Asking how many backlinks do you need can be a loaded question. Most questions, when asked about SEO, can always be answered with, “it depends.” So, if you were to ask me how many backlinks you need to rank on the first page, I would answer it with a smile and say, “it depends.” Link building is such an important part of any SEO strategy, that we can without hesitation say you need to be doing at least some form of link building. Hopefully, what we can provide for you in this blog is an idea of what and how much you should be doing. We will be discussing what a backlink is, what is more, important between quality and quantity, and the best strategy for you going forward in 2021.
What is a Backlink
A backlink can easily be defined as another website being linked to your website. These can come in many different forms, but what the search engine sees is another website talking about you. A user may see anchor text with a link going back to your website. Which if done correctly is a great way to get some relevant traffic to your website. What are the different types of backlinks?
- Guest Post/Blogging – These in most cases can bring you the most value to your website. Not only is there a link to your website, but there is a relevant piece of content that your website/business is referred to in.
- Directory Links – Posting your business’s information in a relevant online directory can be a great way to acquire good links with a minimum investment in time and money.
- Link From A Review Site – Websites such as Clutch and Upcity are third party websites that rate all types of businesses by their services and link back to your website and give users an idea of the quality of service you provide.
How many Backlinks do your Competitors have
One of the best ways for someone to know how many backlinks they need is to check their competition on how many links they have. Wonderful online tools such as MOZ and Ahrefs are the best tools out there. They can check your domain up against your competitors and show you where you stand in comparison. If all else with you and your competitor’s website is equal besides backlinks, the search engine would most likely take the website with more links. So, you may be thinking it’s just that easy. Not so fast, just like with any type of SEO, quality and strategy are what really can set you apart from others.
Quantity vs Quality – The Best Backlink Strategies
If you are excited to get out there and get a bunch of backlinks to get you on that first page that is a good thing. However, in this case, it really is quality over quantity. When Google and other search engines are deciding how high they should be ranking you, they check the quality of the links pointing back to you. It is much better to have 50 high-quality links pointing back to your site than 100 bad ones. What makes a good and bad link?
The Best Backlink Strategies
As with anything when it comes to SEO, the strategy is everything. What makes a good backlink strategy? Follow these guidelines:
- Relevance – Make sure whatever website you are getting a link from is relevant to your business. It is important to monitor your backlinks as well, as random sites could be linking to you and you don’t even know it.
- Spammy – It’s not hard to identify a spammy site when you see one. Search engines know as well. Stay as far away as possible from those sites as they can hurt as opposed to helping.
- Domain Authority – A good way to think of domain authority is how much your website is trusted compared to other sites. Getting links from websites that are trusted is a safe bet.
I hope that when you ask, how many backlinks do you need, you know where to start. If you’re interested in getting a free assessment on your backlink profile and your competition, contact us today.
