Website backlinks are good. Backlinks mean that people are linking to your website and this does a few things for you. Not only should you strive to get more backlinks but you should track where they’re coming from as well.
Read on to find out why you want them and why you should be actively looking to check where your backlinks are coming from.
The SEO Value Of Backlinks
Search engines see links pointing to your website from other sites as a popularity vote. This means that the site pointing to you is giving you a nod or thumbs up.
If sites do this, this is a good thing for your pagerank, which can help you rank for keywords and phrases that relate to your business. Those rankings bring people to your website in the form of organic SEO. If the website is related to your niche and has a high pagerank themselves, the link is even more valuable!
Increasing Traffic
Not only do search engines pay attention to links but people see them as well. If a website points to a page of yours, people visiting that page may follow through to your page. This is important, especially in niche marketing.
For example, if you’re selling something and someone recommends your product, the backlink can also be a referral. If you have a newsletter or list, the recommendation could also bring you new visitors and new potential customers to market to.
Tracking Your Website Backlinks
Find out about links pointing to your site and look for them on a regular basis. Your website analytics reports will tell you about incoming links to your site. It’s a good idea to check these regularly and visit the websites that are pointing to you. There are a number of reasons this is a good idea:
• To see what’s being said. This can be valuable for reputation management.
• To thank the linking site for linking to you, if appropriate.
• To interact with the people linking to you. This can help you get more visitors, more support, and help you widen your network.
• To comment, if you’re being mentioned on a blog. Participating in social conversations can be very good for business.
What Next
Link unto others and others may link unto you. Website backlinks are good for you and good for you to do as well. Don’t hesitate to link within your own blog or site and to other relevant sites as well. Mention other great blogs that would be of interest to your audience in your blogroll and that blogger may do the same for you. Link to interesting and useful articles and you’ll increase your positive reputation as someone that provides value to customers.
Keeping track of where your website backlinks are coming from and linking to others, gives you an opportunity to build a bond with your audience as well as have an opportunity to continually improve your site’s search engine optimisation.
Have a most outstanding day.
Sean RasmussenAussie Internet Marketing
www.SeanSEO.com © 2008 - 2010
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Your tip about the blogroll has come up a couple of times now. I’m now on the lookout for a blogger with whom I might have some synergy, to get some blogroll luv! Great idea.
Thanks Sean
More great info. I may have an opportunity to swap blogroll links. This will be great.
Would having an article directory widget on my blog be better than linking directly to articles?
I don’t know why it surprises me, but I am constantly amazed at how much there is to do and to learn to accomplish anything in this business of internet marketing.
I have not gotten to the point of coping with backlink organization yet. I do have links and I do what I can as far as I can understand it and feel that I am doing it right.
I think that linking, html code, banners, widgets and all that is an area that is still beyond me. I know I have to learn to use it and use it properly. I know that I need to know much more about my backlinks and how to increase the effectiveness and all that.
Your article certainly will be stored for my future help. Right now I just feel too much at sixes and sevens to get it all up and running at the same time. I will accomplish it, but it won’t be overnight.
Thanks again for your help.
@Sean
Good article. Can we not keep track of backlinks in webmastertools?
Yes Chandan, you will find who is linking to you within Google webmaster tools as well.
Hi Sean,
I think I’m really starting to understand the power that backlinks have. I analyze my competition often and check where they get their backlinks from. I actively go after backlinks that I think will be great for my site.
The trick is to find authority sites in my niche that have a high PR. This is also another area where building relationships will help your cause.
I also love the way that Market Samurai gives great backlink information (under seo competition). Interesting to see the huge number appearing now on my website (click on my name above) as a result of all the comments I have made on these blogs of Sean’s as part of Sean’s $1000 competition.
Thanks Wal. I didn’t know about the backlink information being in that part of Market Samurai.
I bought it about 3 months ago and have slowly been going through the tutorials, sometimes over and over. Keyword research has been my biggest hurdle for reasons unknown to me.
yes back links are very important for a site…
thanks for sharing this article…
—————
George
Certified mcts
UK
Hi Sean
I need to strive to get back links coming into my site and once I do that I need to track where they are coming from. This will be down the track a little as I am still getting my blog ready.
All of this information is valuable to me albeit a little head of my time. I do know however that back links will help to improve the SEO on my site.
I can see how I need to go back and look at my Google analytics more. It may even give me an idea or two! Fancy that.
It can be very reveling where your backlinks are coming from …
I have to admit I like market samurai as a tool to help me find out all these things from the one place. Very handy