The Importance of Building Backlinks

Even in the wake of major ranking algorithm updates like Panda and Penguin, backlinks remain one of the most influential elements in determining where and how a website ranks. If you’re looking to attract organic, non-paid traffic through Google, Bing and Yahoo, you’ll need to build backlinks. It’s just that simple.

Don’t Just Assume Google Will Rank You High

Unfortunately, many webmasters underestimate the importance of building backlinks. They assume that Google will automatically rank their sites at the top of the SERPS. And when this doesn’t happen, they begin to wonder why.

You have to remember that it’s in the search engines’ best interest to display the most relevant results at the top of the SERPS. In other to determine whether a website is relevant to a search query, search engines look for ranking signals, one of which is backlinks. If a website has a significant number of relevant backlinks from a particular category of websites (e.g., pets, tech, home, auto, etc.), it’s more likely to rank for keywords consisting of the sites’ category.

It’s virtually impossible for Google — or any other search engine — to manually review each and every website, assigning them specific ranks in the SERPS. Therefore, it uses a complex ranking algorithm to determine where and how to rank websites.

Google has stated that its ranking algorithm factors in hundreds of signals, some of which include site speed, whether or not the site uses SSL encryption, average time spent on site, bounce rate, quality of content, and backlinks. Arguably, the single most influential ranking factor, however, is backlinks.

If you invest the necessary time and energy to building relevant backlinks from authoritative sources, you’ll reap the benefits of a higher search ranking.

Backlinks Generate Traffic

In addition to SEO, backlinks serve a second purpose: to generate direct traffic. Once you’ve created a strong network of backlinks, you’ll notice visitors trickling in from a variety of different sources. When someone sees your backlink and wants to learn more about your site, they may click it. This “direct traffic” is a huge benefit in itself that shouldn’t be overlooked, as it translates into sales and leads.

The bottom line is that link building should be a part of every webmaster’s strategy. It encourages higher search rankings while driving tons of direct traffic. Just remember to focus on quality over quantity.

Do you have a backlink building strategy in place? Let us know in the comments section below!