What Are Backlinks?

The Basics & Complexities of a Backlink in One Article!

I decided to write this article after getting this question over and over again via social media groups that I am apart of. People who are just starting out with a website or trying to learn SEO will almost certainly hear that "Backlinks" are important but most people have no clue as to what a backlink actually is.

*Use the table of contents box to the right to navigate this article teaching you what a backlink is. Enjoy!

If you would rather listen to me teach about backlinks, feel free to click the play button below. I go over everything that is written in this article.

*I would love to get other topic suggestions on things you would like to learn from me. To give me suggestions please comment on any of my social media channels.

Noun:

A backlink is an incoming hyperlink from one web page to another website.

Example:

If you click this backlink, you will be directed to the home page of my website.

Below are 4 different types of backlinks. As you learn more about backlinks you will find that people have many other types of backlinks and names for them. However, these four cover the basics and are the building blocks for all backlinks.

1. Internal Backlink

The most common internal backlinks are those that make up the menu bar of a website. In fact, the “Home” link is probably the most common backlink on the internet today. Other types of internal backlinks are hyperlinks within articles that point to other articles on the same website.

2. External Backlinks

An external backlink is any hyperlink comes into a website from a 3rd party website.

3. Do Follow Backlink

A Do Follow backlink is a type of backlink that has a Do Follow attribute attached to it. Think of it as a Red Hat or Blue Hat. Whereas the red represents the color of the hat and the Do Follow represents how Google looks and treats the backlink. A Do Follow backlink has the ability to either benefit or hurt the rankings of the website the link is pointed at.

4. No Follow Backlink

A No Follow backlink is another type of backlink and is the exact opposite of a Do Follow backlink. It tells Google to discredit or to neutralize the backlinks linking value to the website it points to.

I want to emphasize that backlinks have multiple benefits when it comes to websites and the internet. Many people have a narrow opinion on the benefits of backlinks which is often the reason as to why they are misunderstood or a topic of stress among website owners.

Below is a simple list as to why backlinks are important.

1. They are important because they make the internet easy to navigate.

Backlinks are probably the number one reason why people love the internet. With a click of the mouse we can go anywhere we want online via backlinks. Wouldn’t it be neat if we could travel that fast and effortlessly in the real world.

2. They help people find websites they are interested in.

Links are the primary way that people find new websites. For example, when someone does a google search for a local business they are presented with 10 or more backlinks along with descriptions of those links.

Another example would be when someone sees a story on their Facebook newsfeed and clicks on the backlink associated with it. Most likely that person has never heard of the website the link went to before but with a simple click they were introduced to a website they were interested in.

3. They help Google know who is worth ranking or recommending in their search engine.

Did you know that before Google came around backlinks were here. Yep, it is true but Google is the reason why so many people focus on backlinks. Google needs various indicators to help them know if a website is worth recommending for various topics. One of the main indicators to help Google and other search engines know who to rank has always been and will almost certainly always be backlinks.

Google will time and time again rank a website high or low based on the backlinks that point to that website.

4. They help people to promote and spread their business, website, community, or other interests that they may have.

The internet is by far one of the most amazing tools we have in regards to spreading a message. We can connect with people, groups, businesses, and more via the internet via a simple backlink.

This question is not so easy to answer. Why? Because there are so many answers and not every answer is for everyone. In fact, there are many companies out there that charge $1,000s to just create a guide or blueprint for a specific company to build backlinks and then charge $1,000s more to do the work needed to actually build the backlinks. Seems crazy, right? Wrong.

Having the right backlinks to a website can mean the difference between a successful website and a complete failure. Never underestimate the value of the right backlink.

Yes, yes, yes, yes and one more yes. Backlinks can be bad. I have seen it time and time again where a website has bad backlinks going to their website and they have told Google one thing. They have told Google not to rank this website.

Here is a list of reason why a backlink can be bad. *Remember that eating bad for one day won’t make you overweight or have a heart attack but eating bad consistently will.

1. The backlink goes to an error page.

This can happen for a variety of reasons. The most common is when someone removes the page that the backlink was going to in the first place. The reason why this is bad is because it tells people that there was an error on your site and that can lead to distrust. Another reason it is bad is because Google doesn’t count error or missing pages as a good thing and it could hurt the site’s rankings.

2. The backlink comes from a site full of bad things.

Some obvious inappropriate content is the use of bad language, inappropriate images, malware, stolen content, etc. Basically the way to look at it is like this. In real life do you want to be associated with people of high values and morals who obey the law, work hard, are honest, and trustworthy or do you want to be associated with people who have low values and mores, break the law, try to cheat, lie, and are not trusted?

3. The backlink comes from a site that doesn’t have much trust.

This is easier understood in the real world. So let me give a real world example. If tomorrow, the President of the United States referenced your website in a positive way at a press conference would it pass a lot of trust and credibility to your webiste? The obvious answer is yes.

Well the opposite is true. If a website has zerio to little value, then Google takes their backlinks with less consideration or value.

If you have bad backlinks and know about them, I would recommend that you do everything you can to get them removed. Once they are removed you should expect improvements in your website’s rankings but remember that it will most likely take time to see those improvements.

Here are some ways to get the backlinks removed.

1. Use Google’s disavow tool.

Google offers a free tool to let them know of links that you feel shouldn’t be included in your website’s backlink profile. This tool is free to use but isn’t always the end all solution. Here is a link (Backlink) to Google’s Disavow Tool.

2. Remove the backlinks manually.

If you have access to edit the website that has the links on it, you can go in and remove the backlinks manually. This is by far the easiest way to get rid of bad backlinks but it requires that you can edit the website itself.

3. Ask the website owner or developer to remove the backlinks.

This one will take the most time and your efforts may never be rewarded. The first thing to do is see if you have the contact information of whomever is in charge of the website. You will then need to reach out to them and ask them to remove the link. Most likely it will require many follow up attempts before it is actually done.

I have created a private Facebook group where I answer questions and share my articles on marketing. Feel free to connect with me here and ask me whatever you want.

I can’t promise that I will always be able to provide the answer for you but I am working on it everyday. I do own and operate a business and have many clients that I do marketing for.

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Like many of the articles I write here I draw from my years of experience.

*If you would like to contribute to this article with personal stories or experience, please let me know.  I will take it into consideration and if I do add you here as a reference. (You would get a backlink out of it)