Your website’s performance depends on the types of backlinks you get from another website. Not all types of backlinks are beneficial for your website; some toxic backlinks can ruin your SERP performance.
But Google doesn’t really tell us what factors they consider for their SERP rankings, right? So, how do we know what types of backlinks to acquire?
In this article, we will talk about the reasons why you need more backlinks to your website.
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Not All Links Are Equal
Since the Google Penguin update, backlinks have different values based on different factors. One high-quality link can outperform irrelevant backlinks, even if you have more.
There are different factors to consider when assessing the quality of a backlink. Some of these are:
- Relevance of the backlink to the page it is linking to.
- The source of the backlink is from a website with good domain authority.
- Anchor texts perform better if they are relevant to the target keyword.
- Google prefers more referring domains than multiple backlinks coming from the same domain.
Before we go through why you should have more backlinks to your website, you should know that not all links are equal. Awareness of which backlinks to get is what brings more quality backlinks to your website.
For example, if your website is a travel blog, the backlink domains must be closely-related. A backlink from a science news blog does not give much value to your travel blog. Get backlinks from food blogs and travel gear websites to get more value out of your backlinks.
ADDING MORE BACKLINKS: Is It Good or Bad?
Generally, adding more backlinks is suitable for your website. But (I know you’re waiting for it), it can be harmful if you have irrelevant links. So, we’re going to assume that you’re only bringing high-quality backlinks (more on this later) to your site.
Here are some reasons why you should add more backlinks to your website:
1. Different types of backlinks make a good backlink profile.
First, what is a backlink profile? It’s the culmination of a website’s backlinks and how good they are. The backlink profile determines how good a website’s backlink is.
You are in a safe spot if your backlinks come from a domain with a good backlink profile. Moreso if your website’s different types of backlinks come from various domains.
Additionally, the type of backlink you get is essential. If you only have 1 type of backlink from all linking domains, say, “sponsored backlinks,” it does not add much value. Having these links in your backlink profile is more advantageous:
- Guest post links
- Editorial links
- Directory links for local SEO
- Social media backlinks
It is advisable to know the different types of backlinks you want for your website. Adding variety to your backlink profile makes your link-building strategy look more natural, which Google approves.
2. Backlinks drive traffic to your website
Image alt text: 90% of pages in Google get no organic search traffic.
According to the study from Ahrefs, most pages in Google do not receive organic search traffic. Only pages from the top results get all organic search traffic.
This is the main reason why you need backlinks for your website. You need to be on top of the search results to get that prized organic search traffic.
But is adding more backlinks the real solution for this? Not really. As we’ve discussed earlier, the relevance of the backlink plays a huge role in assessing its value. As long as you get relevant links, your website will slowly crawl to the top page of the SERP (search engine results page).
To get more organic search traffic from your backlinks, ensure that the types of backlinks in your profile come from content creation. These links can drive referral traffic which is beneficial for search rankings.
3. Backlinks bring great SEO metrics
A top-ranking website like Forbes consistently gets the top SERP spot because it is backed by millions of backlinks. But this is just to highlight the case that backlinks propel your website’s SEO metrics. Such metrics are:
- Domain Authority (DA)
- Domain Rating (DR) from Ahrefs
- Referring domains
- Organic traffic
- Page Rank (PR)
Although these metrics do not affect the SERP rankings directly, they provide measurable statistics on your website’s performance on the SERP. Getting good SEO metrics brings more link building opportunities, which can snowball into great results.
4. Build more niche networks from backlinking websites
When you build links from niche websites, you might also build a connection with them. Building relationship-based backlinks is a good idea if you want to continue getting backlinks from the same site. Since you trust each other, getting backlinks for your other pages is a walk in the park.
Aside from getting infinite backlink opportunities, you also get referral traffic from their website. You also get partners if you are hosting a local event. Building a network among your link building prospects nets you more growth opportunities.
This triggers the “Compound Effect”. Your link building efforts pay off over and over again for your future content. As you find your other content easier to rank, your compound link building effort reaps a big ROI.
What Types of Backlinks Does Your Business Need Right Now?
Webmasters have a good idea of how powerful backlinks are for websites. However, the problem lies in the types of backlinks suitable for the website. Most webmasters don’t know how to distinguish a good backlink that can propel their website’s SERP ranking.
For this matter, we are discussing the types of backlinks based on tiers. Tier 1 backlinks have more value than tier 2 and tier 3 backlinks. Let us discuss each in detail.
Tier 1 Backlinks
Tier 1 backlinks are the ‘high-quality backlinks’ you always see in articles. These links are the heavy-hitters when it comes to link building. Getting tier 1 links on your website gives you authority in your industry.
These backlinks are a result of natural or ‘white hat link building’‘. Although this is the best link building technique out there, it’s very challenging and time-consuming. Organic link building might discourage SEO marketers, so they rely on easier link building tactics. But these tactics won’t net them the same value as tier 1 backlinks.
Introduce tier 1 backlinks to your website because these are the best you can get. These backlinks are:
- Editorial links – a publisher, blogger, or journalist uses your content as a credible source. Editorial backlinks automatically come to your website without asking for it due to your high-quality content.
- Guest post backlinks – ask for a guest post from a niche website and provide relevant content. Ask if you can add your website’s URL in the guest post and create business relationships.
- Niche directories – yes, you read that right. Niche directories are powerful links when it comes to local SEO. However, do not overuse this, as it can get you banned from Google.
If you’re planning to add more backlinks to your website, we recommend adding tier 1 backlinks. Although these links are hard to get, they bring huge value to your website’s performance on SERP.
Tier 2 Backlinks
Tier 2 backlinks come from grey-hat link building techniques that bring easy links. These links do not contribute much value to your link building strategy and are expected to lose value completely on SERP rankings. We do not recommend spending too much time on getting tier 2 backlinks for your link building strategy.
If you want the best link building strategy for your website, you don’t need tier 2 backlinks anymore. Avoid tier 2 backlinks as much as possible because they can affect your website’s performance.
It is hard to notice if you are already practicing gray-hat tactics on your website because the limits are not definite. So, you must avoid these strategies to make sure you are getting the highest quality links:
- Spinning content for guest posts.
- DA-based link building.
- Niche directory submitting.
- Sidebar links.
- Logo links.
Getting tier 2 backlinks may be a walk in the park, but Google prioritizes backlinks coming from hard work. Getting backlinks shouldn’t be easy in the first place. Google understands this, and so should you.
Tier 3 Backlinks
If we are to rank these backlink types, tier 3 backlinks are the worst. Aside from the fact that these backlinks won’t add any value to your website, they can also damage your website’s ranking. Tier 3 backlinks are like viruses in your computer that you need to remove.
If Google notices that your website contains tier 3 backlinks, your website can be penalized. Google knows that you used black hat tactics to acquire these links. Search engines do not trust websites that use tier 3 backlinks for link building.
You should avoid getting tier 3 backlinks at all costs. These are what you need to avoid:
- Generic and irrelevant directory listings.
- Paid and solicited links.
- Forum comment spam.
- Backlinks from irrelevant websites.
Final Word
Now that you know why you should add more backlinks to your website, make a robust link building strategy to get high-quality links. However, know that you can only bring in specific types of backlinks to increase your website’s SERP performance.
Adding more tier 1 backlink to your website brings you the full benefits of white hat link building. But if you add tier 2 backlinks to the mix, you get less impact from your link building strategy. Just make sure that you don’t get additional tier 3 and tier 2 backlinks if you’re already going for tier 1 backlinks.
If the reasons we discussed are enough to propel your website’s performance, then go for it! Follow this article to guide you on what types of backlinks to target when adding new backlinks.
Good luck with your link building!
