Trying to stay up-to-date on the current best practices for search engine optimization could be a full-time position. This is because search engines such as Google are constantly updating their algorithms and changing their formulas. Backlinking is one piece of the formulas used to determine site rank and authority that has seen various changes.
The word backlink is one of the most commonly used terms in the world of SEO, but a backlink is just a link to another site using some kind of anchor text. When a reputable website creates a link to your page, they are vouching for the quality of the information on your site.
According to Forbes, these links are crucial for staying relevant and adapting your site. For years, the rule was that websites with the most backlinks could be found at the top of the search results for their targeted keywords. Thus, a website’s backlinks could improve its search engine results. Website owners and search engine marketers devoted a ton of money and time to trying to get backlinking down to a science. Back then, the thought was that the more links the better! Today, however, that isn’t the case. Links to your site can actually hurt if they’re not done correctly. So can you check these backlinks to your site? Let’s look at backlinks and how you can check them to boost your search engine optimization.
What is a backlink?
As stated above, these are just links from one website to another. They serve as a ranking signal for search engines like Google. When one website links to another, search engines take note of those links and believe the content is noteworthy. High-quality backlinks can help increase a site’s ranking position and visibility in SEO results. On the other hand, however, backlinks from toxic websites with a low relevance or authority might have links from your site and that could cause your site to be penalized. This could result in your page rank taking a hit in search results and the web traffic you see diminish.
These types of links play an integral role in search engine algorithm, SEO, and the overall strategy for growing your website. One way to illustrate the idea of backlinks is to think of it as conversations between websites. For example, when one blogger writes an interesting article about a sports event and another blogger links to that article, this creates a link to the original post. The linking between the two websites creates a conversation. To take it a step further, when the second blogger’s article takes off in popularity, many other sites link back to the original article. This boosts the second blogger’s page authority, and the original writer also gets a valuable link from a reputable site. When webmasters use backlinks, it creates a network of content. But if that second blogger’s page is full of irrelevant ads and low authority spammy links, then that doesn’t help the first blogger and it could actually hurt the page authority of their site. This is why it is important to keep an eye on the backlinks to your site.
Backlink Checkers
In order to check backlinks, you will need the assistance of a backlink checker system. Many of these checkers offer free versions and paid versions that operate on various levels of assistance. These checkers allow you to monitor the source of links to your page so that you can determine if you have quality links. This will let take control of any poor-quality sites that link to your site. It could also give you an understanding of potential link building possibilities so that you can focus on gaining more positive links that could boost your site’s page authority. Monitoring which pages are providing positive backlinks will also give you a better idea of the content that is generating the most interest with your audience which can then inform your backlink strategy. When you take advantage of all the potential found in the backlink checker, it could be a resource that gives you considerable insight and can help you succeed.
You will want to utilize a backlink checker that easily mixes with the rest of your overall SEO strategy. The checker will then be able to add immediate value to your plan. In the frequently competitive world of online publishing and marketing, you will want to make sure that you have all the insight you need to succeed. A backlink checker could provide you with important information about the strength of your SEO endeavors in attracting quality inbound links. A checker could also provide limited information about how many people read and appreciate your content. When you combine this with the power of the rest of your SEO strategy, you could gain immediate relevance and authority, which could translate into a ton of organic traffic from the referring website back to your own site.
