization (SEO). They are links from one website to another. In the world of SEO, backlinks are often considered „votes“ for a website (illustrative example below). The more high-quality backlinks a page has, the higher the probability that search engines will classify this website or online shop as valuable and relevant. This can lead to the page being ranked higher in search results.

What are backlinks and what is the significance of these links (link building) in SEO search engine optimization?

Backlinks in SEO

1. Improvement of search engine rankings: Backlinks are an indicator for search engines of a website’s credibility and relevance. Websites with a high number of backlinks, especially from high-quality and thematically relevant sources, are often ranked higher in search results.
2. Increase in website authority: Websites with many high-quality backlinks are considered authorities in their field. Search engines like Google use complex algorithms to evaluate the „authority“ of a website, and link building is an important factor in this evaluation.
3. Increase in website visibility: Backlinks can also help to increase a website’s visibility. If a website is linked on various other pages, the probability of more people visiting it increases.
4. Networking and relationships: Creating links can also be a way to build relationships with other webmasters. This can lead to further collaborations and networking opportunities.

ATTENTION:

Our personal illustrative example to explain and define what backlinks are:

You are sitting with 10 friends at a barbecue in the evening and suddenly someone says: „Do you know the new pizzeria Luziano in town?“ 3 friends reply: „Yes, of course, we’ve been there, super delicious and great quality.“ Another friend, who owns a restaurant himself, adds: „Very nice owner and absolutely wonderfully furnished, their Pizza Funghi is amazing!“ And two other friends add: „We walked past it and wanted to go next Sunday because it really looks nice and many people talk about it.“

What happens now with the person who asked if anyone knows the pizzeria? Exactly, they have built trust through external voices, even though they still haven’t had any personal contact. What happens now? The person will visit the pizzeria with a corresponding positive feeling and take a closer look at the food and ambiance.

And now we replace

• Friends > Portals, news sites, forums, websites, shops etc.
• Barbecue > Google regulars' table for re-evaluating the internet for the algorithm
• Pizzeria > Your website URL
• Restaurant > Your website or shop title

Understood? You are figuratively building a trusted circle of friends with the backlink through backlink building who tell Google that your website or shop is valuable and good!

Types of Backlinks

• Natural Links: These occur when other website operators consider your content valuable and voluntarily link to it.
• Manually Built Links: These result from direct efforts, such as requesting links or influencer marketing. Purchased links also fall into this category.
• Self-Created Links: Such links are created by adding a link in online directories, forums, or blog comments. However, this method is not favored by search engines and can sometimes have negative effects.

Huge marketplace to find backlinks – content links, link packages, and forum links for the DACH region and worldwide. Tip: Use offers!

Become more visible on Google & Social Media?

Contents of this article

Toggle

In a free strategy consultation for data-driven online marketing, we uncover your untapped potential, review any existing ad accounts if necessary, examine your SEO ranking and visibility, and determine which strategy is appropriate for your budget and which active measures will lead to more inquiries or sales.

✅ More visibility & perception through targeted placement
✅ More visitors > prospects > customers > revenue
✅ Reach target groups scalably with SEA
✅ Act and grow sustainably with SEO
🫵 Maximum success with our hybrid strategy

💪 More than 15 years of experience across industries in over 1,000+ projects demonstrable!

Request a marketing strategy consultation now

and become sustainably visible!

Test Backlinked Marketplace * now

Guidelines for High-Quality Backlinks

• Relevance: Links from topically related pages are more valuable.
• Authority of the linking page: A link from an established, trustworthy website carries more weight.
• Dofollow vs. Nofollow: "Dofollow" links pass SEO value, while "Nofollow" links do not. However, both are important for a natural link profile.
• Link placement: Links embedded within the content of a page are often more valuable than those in footers or sidebars.

Further article tip:

Backlink Packages / Buy Backlinks Prices

The most important step: The backlink check – checking the backlink and its quality

Checking backlinks, often referred to as a „backlink check,“ is an essential part of an effective SEO strategy. This check helps analyze a website’s backlink profile to ensure that the links are of high quality and support rather than harm SEO efforts. Here are important aspects and steps to consider when performing a backlink check:

Importance of backlink checking

1. Identification of high-quality links: Recognizing which backlinks positively contribute to SEO and page authority.
2. Detection of harmful links: Identifying and removing harmful or spammy links that could negatively impact website rankings.
3. Analysis of link diversity: Ensuring that the link profile is natural and diverse, with a mix of different types of links.
4. Understanding the competitive landscape: Analyzing competitors‘ backlinks can provide insights into their SEO strategies and reveal opportunities for self-improvement.

Steps for backlink auditing

1. Choosing Backlink Analysis Tools: There are various tools such as Ahrefs, SEMrush, Moz, Google Search Console, and others that provide detailed insights into a website's backlink profile.
2. Collecting Backlink Data: These tools allow you to gather a list of all backlinks pointing to a website.
3. Evaluating Link Quality: Assessing backlinks based on various criteria such as domain authority, relevance, the link’s position on the page, and whether it is a dofollow or nofollow link.
4. Identifying and Dealing with Harmful Links: Identifying links that originate from spam sources or appear unnatural. These links should be removed or disavowed using the Google Disavow tool.
5. Analyzing Link Development Over Time: Observing how the backlink profile has evolved over time. Sudden drops or increases can indicate potential problems.
6. Comparison with competitors: Comparing one’s own backlink profile with that of competitors to identify potential opportunities and gaps.

SEO Tool Tip: Mangools SEO 5 in 1

To the best SEO tool*

Best Practices for Backlink Checks

• Regular Checks: Backlink checks should be performed regularly to ensure the health of the backlink profile.
• Balanced Link Acquisition: Focus on obtaining backlinks from various, high-quality sources.
• Reacting to Changes: Promptly react to negative changes in the backlink profile to avoid potential ranking losses.

Backlink checks are an indispensable part of a comprehensive SEO strategy. They not only help to evaluate the quality and effectiveness of a website’s backlink profile but also enable proactive measures to improve SEO performance. Choosing the right tools and a systematic approach are crucial for the success of this task.

Challenges and Best Practices for SEO Backlink Building in Off-Page Optimization

• Quality over Quantity: It is better to have a few high-quality links than many low-quality ones.
• Natural Link Profile: A natural profile with a mix of different link types is ideal.
• Avoidance of Black-Hat SEO Techniques: Techniques such as buying backlinks or excessive link exchange can lead to penalties from search engines.

[lepopup slug=’seo-mentoring-kreativbild‘]

Conclusion on SEO Backlink Building (Linkbuilding SEO)

Backlinks are an indispensable part of any successful SEO strategy. They not only help to improve a website’s visibility and ranking in search engines but also build credibility and authority. However, it is important to focus on natural and high-quality link building to ensure long-term success.

Florian Ibe
^{CEO & Marketing Consultant}

Questions & Help with SEO?

---

---

fi@vastcob.com

Open contact form

Your contact person: Florian Ibe

Please leave this field empty.

I have read and acknowledged the privacy policy and revocation information. I agree that my information from the form will be collected and processed to answer my inquiry.

FAQ about Backlinks

The five most common questions about backlinks, along with their answers, are:

1. What are backlinks?
   • Answer: Backlinks are links from one website to another. When an external website links to your website, you have a backlink from that page. They are important for SEO because they are a sign of a website’s quality and relevance to search engines.
2. Why are backlinks important for SEO?
   • Answer: Backlinks are important for SEO because they are considered a kind of „vote of confidence“ from one website to another. Search engines, especially Google, view backlinks as an important indicator of a website’s quality and authority. High-quality backlinks can help improve a website’s ranking in search results.
3. What is the difference between dofollow and nofollow backlinks?
   • Answer: „Dofollow“ backlinks are those that instruct search engines to follow the link and consider it when evaluating a page’s link popularity. „Nofollow“ backlinks, on the other hand, indicate that the link should not be followed and does not transfer direct SEO value. Both types of links are important for a natural link profile.
4. How can I build backlinks?
   • Answer: Backlinks can be built in various ways, including creating high-quality, shareable content, submitting websites to directories, guest blogging, influencer outreach, and forming partnerships with other relevant websites. It is important to use natural and ethical link-building methods to avoid penalties from search engines.
5. How can I assess the quality of backlinks?
   • Answer: The quality of backlinks is assessed based on various factors, including the authority of the linking website, the relevance of the linking page to your content, the placement of the link on the page, and whether the link is „Dofollow“ or „Nofollow“. Tools such as Moz’s Domain Authority, Ahrefs, or Google Search Console can help analyze the quality of backlinks.