In the world of SEO and organic traffic generation, what Google says, goes. And two of their stated top three factors used in determining domain authority and ranking are quality content and inbound links.
These inbound links sound essential for your overall content marketing strategy, right?
Inbound links account for up to 50% of a website's search engine ranking.
Our question for you is this—do you know what an inbound link is? And perhaps more importantly, do you know how to use inbound links to have the most significant positive impact on your SEO results?
We'll dive into definitions and best practices in a moment, but first, we wanted to give you a quick summary of why inbound links (also known as backlinks) are so darn important to search engine results.
First, inbound links drive traffic to your site from social media posts, press releases, guest blog posts, and more. Any time you or anyone else, post a link to your content, that's a backlink. Second, inbound links increase your SEO organically by teaching the search bots how valuable the content being linked to is.
What Is an Inbound Link?
An inbound link is a hyperlink from another website that points inbound to a page within your domain. In the context of SEO, inbound links are considered votes of confidence from other sites, signaling to both readers and search engine bots that your content is trustworthy and valuable.
Here are a few examples of inbound links:
- A link to your pillar page in a relevant comment on an industry blog is an inbound link.
- A link to your 'about' page within your author bio on a guest post is an inbound link.
- A link from an industry news article that features you and directs readers to your site is an inbound link.
All of these scenarios increase your domain authority and SEO pull. However, there will be some differences in the domain quality where those inbound links appear. For instance, a link from the blog of a recognized industry thought leader would have more influence than a link from a directory site. We'll have more to say on authority in a moment.
Inbound links vs. backlinks
An inbound link is the same as a backlink. The term "backlink" is an older term referring to how links point back to your domain, while "inbound link" is a newer phrase associated with the rise of inbound marketing.
Understanding Google's E-E-A-T Guidelines
Google refers to their suggested factors to remember when working on your SEO strategy as E-E-A-T.
E-E-A-T is a quality framework Google uses, and it is an acronym for:
- Experience: Demonstrating firsthand or life experience in a topic.
- Expertise: Showcasing a high level of knowledge or skill in a particular field.
- Authoritativeness: Being recognized as a go-to source of information.
- Trustworthiness: Being seen as reliable, honest, and accurate.
Much can be written about nurturing your E-E-A-T rating, but there is too much to include here. So, we'll say that the #1 best practice is to continue creating content that your readers find valuable, relevant, and helpful in solving their pain points.
Creating a site that scores high on these four factors when the search bots come crawling should be your guiding principle as you grow your blogging presence and work to develop a solid SEO foundation. After all, Google itself is working to deliver value to the customer via these principles, so following suit should be a no-brainer.
Link Profiles and Key Ranking Factors
Your website has a link profile that search bots analyze to determine rankings. A link profile is the sum of all inbound links pointing to your domain, including their diversity, authority, and relevance. Inbound link checker tools such as Moz's Link Explorer let you check your link profile to get an idea of how you're doing and highlight areas where you could be doing better. We highly recommend doing this regularly, maybe as part of your content audits.
When evaluating inbound links, Google considers several key factors:
- Linking Site Authority: Links from authoritative, industry-leading sites carry more weight than links from directories or small niche blogs.
- Number of Links from a Domain: A moderate number of links is ideal. Too many can appear spammy, while only one might seem lackluster.
- Content Concentration: This refers to the topical relevance between your site and the linking site. A link from a site within your specific niche is valued more highly than a link from an unrelated site.
The Do's and Don'ts of Inbound Link Building
DO:
Establish strong partnerships with sites that you want to link from.
Start a company blog. Links to blog and pillar pages with similar topics and content to the linking site rank highly as this content similarity shows authority in that subject.
Create a resources page. They're invaluable because once people find them and find the information presented useful, they're far more likely to link to them without you having to ask.
Leverage SEO tools to determine where and what to link on your site.
Practice ethical link-building.
DO NOT:
Buy links. Ever.
Use low-quality or spammy link directory sites. There can be an adverse effect on your domain authority just for being associated with these sites.
Participate in link exchanges. At least, not too often. Again, there can be negative impacts on your link profile if you do too many exchanges.
Inbound link building should be a part of any well-rounded content marketing and SEO strategy. As with any piece of such a strategy, there are things to keep in mind as you develop yours:
Link building, like content marketing in general, is a long game. You won't necessarily see results in the first few months or more. But once you do, the results can be impressive.
Spending the time and energy in the beginning to build and cultivate a strong relationship with linking sites will pay dividends in the strength of the links you'll get and the pull these backlinks will give your domain.
Quality inbound links are the goal, so take your time and be sure you're getting strong links from authoritative domains that meet the same E-E-A-T standards as yours, and you won't be disappointed.
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