One of the most asked SEO questions is “What is backlinking?”. Before I get started, allow me to introduce myself and my role at Bottom Line Marketing. I am a Lead SEO/SEM specialist in the digital department at our agency. I work with a highly skilled group of digital intellects, and we all depend on each other to make our clients happy and successful. Some of my responsibilities include kicking off and managing high performance digital campaigns, where Search Marketing and SEO benefit off of each other. Our ultimate goal is attracting leads, and understanding their digital journey before performing a conversion, such as a purchase or form submission.
Now, what is backlinking? Well, let’s start off by defining what a backlink actually is. According to our reputable SEO tool of choice Moz, “A backlink is a link created when one website links to another.” In other words, backlinks are links that send a user on an inbound mission, with your landing page marked as their destination; they are also referred to as inbound links. As you can imagine, a backlinking strategy is an important piece of an overall SEO strategy, and all backlinks are not equal. As a business, it is in your best interest to have high-quality backlinks, meaning that the links starting point lies within a reputable website. Examples of reputable sites include relevant directories like Yelp, or global e-commerce marketplaces like Groupon. An SEO strategy with backlinks in mind will yield better traffic with informed leads.
For example, if a customer is looking for a good custom jeweler nearby, they can simply read reviews on a directory such as Yelp, then click on a Contact Us “backlink”, taking them to the jeweler of choice’s contact page. The immediate goal or conversion is to receive a form with all of their information, including their interest of purchasing a custom piece of jewelry. Our digital department sets the foundation of this digital journey, measuring the analytics to increase the chances of the journey’s occurrence. The probability of this happening is much lower when the backlink is coming from a less reputable source. A backlinking strategy is the key to making sure that a lead is able to absorb the information quickly, making a desired action or conversion. This makes everyone happy; the lead, our client, and especially Bottom Line’s digital department.