The Truth About Backlinks

When it comes to backlinks, there are a lot of different opinions on their importance or exactly what the best strategy is for implementing backlinks to get higher rankings in Google and the other search engines.  In this article, I want to go over some of the myths about backlinks you may have read or heard about, along with my reasoning for disagreeing with them.

Myth: You Don’t Really Need Backlinks

I have seen articles about websites that got a ton of traffic with no backlinks at all—or no effort to get any.  The message here was that all you need to do is provide quality, helpful content and the audience will show up.  I totally disagree.

First of all, will so much content already online, chances are you’re not going to be able to create the holy grail of content that no one else has.  Now I do agree that you need to have good content on your websites, but content alone is just not going to cut it these days.  For better search engine rankings, you still need backlinks for proof of your authority, trust, and expertise.

Myth: You Should Just Let Backlinks Happen Naturally

This is kind of related to the previous myth above.  You may have read or heard from some people that say to just focus on providing high quality content and backlinks will come naturally.  In an ideal world, that would be the way things work (i.e. you create this awesome piece of content that everyone is so enamored with that they create a link to your website).  Many years ago, this strategy may have worked, but for the same reasons I mentioned for myth #1 above, and because these days even if you were able to get some links that way, it wouldn’t be enough to compete in most niches.

Myth: You Should Never Buy Backlinks

So, if you can’t just let backlinks happen naturally, what should you do?  Well, if you haven’t already, I would recommend getting my Backlinks Cheatsheet that lists the methods that I use.  Just fill out the sign up form below.  However, here we have one of the most controversial topics on whether you should or shouldn’t buy backlinks.  I’m sure you’ve heard or read from some of the SEO “experts” that you should never buy backlinks.  They say it’s against Google’s terms and that your site will get penalized or banned.  

My response to website owners that are worried or uncomfortable with purchasing backlinks is that they just focus on the other methods of obtaining links.  I don’t have a problem if you’re not comfortable with this strategy.  I’ll just state that I personally have not seen a website banned if you implement the proper strategy for purchasing backlinks.

Myth: All Backlinks are the Same.  Just Get as Many as You Can

Years ago, the idea was to just get as many backlinks to your website as possible—through any means, including using spamming techniques.  Of course, that’s not the case today.  But even using so called white hat techniques, there are some big differences in the types of backlinks you can get.

For example, while I believe that directories and forums are still a legitimate place for backlinks, they certainly don’t carry as much weight (or lead to higher rankings) as a link from a high DA website article in your niche does.  These days, you should definitely strive to get backlinks from quality high authority sites.  That’s the best way to improve your SERP.

Myth: Your Website Will Get Banned with Too Many Backlinks

We’ve mentioned quality, but what about quantity when it comes to backlinks.  Is there a limit you should impose on yourself?  Is there such a thing as too many backlinks?  Here’s another area where some people think it’s not a good thing to have a ton of backlinks.

While I do believe that quality should be your first priority with backlinks, I do think that quantity is important.  And, in my experience, there is not such thing as having “too many” backlinks.  I’m not suggesting you go out and spam your site full of links.  But, what I would advise is not to be worried about getting your website banned for having too many backlinks.  It’s especially true if you’re in a competitive niche.  Do some research on your top competitors and I’m sure you’ll find that have tens or hundreds of thousands (if not millions in some cases) of backlinks to their site.  Do you really think every one of those links is on the up and up?

Again, I’m not suggesting that you go out and use every means, including black hat methods, for obtaining backlinks.  What I am recommending is that you don’t get overly stressed out about acquiring too many backlinks.  Just make sure your backlinks grow at a steady consistent rate rather than in one huge spike!

Myth: Internal Linking Isn’t Really Important

Here’s an area that is definitely under appreciated.  Although you do need external backlinks for better search engine rankings, your internal website links can also play a part in your SERP.  

In my opinion, it’s sometimes difficult to give specific advice on internal linking because the algorithms seem to constantly change regarding them.  However, here are two strategies currently working well for me.  First, you definitely want to make sure to link all of your articles and blog posts on the topic you’re trying to rank well for.  Some experts refer to it as the hub and spoke system, where you have your main cornerstone content article with your other blog posts linking to it.

My other recommendation concerning internal linking is that if you have a particular webpage article you’re trying to rank better for, make sure to include a direct link to it in your main menus.  Recently, I was having difficulty getting some of my webpages indexed properly and getting ranked.  When I switched to including an actual menu link to those pages, my rankings significantly improved.

Sign Up to Get My Free Cheatsheet on SEO Backlinks