The Importance of back links in SEO

The importance of back links in SEO (also referred to as inbound links) stems from the fact the Google uses them to evaluate or at least as an indicator as to the quality of your content. In fact they attach so much importance to back linking that back in 2005 Google filed a patent application based on search technology based on back linking.

Anyway, the important thing here is that getting quality back links, or inbound links is very crucial for higher search engine rankings and webmasters and online publishers employ various methods — legitimate or illegitimate — to get back links.

Why Back Links Are Important In SEO?

Back links tell the search engines that people respect your opinion, it is like are voting system, and they are voting for you.. If lots of people link to your web pages, using anchor text appropriate to your theme, this is taken as validation of your content. The logic is: why would people link to you unless you have something valuable to offer?

But sadly this logic crumbles when people pay other websites to get back links. For instance, would it make sense if some poker website paid me to put their link on this web design and SEO blog (unless of course I specifically mention that it is an advertisement)? The buying and selling of links has become so rampant that Google is contemplating penalising people indulging in these tactics?

So What Is a Good Way Of Getting Quality Back Links?

Lots of link-worthy content. You should get back links in a normal, natural manner and back linking should be voluntary, not mercenary. No, I haven’t turned Leftist all of a sudden, but if you are publishing external links for moolah, the least you can do is mention it on your website or blog that you are being paid to publish those links, and Google even goes to the extent of recommending the attribute for the websites you are linking to.

So the best way to obtain high-quality back links is by generating valuable content regularly, over a long period of time. Webmasters and bloggers enjoying high traffic always like to refer to an external link rather than explaining a topic from scratch. Give people something to link to and see how your traffic surges up.

This Friday my post will be “10 tips for effective reciprocal linking”.