What are Backlinks? See the Full Explanation

Today's digital marketing requires the interaction of internet users wherever and whenever they are. With interaction from users, it is hoped that marketing messages can be conveyed properly so that it has the potential to increase sales.

To be able to deliver these interactions, content is needed to complement the marketing process itself. The content created is not only posted, but can also be listed on other websites. These are commonly referred to as backlinks. However, what exactly are backlinks? Let's explore it together.

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Backlinks, Incoming Links from Other Web

A backlink (also known as an "inbound link" or "one-way link") is a link originating from one website to a page of another website. Google and other major search engines regard backlinks as a form of "voting" for a particular page. Pages with a high number of backlinks tend to rank top on search engines like Google. 

How Do Backlinks Work?

Backlinks play an important role in search engine algorithms, SEO and overall digital marketing strategy in order to grow your website. The easiest way to think of backlinks is as a conversation between websites. For example, Person A is a blogger, and he wrote a very interesting article about the event prestigious sports.

Another blogger, Person B, linked to Person A's article while sharing his perspective. Since he writes on the topic also on his famous online magazine site, this creates a backlink to Person A's post. Since the online magazine has become popular, many other sites will link back to his article. This will increase the authority of the online magazine, and Person A's articles will also get valuable backlinks from well-known sites.

Basically, it's a very profitable strategy.

Why Are Backlinks Important?

Backlinks are very valuable for SEO because they represent a "vote" from one site to another.

In essence, a backlink directed to your website is a signal to search engines that someone else has vouched for the quality of your content. If multiple sites link to the same webpage or website, search engines may conclude that the content is worth linking to, and therefore, deserves to appear on Google's search results pages. So, getting these backlinks can have a positive impact on a site's ranking position or search visibility.

Types of Backlinks

• Nofollow

The Nofollow tag is a backlink that will tell search engines to ignore a link. Using this tag means that it will not pass any value from one site to another. So, usually they are not helpful in increasing your ranking or search visibility.

• Dofollow

Dofollow links are the type of backlink that everyone wants. Keep in mind that sitelinks from respected sites have the most value. These types of backlinks can help improve your search rankings.

However, there are dofollow links that are considered bad or can be "poisonous". These links are from suspicious sites or were obtained in violation of the search engine terms and conditions of service.

This can cause Google to penalize or even cancel your site index. Remember, it's not about the quantity of backlinks, it's the quality that makes the difference in search rankings.

Process of Generating and Providing Backlinks

Generating backlinks is an important component of off-site SEO. This process of getting links is known as link earning or link building.

Some backlinks are inherently more valuable than others. Backlinks that have been followed by trusted, most popular, and high authority sites are considered to be the backlinks that everyone wants the most. Meanwhile, backlinks from low-authority sites that have the potential to be spam will usually fail or not reach the top rankings.

Just like some quality backlinks you get, the links you create to other sites also differ in value. When linking to external sites, the choices you make regarding the page you link to (page authority, content, search engine accessibility, and so on), the anchor text you use, whether or not you choose to follow the link, and any other meta tags you may use, relating to the page to which you have linked can have a major impact on the value you provide.