Backlinks have been a topic of discussion within the SEO industry for many years and still play a significant role in online marketing. It is, however, important to recognize that, in recent times, the way backlinks are issued has become far more selective and meaningful than in the past.
Despite industry controversy over the role of backlinks in SEO, quality sites that include your content as a resource still signal to search engines that your content is worthy of a higher ranking. Search engines view these sites as sources of trust and authority.
What’s Changed with Earning High-Quality Backlinks?
Everything except for the fact that you still want to earn the most high-quality backlinks possible. But the way you go about earning them has changed significantly. No longer is it about publishing the largest number of backlinks possible. Instead, relevance now plays a huge role, and just putting out links for the sake of linking is now potentially far worse for your site than having no links at all.
What is a high-quality backlink, and how can a business obtain one?
Backlinks are crucial for building a successful online business, and many people want to know what makes a good link and how to get one. This post will explain what a quality backlink is and share some ways businesses can earn them.
1. Relevance Matters More Than Authority Alone
Quality matters more than quantity when it comes to links from other websites. One link from a relevant site is much more valuable than many links from unrelated sites, even if those sites are large. Putting backlinks in your main content is better than adding them to the footer or sidebar, because it shows search engines you have expertise in your field.
For example, if you’re an interior designer, a backlink from a respected home décor magazine, architecture blog, or real estate publication is far more valuable than a link from an unrelated industry like automotive or finance.
When Search Engines no longer count all links equally, the meaningful links count more.
2. Editorial Links Carry the Most Value
The strongest backlinks are editorial links. By definition, these are links on other people’s sites that you have obtained because your content offered value to someone else, maybe even provided insight or uniqueness to a particular niche or topic.
These are different from:
- Directory links
- Low-quality guest posts
- Paid links
- Automated placements
Editorial links are harder to get than other types of links, but they are the most valuable because they come as an endorsement from one website to another.
Use original research, thought leadership posts, and guides as link-building resources.
3. Authority Still Plays a Major Role
You have read that high DA links are no longer important for link building. That is incorrect. Links from authorities with existing link equity are still extremely valuable to your site. A link from a known quality source, such as a media outlet or large brand, is much more valuable than one from a lower DA website or a spammy one.
Authority backlinks from relevant sites are an essential component of good SEO, but now the most valuable links also take other factors into account.
- authority
- relevance
- context
- natural placement
Of course, the other conditions must be met as well.
4. Fewer High-Quality Links Beat Many Low-Quality Ones
Link building is a constantly evolving aspect of SEO, and the way it is approached is no exception. In years past, link building was all about amassing the largest possible link collection. Now, link building is not just about how many links you can accumulate but about the quality of those links.
Having a few high-quality links is better than having dozens of low-quality ones. Strong links are often more valuable than many weak ones, and search engines are now focusing more on links that are trustworthy and relevant instead of just counting how many you have.
This is why many businesses now focus on:
- Digital PR
- Industry partnerships
- Expert contributions
- Data-driven content
These methods might result in fewer links, but the links you get are more meaningful.
5. Contextual Placement Matters More Than Ever
Another factor in link quality is the site where your link appears. As mentioned earlier, the linking site matters, but the specific page or section also makes a difference. Links in the main content of a page usually pass more value than those in sidebars or widgets.
Contextual links show that content has value.
Did you know that a link in the content can be more valuable than a link that isn’t?
The Real Shift in Backlink Strategy
Backlink strategies have changed a lot in recent years. Getting links is no longer just about collecting as many as possible. Now, the process is more about building real business relationships and sometimes even involves buying or leasing an author’s full body of work.
That means:
- Creating useful content
- Sharing original insights
- Contributing to industry conversations
- Building relationships with publishers
This means you may add links less often, but when you do, each link has more authority. Griffon Webstudios sees value in continually running time-consuming backlink campaigns to demonstrate a website’s relevance and authority.
Backlinks still matter. The real change isn’t about how many links you have, but about improving the quality of those links.
