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If you want a really influential website for your online business, you’re going to have to invest some time in link building. In other words, you’ll need to attract some quality backlinks.
You might be asking, “What is link building and what are backlinks?”
If you have been looking into search engine optimization (SEO), you have probably seen mentions of backlinks. This term refers to links that point back to your website. What’s more, the popularity of those links, as well as how many you have, will affect your site’s SEO ranking.
Additionally, you’ll get other benefits from quality backlinks. For example, your site could get referral traffic. What’s more, the better backlinks you have, the more authority your website gains in the view of the search engines.
This process is called link building. Below, we discuss more of the reasons why link building is so important for your online business.
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Domain and Page Authority
If your site has backlinks from a popular site, some of that site’s authority will rub off on your site. Search engines, bless their little hearts, find such authority impressive.
“Authority,” in this context, refers to the standing a particular site has because of the quality and quantity of links that point to that website. If your site has a number of backlinks from reputable sites, your site will have a higher domain authority. If your site has a higher domain authority, it has a better chance of winning one of the top spots in search results. See how this works?
Brand Authority
Therefore, links from popular websites give your site a great SEO boost. But wait. There’s more.
These links can also help in building your brand’s authority. Google looks at quality links as an indicator that your site offers useful information. What’s more, that’s how consumers view the links, too.
Moreover, while high-quality backlinks are good for your site’s SEO, they also earn your site higher authority. This is because of your brand’s association with authoritative brands. In other words, both search engines and consumers will begin to view your company as a trusted source of information.
To learn more about how you can build quality back links, borrow some ideas from these seven link building strategies.
Referral Traffic
Many people assume that Google and other search engines are the only reliable sources of traffic. However, there are some websites that rely on traffic from a variety of sources, including referral traffic from backlinks.
When people click on your links in content that mentions your brand, this is referral traffic. If your site has links from sites that receive high traffic, the flow of traffic to your website could get a real boost. For example, a single link from a popular site could give your site some of that high-quality traffic. Moreover, you’ll have a good chance of converting those new visitors because of the endorsement from the more popular site.
New Relationships
When someone reads interesting content in which your brand is mentioned, along with a link to your site, there’s a pretty good chance they will click your link. Human beings are hardwired for curiosity. They’re likely to want to learn more about the source or creator of the link—yours—they have just run across for the first time.
Their sense of curiosity will lead them to want to know more about your site. In the process, you could get a new subscriber. Or the user could perform some other actions on your website. In other words, a single link can send consumers to your company without their having to go through a search engine for the information they need.
Quality Backlinks Will Lead to More Conversions
Link building is an essential step in building a strong website. The first benefit you’ll get from quality backlinks is good SEO performance. Google will view your site as a credible source of information if a number of reputable sites link back to it. As we mentioned earlier, you can also get referral traffic through backlinks. This can be a good way to build new relationships.
Finally, backlinks, when used well, will improve your site’s and your brand’s authority, and lead to more conversions.
