Google is constantly changing the algorithm it uses to index and rank websites. In fact, the Mountain View company is believed to make several hundred changes to its ranking algorithm each year, some of which are small while others are more complex. Even with all of these changes, however, backlinks remain one of the most influential factors in determining a website’s ranking.
In a study cited by SearchEngineLand, researchers found links to be one of the “largest correlations with top-performing content.” It wasn’t just the quantity of links that impacted a site’s content, but also the number of referring domains as well as the authority of those domains. This reveals the contrasting difference of search engine optimization (SEO) today as opposed to several years ago. Back then, search engines placed an emphasis on the number of links a website had, paying little regards to the quality of those links.
With this information in hand, you should work to optimize your site’s backlink portfolio by following tips and best practices listed below:
- Don’t pay for backlinks. There are dozens upon dozens of companies out there that sell “backlink packages.” While it may sound like a good idea to bolster your site’s search ranking, Google has said that paid links are against its Webmaster Guidelines, so it’s best to avoid them.
- Diversify your anchor text. Another best practice to follow when building backlinks is to diversify your anchor text. In other words, don’t use the same anchor text over and over. Some webmasters believe this will help them rank for a particular keyword, but it could have the opposite effect by triggering a penalty.
- Avoid creating links on questionable websites. What exactly is a “questionable website?” Well, if the site contains spam, unmoderated visitor comments, adware/viruses, or excessive pop-ups, it’s probably best to avoid it. Having your site associated with questionable sites such as this could have a negative impact on its search rankings.
- Quality over quantity. When building backlinks for your website, focus on quality over quantity. Search engines have evolved to emphasize the importance of quality links, meaning a handful of relevant links from authoritative sources will prove far more beneficial than hundreds or even thousands of low-quality generic links.
- Conduct backlink audits. Webmasters should conduct regular backlink audits to identify where their links are located. Using this information, you can find out if there are any bad links cluttering your portfolio, at which point you can remove them via Google’s disavow tool. The disavow tool won’t technically remove your links per-se, but rather it tells Google to ignore them.
