Types of Backlinks in SEO You Should Know in 2024

What are Backlinks?

Google’s algorithms have been developing for a long time. The most common term used in search engine optimization (SEO) is backlink.  Backlinks are links to your website pages that appear on other websites, social media platforms, and other web-based locations. 

The establishment of backlinks with well-known websites plays a crucial role in Google’s search results. They have been shown to improve their search engine rankings. Quality backlinks are still a factor that marketers have always taken into account and are continuously adapting to improve the search engine rankings of the website. Having high-quality backlinks from reputable websites signifies that your content is authorized, reliable, and valuable. Web pages with more backlinks will consequently rank higher in search engine results pages. 

Backlinks are an important aspect of SEO and are generally denoted as link buildings. So, it is really important to understand the different types of backlinks and how they will be beneficial for your website’s search engine rankings. Acquire a deeper understanding of SEO with the help of Advanced Certificate in Digital Marketing and Communication from MICA.

Why are Backlinks Important?

Backlinks are essential due to the following reasons:

1. Backlinks signify valuable votes or approval from other websites. 
2. These websites let search engines know that your content is trustworthy and useful. Google will discover your website only when you will get a higher number of votes. In this case, the probabilities of attracting Google’s attention are also elevated. 
3. When various websites link to a particular page or website then the search engine assumes that the information or content of that webpage is worthwhile linking to and consequently worthwhile appearing on a search engine result page (SERP). Thus, a website’s ranking or search visibility may upgrade by using these backlinks.  
4. Backlinks are one of the most important search engine ranking factors provided by Google. 
5. It is also important to note that your website’s pages are properly indexed by Google. If not indexed it will not appear in search results. So, proper index and high quality are two key factors for your website gaining more visibility in search results.

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9 Best Types of Backlinks

Below mentioned are the best types of backlinks in SEO:

Editorial Backlinks

In editorial backlinks, a link is included within the content which refers to another website. These editorial backlinks are obtained naturally as a result of people liking and trusting the content on your website. The editorial backlink will help you in bringing more visitors to your website’s content. So editorial backlinks can be denoted as an essential component of any link-building strategy. This backlink points readers to another website from within a blog post or a piece of content. This link is intended to support the efforts of another website and it also spreads helpful knowledge among the public. 

Editorial backlinks are produced whenever your content is cited as a source of specific data or information. So, create evergreen content that is interesting, shareable, and has the potential to go viral to establish your position as a thought leader. The advantages of editorial backlinks are:

1. Improve trustworthiness among visitors and search engines
2. Increase search engine rankings
3. Expand traffic to the web page
4. Develops opportunities to establish a relationship for collaborations

Backlinks From Guest Blogging

While submitting a guest blog to another top-notch website you have the chance to attach an editorial backlink to your website. You can either pay for the guest link or it may be free that depends on the agreements between the two websites. Some websites backlinks offer this opportunity. So, try to search for trusted and relevant websites which increase the value of your website. If you are writing a guest post for a website that has a similar style and niche as your website will be a more appropriate option for you. In general Guest blogging can be very beneficial and help your website improve its ranking significantly.

1. Do the research and find a significant website that accepts guest posts.
2. Crete highly informative content that completely covers the subject of the guest post.
3. Include a link to your website inside the content which does not seem spam or overly promotional.

Backlinks in Business Profiles

When you create a digital profile for your brand on business listing websites, industry directories, social media, etc. you have the opportunity to include backlinks. The search engine considers these entries as proof that a site is well established. But you must be careful in selecting the location to post your backlinks as the locations must be well-reputed and reliable. While creating backlinks in business profiles be ensured that the link directly points to your main page. This process helps you believe the search engine that your website has quality content. Some of the best locations where you can start optimizing your website profile backlinks are Google My Business, Bing Places for Business, Yahoo Localworks, etc or you can use EO tools like Moz or Ahrefs.

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Backlinks from Webinars

Webinars are considered an amazing option for improving your SEO value and creating backlinks. An online seminar or presentation is known as a webinar that is used to share knowledge and instruct viewers. You can organize a webinar where you can generate contextual links that will support your link-building strategy. Webinars provide useful content for websites to link to. Your website content can be provided as a source and presented as a backlink in the webinar.

Free-Tool Backlinks

A free tool backlink is a reference to a website that offers a helpful resource or service without charge. Some websites provide free backlink sites that help you with a particular task. In this process, the website’s owner hopes you will utilize their tool and recommend it to others after realizing its value. The same technique can be used in improving backlinks to your website. Create a free resource that is valuable to your audience and give them access to it with ease. Free tool backlinks are intended to encourage users to spread the word about your content to others. Improving the usage and sharing of a free tool on your website can simultaneously optimize your website profile backlinks.

Acknowledgment Backlinks

Backlinks that are listed in the acknowledgments or credits section are referred to as acknowledgment backlinks. Sites frequently post acknowledgments when a brand donates money, sponsors it, etc. In the same way, this backlink is beneficial because it validates that other businesses trust your website and it can improve your website’s search engine rankings.

Guest Post Bio Links

According to the SEO community, the link-building technique is one of the most efficient ways to establish connections with other websites and enhance visibility in SERP.  Backlinks from guest posts in author bios are a well-liked link-building process. An author links to their website from the bio section of a guest post they have written for another website. This kind of backlink is often regarded as being more valuable.

Badge Backlinks

This is a smart method for obtaining high-quality backlinks. A badge is an honor that is given by one company to another in the form of a logo or a graphic along with a link. With this technique, you can strengthen new relationships. You receive back to your website when those sites proudly display the badge on their pages.

Comment Backlinks

In this type of backlink, users leave comments on other blogs or websites with links to their own websites.  The links are added to the commentator profile. Posting sincere comments which contribute to the discussion is generally acceptable. 

What Kinds of Backlinks Should You Avoid?

Below mentioned are the backlinks that you should avoid:

1. Paid Links

Paid links are purchased from another website in exchange for cash or other payments. They can therefore be risky because they may result in a Google penalty for using link schemes. Google warns that purchasing and selling links may have a negative impact on how well a site performs in search results.

2. Backlinks in Press Releases That Are Not Newsworthy

It is always important to make sure the press releases are newsworthy before adding any type of backlinks. If it is not noteworthy, search engines might consider it a scam and impose a penalty. It is an unethical technique to improve search engine performance. 

3. Low-Quality or Irrelevant Directory Links

Directory links refer to links to your website that come from online directories like Yelp or the Yellow Pages. Your SEO efforts may suffer if you create profiles in directories that are not reputable and trustworthy.

4. Low-Quality Forum Backlinks

This type of backlink comes from discussion boards like Redditor Quora. You should avoid low-quality forum backlinks. Forum posts from your brand should only be made in reputable forums and in genuine discussions.

What Types of Backlinks Are Valuable?

There are a number of backlinks that are valuable:

• Backlinks Coming from Trusted, Authoritative Websites: The backlinks which come from reputable and authoritative websites are the best ones. Government websites, market titans, and academic institutions are generally referred to as trusted websites.
• Link’s Anchor Text Includes Your Target Keywords: The text that can be clicked to open a link to a different page is called the anchor text. The external text needs to contain a few of your target keywords so that search engines can understand the subject of the linked page.
• A Relevant Site Links to Yours: Links from the sites that are pertinent to your niche are valuable because they demonstrate that other websites view you as an authority on the subject
• It is a “Dofollow” Link: Dofollow link is the most popular and effective backlink for SEO. This backlink permits search engines to follow them when crawling the source website. It represents trust which signifies that you trust the information on the linked-to website. If you include a do follow link on your website that means you are confirming to Google that the link is genuine. 

Conclusion

Backlinks are an important aspect of SEO. Here a clear idea about the different types of backlinks and how they will be beneficial for your website’s search engine rankings are discussed. The backlinks that are valuable and the types of backlinks that are avoided are explained. Implement the SEO strategies by pursuing Advanced Certificate in Brand Communication Management from MICA.